Library News & Notes: Christmas cheer in activities at Carson City library

As the holiday season continues, the Carson City Library happily provides free activities that focus on children. Music, stories and regular programming highlight the coming weeks as a friendly Christmas atmosphere permeates every area and also provides ongoing opportunities to provide gifts and food to those less fortunate.

Family story time

Family Story Time, will be taking a brief hiatus after Thursday and will resume at its regularly scheduled times on Jan. 4. The popular program, which meets only at 10:15 a.m. Wednesday and Thursday this week, will include a special guest at 10:30. As always, the programs are free and tickets are available at the Youth Desk Wednesday and Thursday morning. Seating is limited to 30, so sign in early to guarantee admission.

Love on a Leash, LEGO Club and 'tintinnabulations'

Three programs fill Saturday's calendar, each so enjoyable that children could spend hours reading, building LEGO creations and listening to holiday music.

LEGOs, traditional, programmable and robotic, seem to be everywhere. Partnership Carson City, with grant money from Carson City Youth Services Funds, has funded several projects with the Community Enrichment Fund. A club, called "Robots GO!" was conceived by second-grade teacher Rena Huntington after she completed a robotics course at Georgia Tech that was sponsored by NASA. Huntington helps the kids from local elementary and middle schools, aged 6 to 11, learn about problem solving with really cool LEGO robotics kits. BranchAnywhere will soon be entering this exciting new field with the inclusion of robotics kits in its upcoming checkout station at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Nevada. The library has been a pioneer in this growing field and the LEGO Club will meet from 10 a.m. until noon Saturday in the auditorium.

Love on a Leash

The therapy dogs are back and ready to listen to some Christmas stories, read by the children who attend the twice-monthly event. Participants will receive a free book to take home. Love on a Leash is held from 1-2 p.m. Saturday in the Children's Room.

Holiday handbell concert

The dictionary defines tintinnabulation as "the ringing or sounding of bells" or a "jingling or tinkling sound as if of bells." Youth Services Librarian Amber Sady describes her Tintinnabulation Handbell Ensemble as a "diverse group of ringers committed to the art of English handbell ringing." The holiday handbell concert will take place from 1-2 p.m. Saturday. It can only be described as a delightful, enchanting performance of winter festival music that will bring holiday cheer and joy to all who attend. The program is free and welcomes children and adults of all ages.

Giving opportunities

Food for Thought is accepting packaged snacks appropriate for children for after-school nutrition. The charitable organization will be collecting nonperishable food through Friday.

The library is and official dropoff location for the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Foundation. They will accept new, unwrapped toys in their original packaging through Dec. 22.

The Circles Initiative Christmas Joy Program has a tree decorated with ornaments detailing gift requests for clothing for several needy local families. They will be taking donations through Friday.

Nevada Legal Services

There are two offerings from Nevada Legal Services this month: foreclosure and mediation at 5:30 p.m. Monday and filing legal forms at 1 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 22. There will be no education workshop this month.

Library holiday closures

The library will close at 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 24, and will be closed all day Monday, Dec. 26, in observance of Christmas.

The library also will close at 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 31, and will be closed all day Monday, Jan. 2, for New Year's.