February News, with love from your Library!

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Lafayette Public Library brings community, information
and ideas together to inspire literacy, learning, and discovery.

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Melissa Hisel, Library Director

LIBRARY CLOSURE

Library and book drops are CLOSED ALL DAY Monday, February 17, in observance of President's Day. Book drops are locked at the Library's closing on the night before the holiday, and reopen at 8:30 the day following the closure.

Graphic of diverse people with title "Libraries are for everyone"

Lafayette Public Library is FINE FREE!

Stuck in traffic? Kids home sick?
We get it - sometimes life can get in the way!
Lafayette Public Library no longer charges fines for overdue items!
Why? Eliminating fines offers folks an opportunity to
re-discover their library and all it has to offer, without putting a financial barrier in place.

We are committed to remove barriers and make access easy and enjoyable for everyone. We also waived all existing fines, so you can start a new chapter with your library!

New & Current @ the Library

Taxes, taxes, taxes!

AARP’s very popular Tax Aide program starts in February - mark your calendars and check our website to sign up or call 303-661-1163. This free, volunteer-staffed program is first-come-first-served, and appointments fill quickly. Due to popular demand, tax appointments are scheduled for Wednesdays and Saturdays, through April.

Lafayette Reads!

Lafayette READS, our quarterly community reading and discussion group, is gearing up for our next community book group meeting on March 16, at 6 pm. The March selection is The Library Book by Susan Orlean.

"Weaving her lifelong love of books and reading into an investigation of the Los Angeles Public Library fire, author Susan Orlean delivers a mesmerizing book that manages to tell the broader story of libraries and librarians."
Enjoy a short NPR interview with Orlean, and read this compelling book pick!

Boulder Daily Camera

You can now access current and older articles of the Boulder Daily Camera online, from 1996 to the present.

LPL Seed Library

Go Green - from our Seed Library to your garden!
We are launching a Free Seed Program. Start your own garden with a little help from your neighbors, and our seed library.

This month we start accepting seed donations of commercial, unopened (sealed) packets. Then pick up some seed from March - May. Read the details,
or contact Angelique, Family Outreach Services.

The Friends Spring Break Lobby Book Sale

March 21 - March 29, during library hours. Save your pennies, and get ready for the next Friends sale. Prices are cheap, selection is great, and we accept credit cards as well as cash and checks.

Teen Job Fair April 17 @ the Library

Need a job? Join us and representatives from Boulder County Workforce, the City of Lafayette, and other local area businesses.

Businesses - need help for the summer? Be part of the April 17 Teen Job Fair! Contact us.

CHECK OUT OUR CALENDAR!

Available All Month:

Homework Center & Tutoring Computer Coach Studio 775 Makerspace

Kids & Teens

Teen Tabletop Gaming - Saturdays in February, 1-5 pm
Puppy Love! Therapy Dogs of BoCo - February 1, 11 am - noon, Drop in.
DIY Crafts & Activities! February 4, Kids, 3-4 pm; Teens, 4-5 pm
Robot Challenge Exhibition - Wednesday, February 5, 4-5 pm
LEGO Club - February 23, Kids, 3-4 pm
Teen Service Day: Short term volunteering One Sunday a month, 1-4 pm. Register!
Teen Collection Connection - February 26, 4:15-5:15 pm. Register!

Adults

AARP Tax Help, by Appointment - Wednesdays and Saturdays through April
Medicare Basics Class - February 14, 1:30-3:30 pm. Register-303-661-1492
Legal Clinic - February 14, 3-4 pm. Register!
Get to Know Your iPhone and iPad - February 19, 10:30-11:30 am
DIY Wordpress Class by gooWee - February 19, 5-7:30 pm. Register!
Death Café - February 20, 6 pm
Career & College Writing Workshop - February 21, drop in 1-3 pm. 18+

View our online TO DO page, download the FLYER, or visit our CALENDAR

Looking for some reading direction? Each month our blog posts offer staff picks, youth favorites, and specialty lists.You can find it all in our catalog. If you need even more choices, try Novelist Good Books Alerts!

