December 2020 Newsletter

News from Castleton Public Library - December 2020 View this email in your browser Notes from Our Director:  We are here for you! Walk-ins are welcome at the library. Please note that the library is operating with limited services and at reduced capacity. Click here for what you'll need to know when visiting the library during this time. We also continue to offer curbside pick-up service for your convenience. Have questions about our services? Email director@castletonpubliclibrary.org or call 518-732-0879.   Do you love our take-home kits for kids and teens? We're offering even more this month! Starting Monday, 12/7, pick up our Cool Science: Snow Fluff Kit, our Take & Make Crafts: Animal Crafts Kit, and a special Winter Break Week Fun Pack! These kits will be available for easy walk-in or curbside pickup from December 7 through January 2. Especially for teens (6th-12th grades only, please), we're offering a Teen Time: Touchscreen Gloves Kit, also from December 7 through January 2. See below for a full list of our kits and our other events this month.  When you stop in the library or pick up your curbside order, don't forget to pick up a Castleton/Schodack Window Art Project: Snowflakes kit! It's for all ages to enjoy. We invite everyone in the community to create a snowflake and put it in their window for neighbors to see this winter. Use the materials in the kit, or use what you have at home. We'll have the kits available from November 30 through February 27. Let's see how many window snowflakes we can spot in the community this winter! Are you interested in serving our community and helping to improve our library? The Castleton Public Library's Board of Trustees is currently seeking trustees to fill two vacancies on the Board. The Board is responsible for guiding funds, policies, and strategic planning for the library. The Board meets monthly; the total time commitment for Trustees is approximately two to three hours per month. To learn more about what it means to serve on our Board of Trustees, please attend the next Board meeting (via Zoom) on Monday, December 21 at 7:00 p.m. (email director@castletonpubliclibrary.org for meeting connection information) or send a letter of interest and resume to director@castletonpubliclibrary.org.  Best,  Melissa Tacke Download our December Events Calendar as a PDF Prerecorded Online Events - Available Anytime After Posting Date! Virtual Storytime with Miss Joelle New episode posted every Wednesday - 12/2, 12/9, 12/16, 12/23, 12/30. Join Miss Joelle for a story and rhymes/songs that you can participate in at home! A new storytime video is posted every Wednesday. All videos are available on-demand to fit your schedule. The complete Virtual Storytime playlist can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/CPL-storytime Food Art Challenge Submit your photos from Dec. 7 through Dec. 21 to enter to win a prize! Make something fun out of your food! Email photos of your creations to youthservices@castletonpubliclibrary.org and you’ll be entered to win a $10 Amazon gift certificate (we’ll draw 3 winners randomly!). For all ages. The deadline to send your photos is 12/21. Afterward, we’ll post a video showcasing all of the submissions on our YouTube channel on 12/30: https://tinyurl.com/CPL-YouTube Cool Science at Home: Snow Fluff Kit available for pick-up at the library from Dec. 7 through Jan. 2  Do you like playing and building with snow? In this month's science demonstration, we’ll make snow fluff with shaving cream and learn about the science behind real snow! How-to video and handout will be added to our Cool Science playlist on 12/7. Pick up the kit anytime from Dec. 7 through Jan. 2. Full playlist here: https://tinyurl.com/CPL-Science  Take & Make Crafts: Animal Crafts Kit available for pick-up at the library from Dec. 7 through Jan. 2 We've got a variety of fun animal crafts that you can make at home! How-to video will be added to our Take & Make Crafts playlist on 12/7. Pick up the kit anytime from Dec. 7 through Jan. 2. Full playlist here: https://tinyurl.com/CPL-Crafts Teen Time: Touchscreen Gloves Kit Kit available for pick-up at the library from Dec. 7 through Jan. 2 (6th-12th grades only).  Do you want to be able to use your phone while wearing gloves? You can make your own touchscreen gloves! Teens in 6th-12th grades are invited to pick up a Touchscreen Gloves Kit at the library any time from Dec. 7 through Jan. 2, then watch the how-to video on our YouTube channel: https://tinyurl.com/CPL-YouTube Local Music Showcase Video posted on Monday, December 14 Enjoy an "open mic" experience anytime! Castleton/Schodack musicians play in this local music showcase. Video will be posted to our YouTube channel on 12/14: https://tinyurl.com/CPL-YouTube Kids Cook: Homemade Butter Video posted on Tuesday, December 15  In this month’s cooking session, we will learn how to make our own butter at home! The video will be added to our Kids Cook playlist on 12/15. The full Kids Cook playlist is at https://tinyurl.com/CPL-KidsCook.  Live Online & In-Person Events Castleton/Schodack Community Window Art Project: Snowflakes! Kit available for pick-up at the library from now through Feb. 27 Let’s create a community-wide snowflake window art project to enjoy this winter with our neighbors! You can make snowflake window art using materials in our Snowflake Window Art kit, or use what you have at home. We’ll have kits available for pick-up any time from now through February 27. Friends of CPL Bottle & Can Drive This fundraiser is ongoing! Location: 6 Center Redemption, 550 South St., Rensselaer, NY 12144 This fundraiser is super-simple -- when you take your returnable bottles & cans to 6 Center Redemption, let them know that you’d like to donate to the Friends of Castleton Public Library.  Please do not bring bottle & can donations to the library. Thanks for your support! Winter Break Week Fun Pack! Fun Pack available for pick-up at the library from Dec. 7 through Jan. 2 Want some extra fun stuff to do during your break from school? Pick up one of our fun packs, which include a Cool Science experiment sheet, coloring sheets, puzzle sheets, and a scratch art notepad! TED Talk Discussion Series Tuesday, December 8, 8:00 p.m. We'll watch 2 short TED talks on a shared theme, then discuss. For adults. Email director@castletonpubliclibrary.org for Zoom connection information. Virtual Book Club: The Time Machine, by H.G. Wells Tuesday, December 15, 8:00 p.m. Join us for a discussion of The Time Machine by H.G. Wells. Everyone can borrow the eBook or digital audiobook at the same time using Hoopla! For adults. Email director@castletonpubliclibrary.org for Zoom connection information. CPL Board of Trustees Meeting Monday, December 21, 7:00 p.m. December meeting of CPL’s Board of Trustees, held virtually. Members of the public are welcome to attend. Email director@castletonpubliclibrary.org for Zoom connection information.  Digital Library Resources Check Out Our Digital Collections! The Upper Hudson Library System hosts a great collection of ebooks, digital audiobooks, digital magazines, and streaming video, resources for research, and more! Click here to visit our page about digital resources.  Borrow a WiFi Hotspot Did you know that we loan WiFi hotspots? They can be borrowed for 14 days -- all you need is your library card! Hotspots are available on a first-come, first-served basis and can only be checked out and returned at CPL. Call 518-732-0879 or email director@castletonpubliclibrary.org for more information.  WiFi Outside Our Building Our WiFi is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can access the public WiFi at the picnic table on the front lawn, or alongside the building on Stimpson Avenue (the signal is strongest near the front of the building). Just look for the network called "Castleton Public Library." There's no password to connect!  Copyright © 2020 Castleton Public Library, All rights reserved.