Cosmos Library News for December 2024

Tis the season for gingerbread houses! Cosmos Library is holding its annual gingerbread house decorating event on Saturday, December 7, at 10:30 a.m. in the community room. People of all ages are welcome to build and decorate a graham cracker “gingerbread house” and take it home for the holidays. This event is free to attend, and all supplies are provided. Please sign up in advance if you can, so that we can estimate the supplies needed; stop at the library or call 320-440-1012 to register. Children younger than age 8 should be accompanied by an adult or teen caregiver.

The Cosmos Library offers a take-home craft for kids every month, and that will happen this month on December 10 with a Christmas stocking craft. This month we’ll also offer a take-home craft for adults. Beginning Tuesday, December 3, a kit for making a layered snowflake craft will be available. Craft kits are free and available while supplies last; one per person who will be making the craft, please.

Pokemon trading card game times continue on Thursdays from 4:00-5:30 p.m. all month, including on December 26. This program is for kids ages 7 and up. Cards are provided, or kids can bring their own. Free and no need to sign up.

Bring the kids to build with LEGOs at the Cosmos Creation Club on Monday, December 16, 2:00-3:00 p.m.  For ages 5-18. Children ages 5-7 must be accompanied by a teen or adult caregiver. There’s no need to sign up, and everything is provided. The library got a few new Harry Potter LEGOs recently.

The library may offer a program for kids during Christmas break, so check the website and Facebook page for any future announcements about events.

Cosmos Library will be closed on Tuesday, December 24, for Christmas Eve Day. Other Cosmos Library hours around Christmas and New Year’s Day will be normal since the library is always closed on Wednesdays.

Cosmos Library is located in city hall. The phone number is 320-440-1012, and the website is www.cosmos.lib.mn.us. The library’s hours are Mondays 10-5, Tuesdays 2-5, Thursdays 2-6, Fridays 2-5, and Saturdays 10-1.

Bring your family to the Cosmos Library’s Gingerbread House Event!  People of all ages are welcome to join us in the community room on Saturday, December 7, at 10:30 a.m. to build and decorate a graham cracker “gingerbread house” and take it home for the holidays. Free to attend and all supplies are provided.

Please sign up in advance if you can so that we can estimate the supplies needed: 320-440-1012.

Children younger than age 8 should be accompanied by an adult or teen caregiver.

JOB OPENING: LIBRARY ASSISTANT II or III
COSMOS PUBLIC LIBRARY

Job Description: Performs various circulation tasks. Shelves materials and fills interlibrary loan requests. Provides reference and research services to library patrons and assistance in locating and using library materials and services.  Opens and closes library. Depending on experience and hiring level, may plan, implement, and promote programs for all ages.

Qualifications:  Knowledge of library operations and procedures; ability to work effectively with the general public; ability to operate computers and printers; ability to follow written and oral instructions; ability to work independently; willingness to maintain flexibility in schedule.  Preferred: ability to plan, implement, and promote specialized events and programs; strong communication skills.

Education and experience required: Candidate must have a high school diploma or equivalency plus six months related experience; or a combination of education, experience and training necessary to perform the requirements of the job. One year of directly-related experience is preferred.

Physical Requirements:  Must be able to walk, stoop, kneel, crouch, reach, lift, feel, grasp, talk, hear and see.  Some light lifting and carrying may be required up to 25 pounds.

Hours:  2^nd and 4^th Saturdays of each month, 9:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. Additional subbing as needed.

Pay rate: $12.95/hour for Library Assistant II level or $15.74/hour for Library Assistant III level, depending on qualifications

Application deadline: Open until filled

Applications available at the library or www.pioneerland.lib.mn.us . Drop off at the Cosmos or Litchfield Library or mail to:

Beth Cronk
Litchfield Public Library
P.O. Box 220
Litchfield, MN 55355

Questions: (320) 593-9447 or elizabeth.cronk@pioneerland.lib.mn.us

Kids ages 5-18 are invited to build with the library’s LEGOs at Cosmos Creation Club! Cosmos Creation Club is the Cosmos Library’s LEGO program for kids ages 5-18, held on the 3^rd Monday of the month from 2:00-3:00 p.m. Children ages 5-7 must be accompanied by a teen or adult caregiver. There’s no need to sign up, and everything is provided.

