Friends, don’t forget us during this Holiday shopping season!

Shopping on Amazon? You can go to: smile.amazon.com and choose: Seward Community Library Association, place your order and Amazon will do the rest.

Amazon donates directly to us!  It’s easy and supports your library programs; like the summer reading program, author events, new books for library shelves, children’s and adult activities.

Shop for everyone on your gift list this holiday at smile.amazon.com/ch/92-0018660 and Amazon donates to Seward Community Library Association, aka Friends of the Seward Library!

Story Time
We have two special story time events in November. Story Times are every Friday at 11am in the Children’s Room for children ages birth to 5 years old.

• Thursday, November 16 at 11 am: We will have a special Story Time with a special guest, Public Health Nurse, Amanda McKinley, to learn about germs and the importance of handwashing.
• Friday, November 17 at 11 am: We will begin our monthly Museum Story Time with Curator Maddi McGraw where we'll learn about how to be “Museum Explorers”!

Seward Community Book Club
Book Club meets every third Saturday of the month at 11am in the Meeting Room through April.

• Saturday, November 18 at 11 am:  We will discuss Reading Lolita in Tehran, a book by Iranian author and professor Azar Nafisi. Published in 2003, it was on the New York Times bestseller list for over one hundred weeks and has been translated into thirty-two languages.  Books are available for check out at the Library Circulation Desk.
• Saturday, December 16 at 11 am:  A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle will be available at the November 18th meeting.

Homeshool Lunch Bunch
Lunch Bunch meets the last Wednesday of every month September-April from 12:30-1:30pm.  This event is for homeschooled students of all ages and are divided up in three different spaces depending on age group.

• Wednesday, Nov. 29 at 12:30 pm:  The older age group (approx. 4th grade on up) will learn about National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and how to write a six-word novel with Tim Morrow.
• Note that there is no Lunch Bunch in December.

Children's Play Time
Play Time is every Saturday from 12pm-5pm for children and their caregivers who are welcome to drop by for unstructured play time with carefully selected developmental toys, read stories to each other, and make friends. 

Play 'N Chat
This program is facilitated by the Infant Learning Program and is a great opportunity for children to interact and families to get to know each other. Held every Wednesday from 10am to 11:30am in the library community room. For information, contact us at (907) 224-4082 or libmus@cityofseward.net.

Closure Dates
Library Museum will be closed on Thanksgiving November 23-24, 2017.  We will be open on Saturday, November 25, 2017.  We will also be closed for a Training/Work Day on December 7, 2017.

Seward Community Library & Museum
 
Upcoming Events & Programs

• Author Visit and Program:  Tuesday, October 17, 2017 at 5-6 pm in the Community Room.  Melting the Ice Curtain: The Extraordinary Story of Citizen Diplomacy on the Russian-Alaskan Frontier” book presentation by longtime Alaskan and Russian expert, David Ramseur.  Join us for an evening of Alaska history and the role our great state played in the Cold War.  www.davidramseur.com
• Museum Drop-in Craft:  Friday & Saturday, Oct. 20-21, noon-4 pm.  Stop by the Museum Kitchen Table to make your own tissue paper pumpkin sun catcher to hang in your window.  All ages welcome!
• 1st Community Book Club Meeting:  Saturday, October 21, 2017 at 11 am in the Meeting Room.  Let’s talk about Eowyn Ivey’s latest book To the Bright Edge of the World.  Bring a brunch dish to share at the get together and get connected with other members of the community.  The books selected are based off the patron’s selection.  Enjoy good food, discuss a good read, and get settled in for the winter with an assortment of intoxicating literature.  Community Book Club meets every other month during the off season.  Chime in with suggestions for the next book selection.  Psst…we’re thinking about recipe books and incorporating food into our discussions…let us know what you think!
• Look Up to the Stars Event:  Tuesday, October 24, 2017 at 4-6 pm in the Community Room.  Don’t miss the Look Up to the Stars event for all ages with Kevin Manning.  Enjoy an educational and entertaining exploration of the universe, the stars and other celestial wonders, as well as a refreshingly large perspective gained by looking up to the stars. This program is dynamic and engaging, and audiences have the opportunity to view the amazing rings of Saturn, craters of the moon and other jewels of the night sky through a powerful telescope, weather permitting.  Thank you to the Seward Community Library Association who has generously sponsored this special program.  www.lookuptothestars.com
• 4th Annual Open House:  Saturday, Nov 4, 1-4 pm.  Everyone is invited to our Open House for fun and engaging activities at the Library Museum to celebrate our community after a busy summer and shoulder seasons.  Come and experience this special community celebration and see what’s new at the Library Museum!  Contact Valarie Kingsland at 907-224-4008 or vkingsland@cityofseward.net if you’d like to volunteer to help with this event.
  • Can Your Fines:  We will forgive overdue fines with canned/dry food donations for our local food bank.  You’ll also get an additional ticket to enter for the prize drawings.
  • Free Museum Admission:  Check out the new temporary Commercial Fishing in the Resurrection Bay exhibit and share your fishing stories on an interactive board.
  • Hot Chocolate Bar:  Make a special hot chocolate concoction with tasty flavorings and toppings.  Other light refreshments and beverages will be served.
  • Lego Play Time:  Get a Lego Play Time pass from the library front desk to get into the Meeting Room to play with our amazing Lego collection.  Duplos will be made available to play with in the Children's Room, no pass needed.
  • Live Music:  Acoustic guitar player and singer Luke Rosier will play upstairs. 
  • Paint a Rock:  Activate your artistic power and pick out a rock to paint to take home or to leave with us for our beautiful garden.  We provide the rocks and paint, but don't forget to wear your painting clothes!
  • Photo Booth:  Stop by the YA (Young Adult) Room to pose for fun and silly photos with a wintery backdrop and props using your own cell phone or device.  Don’t forget to share the fun with us on Facebook or Instagram!
  • Prize Drawings:  Each visitor gets a ticket at the door to enter for prize drawings.  Need to be present for random drawings for small prizes.  No need to be present for grand prize drawings for a Kindle Fire or $100 Amazon gift card.

