Library access
The Library continues with our regular hours of Monday-Thursday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Friday-Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Holidays and monthly staff in-service days come into consideration, so it’s always best to visit our website or give us a call.
Our community can reach us via telephone (319-624-2678), email ([email protected]), live chat on our website (solon.lib.ia.us), or stop in during library hours.
Per CDC and Johnson County Public Health recommendations, masks are encouraged for all patrons (2-plus), regardless of vaccination status, while inside the Library building. We have a limited number of masks available for patrons without. Thank you for doing your part to keep our community safe and healthy.
Library events
We’ve wrapped up the Winter Library Challenge, congrats to all of our participants and winners. February brings along a little more sunshine, a peek of Spring, and Blind Date With a Book. Our annual tradition of wrapping books and giving you just a clue (or two) has begun. This year we’re expanding with Blind Date with a Book for 5th grade through adult, and Blind PLAYdate With a Book for 3rd-5th grades. Participants who check out, read and rate their book will be entered for a chance to win a prize. Don’t judge a book by its cover, take a chance, and you just might find a new favorite.
Let’s celebrate our 100th episode of Digital Storytime. Tuesday, Feb. 8 marks the 100th episode since we had to think outside the bo, and recreate our favorite weekly storytime fun with everyone’s health and safety in mind. You can enjoy all 100 (and counting) Digital Storytimes by visiting our website, solon.lib.ia.us, and clicking on the “Digital Storytime” button or on our YouTube Channel. Each Tuesday morning at 10:30, we premiere an all-new episode. February’s theme is friendship, and we are so thankful for your friendship.
BAM POW To Go Kits for K-4th graders are available while supplies last, with a new activity each Thursday. This week it’s Play It: Balloon Tennis. Stop by to pick-up one kit per participant and dive into some fun at home.
Our next DIY Night is Feb. 8 at 6:30 p.m. on Zoom. We’ll create felt garland that’s sure to brighten up our homes or offices and enjoy some virtual socializing while we’re at it. Kits are limited, so register at the Library or online at https://tinyurl.com/SPLfelt today and join us on Zoom to chat and create.
The Solon Book Club is diving into the historical fiction novel, The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee for the Feb. 15 meeting. “Set in Atlanta, in the late 1800s, Jo Kuan, a 17-year old Chinese American, is living in a basement, more like an underground tunnel built by abolitionists beneath the local newspaper/print shop.” You can start reading this staff-favorite by picking up a copy at the Library during your next visit and join us Tuesday, Feb. 15 at 6:30 p.m. in the Library meeting room (masks required) or by Zoom. New members are always welcome.
This month you can join the Cookbook Club as we try Basmati Rice. Basmati (baz-MAH-tee) is a type of white rice commonly grown in the Himalayas, India and Pakistan — with India producing about two-thirds of the world’s supply. It is a long-grain rice that is characterized by a light nutty flavor and floral aroma. It’s popular in rice pilaf and as a side dish for curry. Stop by the Library and pick-up your Basmati Rice packet, then join our Facebook group to share photos and recipes of your tasty creations. No registration is necessary.
While we’ve all been looking forward to the day we could host LEGO Club again, in order to enjoy your creative builds and keep our most vulnerable patrons safe, we had to get creative. We have a new take on LEGO Club called, Let’s go LEGO! Check out one of our new LEGO box kits. Build a creation at home based on the theme on the front of the monthly card (or not, it’s up to you). Use only pieces from this LEGO box (or LEGO pieces from home you’ll be donating). Bring your name card, your creation and the box with any leftover pieces back to the Library for display and kit check in. Your creation will be displayed at the Library for three weeks, then returned to the box for another builder to enjoy.
What’s new?
Stop in to browse through the new DVDs, fiction, non-fiction, puzzles, romance, cake pans, westerns, sci-fi, fantasy and audiobooks. Community newspapers and the puzzle have returned, so enjoy some time at the Library soon.
The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World — Nobel Peace Prize Laureates His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu have survived more than fifty years of exile and the soul-crushing violence of oppression. Despite their hardships — or, as they would say, because of them — they are two of the most joyful people on the planet. In April 2015, Archbishop Tutu traveled to the Dalai Lama’s home in Dharamsala, India, to celebrate His Holiness’s eightieth birthday and to create what they hoped would be a gift for others. They looked back on their long lives to answer a single burning question: How do we find joy in the fact of life’s inevitable suffering? They traded intimate stories, teased each other continually, and shared their spiritual practices. We get to listen as they explore the Nature of True Joy and confront each of the Obstacles of Joy — from fear, stress, and anger to grief, illness, and death. They then offer us the Eight Pillars of Joy, which provide the foundation for lasting happiness. Throughout, they include stories, wisdom, and science. Finally, they share their daily Joy Practices that anchor their own emotional and spiritual lives.
Good Anxiety: Harnessing the Power of the Most Misunderstood Emotion by Wendy Suzuki, PhD — Drawing on her own intimate struggles and based on cutting-edge research, Dr. Suzuki has developed an inspiring guidebook for managing unwarranted anxiety and turning it into a powerful asset. In the tradition of Quiet and Thinking, Fast and Slow, Good Anxiety has the power to permanently change how we understand anxiety and, more importantly, how we can use it to improve our lives for the better.