It's Your Lucky Day!
Some in-demand titles can become Lucky Day items that avoid long hold list times. There are no renewals on a Lucky Day item, and only one Lucky Day item at a time can be borrowed. Stop by our Lucky Day tables in the Lobby and in the Children’s area to see what's available.

Online Magazines - we offer a wide assortment of online popular magazines with RBDigital. The service is free, and you can read them easily on your mobile device.

Book Clubs
If you like reading and discussing books, we host three public book clubs; the Last Word club, a Newcomer's book club, and the Unbook club. Find out more!

Energy Efficiency Tools

We offer Xcel Energy tools to help you save money on your energy bill. Learn more and reserve yours!

Free Museum Passes

Check out free Museum Passes for adventures to area cultural institutions, including the Clyfford Still Museum; the Denver Museum of Nature & Science; Fiske Planetarium CU-Boulder; Museum of Contemporary Art Denver, and WOW! Children's Museum.

Free Office Space

Try a super useful free office space pass at Confluence Small Business Collective. Pick up your weekday access pass to Confluence, a shared-office "co-working" community in downtown Lafayette. Try something new - launch a business!

Colorado State Park Passes

Promise yourself to get outside more in 2020! We offer a State Parks Pass for seven days, to use at any (or multiple) state parks during that period. Use your Lafayette Library card to check one out, and visit any of Colorado's 42 state parks.

Historic Newspapers in the Library collection

Get details on the additional Colorado historic newspapers we now offer!

Kids Display Case Opportunities

Kids and families – do you have a collection (dinosaurs, legos, erasers, trucks - use your imagination!) you would like other kids to see? We have openings in our display case in the children’s area. Contact Katie to sign up for a month!

Volunteering

We extend a heartfelt thanks to our invaluable army of library volunteers.

The library employs just over 30 paid staff, most of them part-time. However, over 250 library volunteers collaborate with staff weekly, monthly, or on call in order to make sure we have the hands needed to carry out our library work. Volunteers are adults, teens, professionals, and retirees, and come to us from all backgrounds.

If you’ve resolved to give back to your community, consider being a library volunteer.
We arrange informal volunteer “interviews” bi-monthly, and would love to chat with you.

Teen Service Days start this month

Teens! Earn volunteer hours without the full semester commitment – sign up for our 1-3 hour short-term work opportunities. Grab a friend and register for the whole afternoon, or for just an hour! Let us know when you plan to be here and for how long.

Friends of the Lafayette Public Library

Thanks to our hardworking Friends of the Library. These volunteers work each week to accept and sort book, CD, and DVD donations. The Friends turn those donations into much needed financial support! You can be part of this amazing team - volunteer, donate, and be a member.

Homework Help Volunteers Needed!

Are you looking for a volunteer opportunity, and enjoy kids? Apply to join our Homework Center tutors and help with homework in all subjects. We have opportunities for elementary, middle school, and high school (math/physics tutoring). Training and support are provided, and we ask for a commitment through the end of the school year in May.

Donate to the Library online

You can also support your library by donating online to the Friends of the Lafayette Library Foundation. All online donations go directly to the Library - make your gift easily and quickly – donate now!

The Library in the Community

You want to help vulnerable individuals in your community, but you’re not sure what you can do. Here's one idea - bring donations of new or gently used (and washed) items such as hats, gloves, mittens, scarves, and socks (new only!). Place your items in the basket near the entrance. Thanks for using the Library to help keep children, families and adults warm this winter.

DATABASES

Our database collection offers free access to comprehensive information on a wide range of subjects. Check them out and ask a librarian to step you through the search process.

ART @ THE LIBRARY

We offer several art galleries throughout the library featuring local artists, community art, and local school art projects. View our exhibits on the Library art calendar.
Join us Sunday, February 2, 1:30-3 pm, for an artists' reception!

Main North and South Galleries

January and February

Featuring the work of Trine Bumiller, from her new series, 100 Paintings for 100 Years.

Upper North and South Galleries

January and February

Nine local artists join in one show with a visual display of place and season.
Artists include Tom Ellison, Kate Tonnesson, Julie Kitzes, Rebecca Gorrell, Yavonne Hamby, Linda Fitzgerald, Grace Hoag, Evan Cantor, Vallee Johnson.

We love hearing from you - drop us a note with your comments and suggestions.

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