This Thursday!
Register for our Summer Reading program to get your first reader bingo card, appropriate options for all ages (Seriously. All of them.) Register and get a chance to win a free ice cream coupon, drawing at 6:45 pm. We will have lego stations out at 4:00 pm and you can win prizes by joining in for (traditional) bingo at 6:00 pm. Oh, and you need a cookie. Come get a cookie!
Thursday, June 1st from 4-7 pm
Thanks to a partnership between the five Houston County public Libraries and a SELCO Legacy grant, 25 Little Free Libraries will be installed throughout Houston County this summer.
The Little Free Libraries will be decorated by local residents and artists in each of the five communities. In our community, the libraries will be painted by each of our five schools; Crucifixion Grade School, La Crescent-Hokah Elementary School, Middle School, High School and the Montessori Academy. The completed libraries will be placed in the parks with the help of the City of La Crescent maintenance department. Each of the structures will be registered with the Little Free Library organization and appear on the national map.
Want to know more about the worldwide Little Free Library project? Visit https://littlefreelibrary.org
The White House budget that was released today calls for eliminating the Institute of Museum & Library Services (IMLS), the only federal agency charged with providing support to the nation’s hundreds of thousands of libraries and museums. Libraries need your help to ensure that IMLS is saved.
Here’s what you can do right now:
Don’t know much about IMLS? Here’s a quick overview: through IMLS, every state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. territories receive funding to support their state’s libraries and museums. In FY14 the total funding IMLS distributed to states and territories was $154,800,000. In addition, IMLS offers competitive grant opportunities that individual libraries and museums can apply for. In FY14 they awarded 594 grants (from 1,299 applications) totaling more than $54,700,000. Visit the IMLS site to see how much funding your state receives from them.
Halina Lewis will be speaking at the La Crescent public library on Thursday, March 16th at 7:00pm.
Halina Lewis was born in a German Displaced Persons camp in 1946 to parents who were survivors of the Holocaust. “My parents are not here to share their stories of imprisonment, loss and eventaul freedom. I can share with you their backgrounds before WWII and immigrating to the U.S. The difficulties of fitting into a new world, new culture, and the lingering fears.” Ms. Lewis states.
This event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served.
Thursday, March 2nd @ 6:00pm the La Crescent Public Library will be hosting Dr. Seuss Pajama night. Come and listen to Seuss stories and enjoy snacks, including green eggs & ham! Each child attending will receive a swag bag!
Rumor has it that there may be a special visitor!
FREE WILLS FOR LOW-INCOME SENIORS
LA CRESCENT, MINNESOTA – Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services (SMRLS) will be holding a free Wills for Seniors clinic on Wednesday March 15, 2017 at the La Crescent Public Library.
This clinic provides low income seniors with the opportunity to obtain free estate planning documents at a convenient time and location. Clinic attendees work individually with volunteers to draft their documents, which are then reviewed and approved by an experienced estate planning attorney prior to signing.
Having a will and health care directive brings peace of mind for many people, even low income individuals, because they know that they have planned ahead for their future.
This is a free clinic, but since it is aimed at low income individuals, attendees must call to be screened for eligibility and to schedule an appointment. Interested seniors should call the SMRLS intake number, 1-888-575-2954.
This program is funded by grant from the UCare Foundation and is part of SMRLS’ program to offer free estate planning documents to low income seniors throughout the our service area.
For more information, please contact Andrea Palumbo at andrea.palumbo@smrls.org and 651-222-5863.
About Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services (SMRLS):
SMRLS is Minnesota’s oldest legal aid provider, serving the 33 counties of southern Minnesota, including the Twin Cities’ east and south metro, as well as agricultural workers throughout Minnesota and North Dakota. For more than 100 years, SMRLS has helped individuals and families secure and protect their basic needs, maintaining freedom from hunger, homelessness, sickness, and abuse. Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services provides free, high-quality legal help to low-income people in critical civil matters.
About the UCare Foundation:
Established in 1998, the UCare Foundation is a community-directed initiative of UCare, an independent and not-for-profit health plan serving Minnesotans. UCare focuses its grant-making activities on programs and initiatives that use innovative services, education, community outreach and research to improve the health of underserved populations in the Twin Cities and throughout Greater Minnesota.
The library will be closed on Monday, February 20th in observance of Presidents Day.
“Minnesota Loves Libraries” a grassroots advocacy campaign.
We are looking for stories that exemplify service, community connections, and individual success. Have you had a positive interaction with a library staff member? Did you attend a 
program that taught you something? Maybe you were able to access information that helped you get a job or improve your work skills, or maybe a librarian guided you to the perfect book to share with your child at bedtime. Whatever it is, we’d like to hear about it!
Supported by the Council of Regional Public Library System Administrators (CRPLSA), the campaign is launching statewide and will be administered by each library region individually. Library users are invited to stop by their local library to fill out a postcard or visit Minnesota Loves Libraries to use the online form. The purpose is to gather stories of how Minnesotans use the library and how it makes a difference in their lives.
Fill out one of the postcards and drop in the box on the circulation desk. We will bundle up the completed cards and see that they reach our legislators. Library supporters who attend Legislative Day at the Minnesota Capitol in March will hand deliver these messages from across the region. Legislators will receive comments from their constituents so that they get a glimpse of library services available in their district, and to provide an opportunity for them to respond directly.
As an added incentive, the library will be drawing from the completed cards for a $10 Starbucks gift card.