 
Ongoing Programs

• Play Time:  Every Saturday from 12-4 pm in the Children’s Room all year long.  Families will have the opportunity to use themed books from our library collection, puzzles, musical instruments, developmental toys and much more.  Each week will offer different resources allowing families and friends to have a unique experience together on Saturday afternoons. 
• Play & Chat:  Every Wednesday, 10-11:30 am in the Community Room all year long.  We are pleased to partner with the Infant Learning Program at SeaView Community Services to provide a free program for all members of the Seward community with children from birth through 5 years of age. 
• Story Time:  Every Friday at 11 am in the Children’s Room through the April.  Story Time is a weekly early literacy program with stories, rhymes, and activities and an occasional craft for children under 5 and their caregivers.  Please Note a time change from 10:30am to 11am.
• First Museum Story Time:  Friday Nov. 17, 11 am in the Museum, to be held monthly through April.  All preschool aged children and their caregivers are invited to learn how to be a Museum Explorers with stories, rhymes and activities in a special museum space created just for little people while connecting to our local history and interests through our museum collections and exhibits during this special monthly event.
• Lunch Bunch:  Wednesday, October 25, 2017, 12:30-1:30 pm.  The Lunch Bunch will continue to meet on the last Wednesday of each month through April (except December) to talk about books recently read and may include related crafts and activities for all home school families in Seward and outlying areas.  It is broken down into groups for three reading levels that meet simultaneously with parent participation so that all homeschool students may participate while visiting the library.  Bring a sack lunch and be prepared for crafts, fun topics of interest, connecting with Library Museum resources and much more! 

 
Upcoming Library Museum Closures

• Wednesday, Oct. 18 for Alaska Day Holiday
• Thursday, Nov. 2 for a Training/Work Day, which occurs the first Thursday of each month through May to provide staff with time to acquire training and develop work skills, programs and services to better serve our community.  Thank you for this opportunity to serve you better!
• Saturday, Nov. 11 for Veteran’s Day Holiday.

 
Contact information at 907-224-4082 or libmus@cityofseward.net.  

Friends of the Seward Library are inviting all the great chili cooks out there to enter our Cook Off! Saturday, October 7th, 5:00 p.m. start, finish at 6:30 p.m. or when the chili is all gone. Prizes will be awarded to the two best Chilies entered.
Open to anyone, limited to ten entries; sign up to bring your best chili for an evening of fun or just come and give these chilies a good work over, as we taste and vote for the best Chilies of the evening.

Sign up is needed and easy at the library; pick up the rules of the contest when you sign up. Can be any kind of Chili, and we are hoping to get hot, mild, red, white and veggie chili to taste test! The Friends will be providing a toppings bar with cheese, sour cream, salad, corn bread and a dessert.

The top two chilies voted for will have prizes of a Fishing Trip for 2 or a National Park Boat Tour for 4 persons. Door prizes and kids activities, come on over to the Community Room at the library on Saturday Oct 7th. Tasting and voting start at 5pm, we will be done by 6:30pm. Family friendly.

This is our annual meeting and membership drive for the Seward Community Library Association, aka Friends of the Seward Library. Saturday, Oct 7th, 5-6:30pm, families welcome. New and renewal memberships available at the door. Questions call 907-362-1225 or email: friendsofthesewardlibrary@gmail.com