Guest Column by Annice Sevett

 

January and February can be particularly hard months in Minnesota. The holidays are over and winter is in full swing. So how do you combat cabin fever in Freeborn County? The Albert Lea Public Library has many programs, activities and materials to help you beat the winter blues.

For adults who like to read or made a resolution to read more in 2020, you can join Hot Reads for Cold Nights, our adult winter reading program. From Jan. 21 to Feb. 28, stop by the library to register and pick up your reading log. Every book you read or listen to counts as an entry into a drawing for a weekly prize. Finish five books and you’ll get a choice of a prize plus an entry into the grand prize drawing for one of two Kindle Fires.

If you’re looking for digital literacy classes, we have a few coming up. You can sign up to learn how to use a tablet in our Introduction to Android Tablets class or our iPad Basics class. You can try your hand at 3-D printing with our Beginning 3-D Design sessions. If technology isn’t your cup of tea, you can come to one of our ongoing monthly programs that center around lifelong learning. For crafters, we have Needles, Pins & More and adult craft nights. Love to cook? Join the Cookbook Club. These are just a few of the many programs we offer for adults. 

For children and families, we have a large selection of programs for different ages. In addition to storytime, book pals and our regular ongoing programs, we’ve added more special programming and new monthly activities to the schedule. Our new Family Nights on the first Monday of each month center around a shared activity that everyone in the family will enjoy. In February, the Zoo Man is coming to present his Wild Diorama Party. The library’s Celebrate Robert Munsch event on Feb. 9 will feature stories and a craft based on his books. And on Thursday, Feb. 20, we are hosting our first Nintendo Switch gaming event for families.

For residents of all ages, the National Eagle Center will present two live eagle programs in the City Council Chambers on Feb. 23. Made possible with money from Minnesota’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the people of Minnesota for Library Legacy activities, this program will feature a live eagle ambassador and teach the audience about eagle biology, ecology and history.

Aside from programs and events, the library has two community puzzles that we invite you to come work on when the library is open. You can learn a new hobby or expand on an old one with our selection of nonfiction materials in the information library. And for those snowy days when you don’t want to leave the house, you can pick up some DVDs, including television shows to binge watch.

This is just a small sampling of the offerings the library has to help residents combat cabin fever. For more information, stop by the library or visit our website (www.alplonline.org). Whether you’re a lifelong library user or have never visited us before, we invite you to attend a program, borrow materials or use our space to read or study as a change of scenery.

Annice Sevett is the assistant library director at the Albert Lea Public Library.