December 2012Youth Library EventsCommunity support for service organizations and the library has always made the holiday season one of charity, engagement and assistance. This year is no exception. From a drop-off location, to donating a portion of Book Fair proceeds, to holiday programming, the library is there for the community.Scholastic Book Fair A visit to the Scholastic Book Fair provides the perfect opportunity to find literary gifts and stocking-stuffers for almost everyone on a Christmas list, and also to contribute to Carson City’s Food for Thought (www.nvfoodforthought.org). Half of the funds raised from the Book Fair will be donated to this exceptional organization, in a collaborative effort to give each of the approximately 750 needy kids in our area a new book for Christmas. Library visitors also can purchase books to donate or make a gift of a gently used children’s book. The remaining Book Fair profits will be used to purchase book prizes for next year’s Summer Reading Program, and for the Love on a Leash Program. The Book Fair is open from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. Monday, Dec. 1 through Friday, Dec. 7 and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 8 in the library auditorium. The library is also a collection point for the Probation Closet and will be accepting clothing donations in all sizes, excluding shoes or undergarments. This collection will run through the beginning of December. The aforementioned Food for Thought program is accepting single-serving-size donations of items such as granola/ power bars, trail mix and beef jerky or cheese & beef sets, and crackers with peanut butter or cheese. A drop-off box is located in the library. Citizens also can donate new, unwrapped toys (in their original packaging) to Toys for Tots, which partners with the Ron Woods Family Resource center. Children 12-years-old and older are sometimes forgotten, so gifts for this age group would be appreciated. The BRIC is also participating as a drop location for Toys for Tots. Finally, the library is a drop location for the Ron Woods food pantry. Food gifts could include non-perishable canned or boxed goods, pastas, rice, dried beans, flour, grocery store gift card, cereals, and baby food items. The Mitten Tree will be set up in the breezeway heading into the youth department this year, starting on Monday. Please bring in new donations of hats, scarves and mittens to decorate the tree. Local Girl Scout Troop 588 will be picking up donated items to distribute to needy children in Carson City. The Capital City Circles Initiative works with the community and the human services system to assist with the elevation of people out of poverty and to encourage self-sufficiency. The Circle Initiative Christmas tree will be located in the breezeway, and patrons can sign out a tag at the youth desk to purchase items for Christmas presents.Author and BooksigningLocal Carson City author L.S. Watson, Jr. has turned his love of the Wild West, gold and silver mining in olden days, and abandoned mining towns into a historical fiction novel, Showdown in Six Mile Canyon. The story centers around a Civil War veteran who settles in Virginia City in the 1880s. Mr. Watson will conduct a discussion of his work at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 27 in the library auditorium. Books will be available for purchase signing at the event. Reindeer Projectwith Willow BillWhat began as a demonstration for his son’s DARE class, has evolved into a cultural phenomenon involving more than 5,000 elementary school children. Willow Bill, whose willow reindeer have graced the Nevada State Capitol for nine years, will bring his Willow Project to the library. The program runs from 10 a.m. until noon Saturday, Dec. 1. It takes the full two hours to build a reindeer, so be at library as soon as the doors open. All of the materials to build a reindeer will be provided and participants will learn about willows, art, history and creativity.Special and Ongoing Events• Nevada Legal Services will conduct two free programs for those who are considering self-representation in legal matters. A self-help forms completion clinic begins at 1 p.m. Thursday and a workshop entitled “Family Law Education” begins at 3:30 the same day.• Love on a Lease continues at its regularly scheduled time, from 1 until 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 1 in the Children’s Room.