Summer is almost here, and so is the summer reading program: Plant a Seed, Read! This year’s program is all about gardening, farming, and plants. The program begins Monday, June 1, and runs through Monday, August 31. Kids ages 3-18 can sign up any time June 1 or after all summer, so families can stop in to get started in June, July, or August — whenever it’s convenient.

The summer reading program is something kids do on their own time, working their way through the reading game sheets by reading or being read to, and doing other fun activities. The reading log for children looks like a board game. The teen reading log is a chart to simply record hours spent reading.

When they sign up, kids get book bag, a reading sheet, a bookmark, a tattoo, and a treat, and they can choose a free book to keep. Each time they turn in a completed reading sheet, they will earn “library loot,” pretend money that they can turn in for a choice of small prizes.

The goal of the summer reading program is to encourage kids to read all summer long, so that they keep up their reading skills and return to school in the fall ready to learn. Kids can do one reading sheet after another all summer until late August and keep earning prizes.

Fun activities are happening at the library in June:

Mondays all summer, beginning June 1, at 10:30 a.m.: Tiny Tykes Storytime. Bring the kids ages 0-5 for a short program with stories and songs. No need to sign up. No storytime June 29.

Mondays all summer, beginning June 1, 3:00-4:30 p.m.: Pokémon Trading Card Game. For kids age 7 and up. No need to sign up. No Pokémon June 29.

Thursday, June 4, 2:00 p.m.: Tote Bag Block Printing class. Open to all ages. Space is limited: sign up by calling the library at 320-440-1012 or by stopping at the front desk. This class will be taught by Meredith Semel.

Tuesday, June 9, 3:00 p.m.: Mosaic Seed Art Treasure Boxes class. Open to all ages. Space is limited: sign up by calling the library at 320-440-1012 or by stopping at the front desk. This class will be taught by Jen Anfinson.

Take-Home Tuesdays every Tuesday in June: Stop in to pick up a kids’ craft kit beginning on Tuesday, while supplies last. On 6/2 the project will be Garden Gang Scratch Art, 6/9 will be a beaded American flag pin, 6/16 will be a Father’s Day card, and 6/23 will be a patriotic Peanuts craft.

Thursday, June 11, 2:00 p.m.: CLIMB Theatre presents Once Upon a Beanstalk, a short, interactive play for children. No need to sign up.

Saturday, June 20, 10:30 a.m.: Saturday Storytime. Bring the kids to the library’s monthly storytime on the 3^rd Saturday of June, July, and August. We’ll have stories and an activity. In June, 4-H will present a special storytime. No need to sign up.

As always, children ages 7 and younger must be accompanied by an adult or teen caregiver who will stay with them. And as always, library programs are free.

The seed library continues to be available for all ages. You can take up to 4 mini packets of seeds per week. If you have seeds to donate, we will gladly take them.

Pioneerland libraries will be closed on Friday, June 19, for the Juneteenth holiday. Cosmos 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. You can also find us on Instagram and Facebook.

May is a month of gardening, Mother’s Day, and looking ahead to summer at the Cosmos Library.

The seed library is available all month for you to get a few free seeds for your garden. The library has a variety of vegetable and flower seeds to choose from. You can take several larger seeds or a pinch of small seeds of each variety you want, and you can take four mini envelopes of these per person each week. Whether you plant them in your yard or in a pot, you’re likely to find something you can grow. Open to all ages. Thank you to the Lake Elizabeth Green Thumb Garden Club and the Hope Blooms Flower Farm for their contributions to this community resource!

The Cosmos Library will have take-home crafts for Mother’s Day available starting Tuesday, May 5^th. One per child, while supplies last.

Pokémon Trading Card Game sessions continue every Thursday this month from 4:00 to 5:30. There’s no need to sign up, and it’s free! This program is for kids and teens ages 7 to 18. Children younger than age 8 must have an adult or teen caregiver with them, and parents and grandparents are always welcome to stay. New players are encouraged to attend and learn how to play the game. The library has all of the cards needed, but kids can bring their own cards if they wish. There are even some small prizes! Experienced and new players are invited to play in a friendly learning environment.

Craft Circle continues one more time for the spring on the fourth Saturday of the month: May 23, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Drop in with your craft project to have some social time while you work. No messy crafts such as paint and dye, please, in order to protect the library’s carpet. No craft of your own? The library has adult coloring sheets and colored pencils. Open to adults and teens age 16 and up. No need to sign up. Craft Circle will not be held this summer.

The summer reading program will start on Monday, June 1^st. This year’s theme is Plant a Seed, Read! Students in the ACGC district will hear about the program at school this month. June 1^st is the first day that kids ages 3-18 can sign up for the self-paced program, but they can stop in anytime after that, all summer, to sign up and get started. Kids can choose a free book to keep when they sign up. They’ll also get a reading log they will use to track reading time and other activities, so they can earn “library loot” they can turn in for small prizes. The program will run until August 31.

Looking for an interesting new book to check out at the Cosmos Library? Maybe one of these will fit your interests or needs:

“99 Ways to Die: And How to Avoid Them” by Ashely Alker

“Awakening the Spirit of America: FDR’s War of Words with Charles Lindbergh – and the Battle to Save Democracy” by Paul M. Sparrow

“Building a Parenting Agreement that Works: Child Custody Agreements Step by Step” by Mimi Lee

“Cracking the Nazi Code: The Untold Story of Agent A12 and the Solving of the Holocaust Code” by Jason Bell

“The Employer’s Legal Handbook: How to Manage Your Employees & Workplace” by Aaron Hotfelder

“Fodor’s New England” by Diane Bair

“A History of the United States” by Philip Jenkins

Pioneerland libraries will be closed on Monday, May 25, for Memorial Day. Cosmos 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. You can also find us on Instagram and Facebook.

Pioneerland Library System protects your privacy according to state law and library system policy.

Per the library system’s Confidentiality of Patron Records policy:

The Library has the responsibility to protect each individual library user’s right to confidentiality and privacy relating to information sought or received and materials consulted, borrowed, or acquired.

All patron records are confidential. No library employee shall reveal the identity of a borrower to any requestor or make known in any manner any information contained in patron records.

The confidential information in these records includes, but is not limited to:

• Subjects researched
• Materials consulted
• Individual titles borrowed
• All information on the patron record
• The presence of a patron in library facilities or space

Check out a free state park pass at the Cosmos Public Library! These seven-day passes cover the vehicle entrance fee to any state park or recreation area in Minnesota, making it easy to spend time outdoors and see nature at any time of year. To check out a pass, visit the Cosmos Library and ask a staff member. If one is available in the library system, you’ll be issued a 7-day vehicle pass, no library card needed. Passes cannot be reserved in advance. A limited number of passes are available each week in Pioneerland Library System.

Your state park pass should be clearly displayed on your vehicle’s dashboard. If you would like to camp, you will need to make and pay for reservations separately. When you are done exploring with your pass, just recycle it!

State park passes are provided through the Minnesota State Parks Library Program, a collaboration between our library and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Learn more about the state parks library program at mndnr.gov/librarypass

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.