Dates for the rest of 2024 are as follows:

• October 21
• November 18
• December 16.

Kids ages 7-18 are invited to the Cosmos Library’s Pokémon Club on Thursdays through the end of the year! Stop in between 4:00 and 5:30 p.m. to play the Pokémon trading card game in the library. Want to learn how it works but don’t have any cards of your own? No problem, the library has all the cards to use, and we can teach you. Experienced player? Bring your cards if you want and just play.

Free to attend. No need to sign up.

Children younger than age 8 must be accompanied by a caregiver at least 12 years old. Parents and caregivers are welcome to stay with their children, and even to join in and learn the game, too, if they wish.

Coloring sheets and bingo will also be available.

Thank you to the businesses and organizations that contributed to this year’s summer reading program at the Cosmos Public Library: Read, Renew, Repeat! Thank you for supporting kids and reading in our community.

• Stockmen’s Greenhouse & Garden Center
• Litchfield Jimmy’s Pizza
• Casey’s
• Litchfield McDonald’s
• Litchfield Pizza Hut
• Ramsey Printing
• Top Deck Gaming

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.

Cosmos Library will offer curbside service indefinitely. Call the library at the number on the sign, 320-440-1012, if you’d like your materials brought outside. Have your library card number ready.

Library staff can hand your bag of library materials to you on the sidewalk or bring it to your vehicle parked in the parking lot behind the library. Let us know where you’d like us to bring it when you call.

Curbside service may be useful if you have mobility issues or a sleeping child in the car, or because of illness. Regardless of your reason, you are welcome to use the service!

by Beth Cronk, Meeker County Librarian

Here are some useful facts about the library in a Frequently Asked Questions format. I hope you learn a little something you didn’t know before!

How much does it cost to get a library card?
A library card is free! It’s part of the public services available to you as a resident of Minnesota. Once you have a library card, it’s also free to check out anything in the library collection, both ebooks and physical items. If you had a library card and it’s lost, there is a $3 charge for a replacement card.

How many books are in the Cosmos Public Library?
The Cosmos Library has about 10,000 books. It also has about 1,500 DVDs and about 400 CDs.

What if I want to check out something that the Cosmos Library doesn’t have?
You can request things from other libraries in the Pioneerland Library System, which has a collection of about 620,000 physical items. If Pioneerland doesn’t have something, you can often request it from another library in Minnesota, using the MNLINK catalog. You can search both the Pioneerland and MNLINK catalogs online and request things yourself, or library staff can help you and place those requests.

Does it cost money to order things from other libraries?
No, the service is free to you as part of the interlibrary loan network in place in Minnesota. Our state is outstanding at providing access to library materials! Cosmos Library gets two deliveries of those interlibrary loan materials each week.

How long can I keep a book?
Most books are loaned for four weeks. Some bestsellers are limited to just two weeks while they’re new; you’ll recognize these by the sticker on the spine that says “14 day loan.”

How long can I keep a DVD I’ve checked out?
DVDs are now loaned for two weeks.

Can I check out magazines?

Yes, magazines can be checked out for two weeks.

A book I checked out had a due date coming up soon, but now I found out that it’s not really due for a few more weeks. What happened?

Automatic renewals! This is a brand-new service our library system is offering. If no one has a hold on an item that you have checked out, and you haven’t renewed it before, the library’s computer system will automatically renew it for you once, three days before its due date. If you are signed up for email updates about your account, you’ll be notified by email when those renewals happen and when you have items that will be due soon.

I’m late returning a library item. How much will I be charged?

There is a charge of ten cents per day for late items, although there is a three-day grace period before those start being charged. Materials for children and teens no longer have late fees. If your item is a month overdue, you’ll get a bill for the replacement of that item. If that happens, once you return the item the charge will drop to a $3 late fee (or to $0 for materials from the kids’ section). If an item is damaged or lost, talk to library staff about how you can resolve that charge.

Can I use my library card in other libraries?

Yes, you can. Your Pioneerland library card will work in all libraries in the system. Our system stretches from Graceville to Glencoe and from Canby to Dassel. If you want to use a different library system in Minnesota, you can do that, too. Bring your card to them, and they will help you register as a reciprocal borrower in their system.

If you have more questions, stop in or call the library, and we’ll be happy to answer them.