Pioneerland libraries will be closed on Wednesday, December 24, for Christmas Eve Day, and Thursday, December 25, for Christmas Day. The libraries will close at 5:00 p.m on Wednesday, December 31, for New Year’s Eve, and will be closed on Thursday, January 1, for New Year’s Day. The libraries will be open regular hours all of the other days.
The Winter Reading Program begins January 2!
January means the start of Winter Reads, the adult winter reading program for Pioneerland Library System. The program starts at the Cosmos Library on Friday, January 2, and ends Saturday, March 14.
You can sign up anytime until early March. When you sign up, you’ll get a book bag, while supplies last. You’ll also get a reading log to track and rate the books you read beginning the day you sign up. If you read 3 books by the time the program is done, you can choose a small prize. If you read 3 more, you can pick an additional prize. The program can be completed only once per year.
In the past we’ve limited participation to adults, but this year teens age thirteen and up are welcome to participate if they wish.
The prize choices include mugs, candy bars, book lights, notebooks, and can coolers, while supplies last.
You can read any books you choose: library books or your own, fiction or nonfiction, print or audiobook or ebook.
January means the start of Winter Reads, the adult winter reading program for Pioneerland Library System. The program starts at the Cosmos Library on Friday, January 2, and ends Saturday, March 14.
You can sign up anytime until early March. When you sign up, you’ll get a book bag, while supplies last. You’ll also get a reading log to track and rate the books you read beginning the day you sign up. If you read 3 books by the time the program is done, you can choose a small prize. If you read 3 more, you can pick an additional prize. The program can be completed only once per year.
In the past we’ve limited participation to adults, but this year teens age thirteen and up are welcome to participate if they wish.
The prize choices include mugs, candy bars, book lights, notebooks, and can coolers, while supplies last.
You can read any books you choose: library books or your own, fiction or nonfiction, print or audiobook or ebook.
The Craft Circle program will continue once a month January through May on the 4th Saturday of the month. The dates are January 24, February 28, March 28, April 25, and May 23. Drop in between 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. and bring your own craft to work on alongside other creative people. No messy crafts such as paint and dye, please, in order to protect the library’s carpet. No craft of your own? The library will provide coloring sheets and felt bookmarks to embroider. Open to adults and teens age 16 and up. No need to sign up.
Pokémon gaming will pause for the rest of the winter and will resume in the spring.
Looking for something new to check out? These new nonfiction books for adults are part of the Cosmos collection, although you may have to get on the waiting list for some of the most popular titles:
“Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice” by Virginia Roberts Giuffre
“The Pioneer Woman Cooks: The Essential Recipes: 120 Greatest Hits, New Twists, and Perfected Classics” by Ree Drummond
“Rick Steves Amsterdam & the Netherlands” by Rick Steves
“The Rough Guide to Greece”
“Separation of Church & Hate: A Sane Person’s Guide to Taking Back the Bible from Fundamentalists, Fascists, and Flock-Fleecing Frauds” by John Fugelsang
Pioneerland libraries will be closed on Thursday, January 1, for New Year’s Day, and on Monday, January 19, for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
The library’s hours are Mondays 10-5, Tuesdays 2-5, Thursdays 2-6, Fridays 2-5, and Saturdays 10-1. Find us in city hall, at www.cosmos.lib.mn.us, or at 320-440-1012.
It’s the holiday season! Make the library part of your holiday fun this month with craft programs, button making, and good things to check out.
On Saturday, December 6, the Cosmos library is offering a class on stamped metal bracelets. In this free class, participants will learn how to create hand-stamped metal jewelry from instructor Jen Anfinson. All supplies are provided, but space is limited, so call the library at 320-440-1012 to sign up. Open to adults and teens age 15 and up. You could make a unique gift, or have a new bracelet to wear!
The monthly Craft Circle program will be held two weeks early, on Saturday, December 13. This bring-your-own craft program will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the library. Please leave any messy crafts at home that may damage the library’s carpet. For adults and teens age 16 and up. No need to sign up. This could be a good opportunity to work on a gift while you’re out of the house!
During the week of December 8th to 13th, the button maker will be back. This time you can make some stocking stuffers for the people in your life, or just make something fun for yourself. Drop in any time during library hours that week to do this fun activity.
Pokémon Trading Card Game continues every Thursday this month, except for the 25th when the library will be closed for Christmas. Kids ages 7 to 18 can drop in between 4:00 and 5:30 p.m. to play Pokémon, or learn how in an encouraging environment. The library has cards to play, and players can bring their own cards if they wish. Kids under age 8 must be accompanied by an adult or teen caregiver. Kids can attend every session or just the ones that work for your family’s schedule. No need to sign up. Free to attend.
