This week at the Punxsutawney Memorial Library

PUNXSUTAWNEY — Once again, I need to take the time and make some clarifications when it comes to our acceptance of donations of books. Please be advised:

1. We will not accept damaged items (torn, water damaged, moldy, writing inside, etc.). If you wouldn’t buy the book in its present condition, no one else will either.

2. We will not accept items that are out of date (magazine, textbooks, encyclopedias, reference materials). It is library policy (all libraries) not to spread misinformation. Out-of-date materials do not have the latest research findings in them.

3. Please do not bring us more than two bags or boxes (not totes) at a time. Our space is limited, and we need to leave room for other people to have a chance to donate too!

4. We absolutely will NOT discard your unwanted books for you. We share a dumpster with the borough and we cannot fill it up with discarded books. Take them back home and dispose of them in your trash.

5. Do not leave book donations outside. We will not accept them. Leaving them outside exposes them to the weather and to infestations. Mold and bugs will jump from book to book, and we are trying to protect the books we currently have.

6. To try to be more accommodating, we are now accepting books every Wednesday (unless closed), and every other Saturday. If you are not sure if it is a donation day, it’s best to call ahead of time.

This Week’s Events:

Monday, March 25:

• Tickets are on sale now through March 27 for our Spring Raffle: Food on the Go. The raffle consists of a Mega Blocks Block Buddies: Catie Convertible and $120 worth of gift cards to local eateries (Burger King, Groundhog Grinds, Joe’s Drive-In, McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, Sheetz, Taco Bell and Wendy’s). Tickets are $1 each or six for $5. Drawing will be held on March 28. Proceeds benefit the library.

• 10:30 a.m.: Adult Coloring Club. Bring your own supplies, or borrow ours.

• 5 p.m.: TnT (Tweens n Teens) Grades 6-12. Tonight we will be game night.

• 5:30 – 6:30 p.m.: Author talk and book signing with Robin Lynn Bahl. Robin is the IPPY Gold Medal-winning author of a nonfiction memoir concerning healthcare and public safety in “boom towns” around North America. Punxsutawney is featured in Chapter 16 of “Price per Barrel: The Human Cost of Extraction.” In that chapter, she profiled the Punxsutawney fire department, the police department, the Jefferson County Ambulance and the regional public safety agencies that join in keeping the town safe in the first weekend of February each year. Books will be available for $20. Tuesday, March 26:

• 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.: Book Sale. Take what you like, pay what you can! Help us make room for the gently used book donations we receive every week.

• 11 a.m.: Wee-Read (ages 18-35 months). Today’s theme is Bubbles. Pre-registration is recommended.

• 1:30 p.m.: Pre-K Rocks (ages 3-5 years). Today’s theme is Bubbles. Pre-registration is recommended. Wednesday, March 27:

• 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.: Book donations accepted. Limit two boxes/bags per person.

• 10 a.m.: Drawing for the Food on the Go Raffle Basket.

• 4 p.m.: It’s Elementary 1 (Grades K-2). Today’s theme is Easter. Pre-registration is recommended.

• 4 p.m.: It’s Elementary 2 (Grades 3-5). Today’s theme is Easter. Pre-registration is recommended.

• Friday, March 29, and Saturday, March 30: The library will be closed for the Easter weekend. We hope everyone has a blessed Easter. We will reopen on Monday, April 1, at 10 a.m.

Upcoming Events:

• April 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29 at 10:30 a.m. Adult Coloring Club. Bring your own supplies, or borrow ours.

• April 3, 10, 13, 17, 24 and 27: 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Book donations accepted. Limit two boxes/bags per person, please.

• April 7-13: National Library Week. Each day, will have a different activity. Watch our social media and webpages for up-to-date information!

• April 8 at 2 p.m.: A near total solar eclipse will be in our area. It will start around 2 p.m. and last until approximately 3:20 p.m. The eclipse should not be viewed by the naked eye. The library will have eclipse glasses available beginning April 1, to our patrons (must show a library card), one per patron, one per card, while our limited supply lasts.

• April 8 at 5:30 p.m. Catastrophic Book Club. If you would like to read April’s book, “The Magnolia Palace” by Fiona Davis, call 814-938-5020 to reserve a copy!

• April 10 at 6:30 p.m.: Friends of the Library meeting. The Friends of the Library is a nonprofit organization whose members share the belief that residents should support their public library system in many different ways in addition to their regular taxes. Friends advocate the importance of library services in our community and raise funds to achieve library goals. New members are welcome!

• April 12 from noon to 5 p.m.: D.E.A.R. Area residents will be reading in the library in a marathon from open to close. Drop in and see who is reading! If you are interested in being a part of this event, please call us at 814-938-5020 and sign up!

• April 12 from noon – 5 p.m.: Free Book Friday! In celebration of National Library Week and D.E.A.R. Day, the libraries of Jefferson County would like to put a book into the hands of every child. Simply come into any library in Jefferson County and ask for your free book. One book per child, while supplies last.

• April 13 at 10:30 a.m. Paws for Reading.

Come read to our friend and licensed therapy dog, Ryker! All ages are welcome!

• April 24: 5:30-6:30 p.m. Author talk and book signing with Bruce R. Kelly, MD. Join us as Dr. Kelly, who practiced in Punxsutawney from 1980-1983, discusses his book, “Uphill River.” It is the unlikely odyssey of a lower middle-class boy through a life that God and the universe chose for him. Copies of the book will be available for $20. All are welcome!

• April 27: The library will be closed. Enjoy the Spring Cleaning Event in Barclay Square sponsored by the ClearfieldJefferson Drug & Alcohol Commission.

• April 30: 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.: Book sale. Take what you like, pay what you can! Help us make room for the gently used book donations we receive every week.

Sign up for our e-newsletter! Send a request to director@punxsutawneylibrary.org, or click on the link on our webpage. We not only send our newsletter on the first of the month, but also last-minute updates and information! Subscribers know about events (like program dates) before anyone else in the area. If you’d like to see the newsletter without subscribing, go to our webpage and click on the link for the latest edition.

You can call us at 814-938-5020 or email director@punxsutawneylibrary.org. Visit our website at www.punxsutawneylibrary.org or our Facebook and Instagram pages for updates and resources.

As always, I welcome your feedback, request your suggestions and do my best to rectify your complaints in keeping with our current library policies. Please keep them coming! No policy or operation changes are ever made at this library without discussions with and approval by the Library Board of Trustees.

Happy reading!