Looking for something to put you in the holiday spirit? Look for these new Christmas books and movies at the Cosmos library:
Picture books:
“Santa Claws” by Bridget Heos
“Christmas Under Construction” by Frank Tupta
“Dasher and the Polar Bear” by Matt Tavares
“The 13th Day of Christmas” by Adam Rex
Adult novels:
“Snow Kissed” by RaeAnne Thayne
“Sharp Force” by Patricia Cornwell
DVD:
“The Best Christmas Pageant Ever”
Cosmos Library is always closed on Wednesdays, so hours won’t change for Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve this year. The library will be closed on Thursday, December 25, for Christmas, and on Thursday, January 1, for New Year’s Day.
As late fall settles in, the holidays begin. It’s also a good time for crafts, as the weather usually brings us indoors more of the time.
Beginning Tuesday, November 4, the Cosmos Library will have turkey coaster craft kits available for kids to pick up. These are free and available while supplies last; one kit per person, please.
Pokémon Trading Card Game time continues every Thursday in November from 4:00 to 5:30, except for Thanksgiving Day. This casual program is for kids ages 7 to 18 to play or learn to play Pokémon. The library has cards to play. Players can bring their own cards if they wish. Kids under age 8 must be accompanied by an adult or teen caregiver. Kids can attend every session or just the ones that work for your family’s schedule. No need to sign up. Free to attend.
On Saturday, November 22, two craft programs will be happening at the same time: 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Sign up for a squeegee painting class at 10:30! Unleash your creativity with this fun, low pressure craft. We’ll explore multiple squeegee techniques for layering paint, and you’ll walk away with one-of-a-kind abstract paintings and greeting cards. For adults and teens age 16+. Free to attend, but spots are limited. Call the library at 320-440-1012, or stop at the front desk to sign up.
Our monthly Craft Circle program will also be held at the same time, this time in the community room while the painting class is happening. Bring your craft project-in-progress and sit with other creative people as you work on it. No need to sign up for this program, which is for adults and teens age 16 and up; teens ages 13-15 can attend this program with an adult.
Our annual gingerbread house event is almost here! This year it will be held on Thanksgiving weekend, Saturday, November 29, at 10:30 a.m. This free event is great for the whole family. It could be a fun activity for your extended family when you’re together for the holiday weekend. The library provides the graham crackers, frosting, and candy. If you know you’ll be coming, we’d love it if you’d let us know so that we can plan for enough supplies: 320-440-1012. If you won’t know until you see what everyone wants to do that day, it’s fine to attend this one without signing up.
Pioneerland libraries will be closed on Tuesday, November 11, for Veterans Day, and on Thursday, November 27, for Thanksgiving.
The library’s hours are Mondays 10-5, Tuesdays 2-5, Thursdays 2-6, Fridays 2-5, and Saturdays 10-1. Find us in city hall, at www.cosmos.lib.mn.us, or at 320-440-1012.
Thank you to the organizations and businesses that donated to Cosmos Library’s summer reading program this year! The businesses donated prizes that children and teens chose when they turned in completed reading sheets. Thank you for supporting kids and reading in our community!
Are you looking for some creative inspiration this fall? Pioneerland Library System offers access to Creativebug, a website with thousands of award-winning art and craft video classes. This service is provided by Prairielands Library Exchange, an organization that exists to help support public and school libraries in southwestern Minnesota. We are excited that our library users can use their library cards to access these online classes taught by recognized design experts and artists.
You can find the link to Creativebug on the left bar of the Pioneerland website or the Cosmos Library website: www.cosmos.lib.mn.us.
Once you have entered your library card number, the site will prompt you to create an account. Through your account, you can keep track of where you left off in a class and which videos you have watched, and you can be notified of new classes on topics you’re interested in. You can even upload photos of your own projects to share, if you’d like.
Class topics include art and design, sewing, quilting, paper, knitting, crochet, food and home, jewelry, holiday and party, and kids.
One interesting feature the website offers is daily practice. Intended to be a way to challenge yourself to a month of making, the website offers 30-day prompts for daily art practice. There are over 60 daily practice series to choose from, such as hand stitching, watercolor and colored pencil, bookmaking, and rubber stamp carving.
Beyond the video classes, the Creativebug website also offers downloadable knitting and crochet patterns.
New classes are being added to the website all the time. Recent classes are titled “Embroidered Pencil Case,” “Love Letter Quilt Top,” and “Crochet Edges for Garments.” Upcoming classes include “Accordion Book as Art Form” and “Professional Illustration 101.”
If video classes aren’t your thing but you enjoy art or crafting, you can choose from a wide variety of books in the library to learn more. The Cosmos Library collection has many books on arts and crafts, including a wide range from whittling to origami and from painting to quilting.
Crafting and art have many benefits: they can reduce stress, improve mood, and reduce cognitive decline, as the activity brings you into a focused, almost meditative state. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced artist or crafter, the library can be a resource for your creativity.
