February 2025

Enjoy Digital Magazines On-The-Go with Libby

With your WCCLS library card, you can instantly download and read magazines on any device 24/7. Top titles include The New Yorker, Rolling Stone, Bon Appétit, People, and many more.

Perks of digital magazines include:

• No waitlists or holds

• Do not count towards checkout limits

• Option to renew your selections

• Instantly download titles for offline use

To get started enjoying digital magazines, download the Libby app or see the collection on the WCCLS website. 

GHCL Circulation Continues to Rise

Last year was another busy year at Garden Home Community Library. Our total circulation (checkouts, renewals, digital checkouts) was 246,588, the highest since 2016 and a 9.7% increase from 2023. Use of digital items increased 30% from last year. In fact, December was the first month where digital checkouts surpassed physical checkouts.

It was also a busy year for us for interlibrary loans (ILL), which are items we request for patrons when an item is not owned by a library in Washington County. We can request books, magazines, and audiovisual items (but not video games) that are available in the continental United States. We can also request periodical articles or chapters for books or e-books (we cannot request full e-books). Each lender sets the due date and items must be picked up and returned only to the library that processes it for you. 

In 2024, GHCL had 715 requests and received 647 items from libraries in 45 states. Compare this to 2023, when we processed 502 ILLs from 44 states. We track lenders with pins on a map - see photo above. This year we received items from public, private, academic and special libraries including military (Naval Post Graduate School and Army Combined Arms Research Library), two state libraries, and a state museum. Oregon libraries loaned us the most with 177 items, including 29 from Clackamas County (LINCC). Rounding out the top three were Washington Libraries with 134 items and Illinois libraries with 48, mostly from Chicago and the surrounding area. 

To learn more about interlibrary loans, visit wccls.org/interlibrary-loan!

Winter Reading Challenge for All Ages - Through March 31

Don't forget to stop by the library to pick up your Winter Reading Challenge bingo cards! Pre-readers can read all ten catergories on the smaller card together with a grown-up. Everyone else can read five in a row OR go for a full bingo blackout. Turn in your log(s) by March 31 to be entered to win a gift certificate for Annie Bloom's Books or Thinker Toys. Multiple entries are accepted. 

For Adults

See our full calendar to find events for adults

Virtual Presentation: Lost Treasures of the Titanic 

Thursday, February 20 

6-7 pm 
Registration required 

James Cameron’s Titanic told the invented story of the Heart of the Ocean; a fictional blue diamond necklace lost tragically in the ship’s famous sinking. But what about the real treasures that were lost when the Titanic sank? For over a century, the world has been intrigued by the story of the Titanic. When tragedy struck on April 14, 1912, in addition to the incredible loss of life, a nearly incalculable amount of goods plummeted into the ocean, never to be seen agai. This lecture takes a closer look at and tells the stories of some of the more interesting and valuable treasures lost on that fateful night. 

About the presenter: Mallory Mortillaro is an art historian and educator. She has ten years of teaching experience and has worked on various art research projects for museums and organizations in the New York metropolitan area. She studied at Drew University. 

And more: 

Crafternoon Tea - Sat. 2/1, 12-2 pm (all ages welcome)

Nerd Night: Trivia - Tues. 2/4, 6:30 pm - Registration required 

Arts & Crafts Supply Swap - Sat. 2/8, 12-2 pm - Drop In (all ages welcome)

Book Group - Tues. 2/11, 6:30 pm or Thurs. 2/13, 1 pm 

Digital Navigator Tech Help - Varies (2/13 & 2/27) - Registration required

Estate Planning 101 - Tues. 2/18, 6:30 pm - Registration encouraged

Puzzle Swap - Sat. 2/22, 10 am-2 pm - drop in any time

For Kids and Teens

See our full calendar to find events for children and teens

Family Storytime  

Wednesdays and Saturdays 

10:00-10:45 am 

Every Wednesday and Saturday at 10:00 am, join Garden Home Community Library for in-person storytime. Our books and activities are ideal for kids ages 3-8, and the entire family is welcome to join in the fun. Together, we will read, write, sing, talk, and play-- these are five fun and powerful ways to strengthen the skills needed to learn to read later. 

Beaded Bracelets! 

Wednesday, February 26 

3:30-5 pm 

Choose from an assortment of beads of all colors, shapes, and sizes and make beaded bracelets for yourself, to give as gifts, or to trade. Ideal for ages 4 and up, everyone in the family is invited to get creative with our selection of beaded bracelet making supplies.   

And more: 

Take Home Crafts: Origami Fortune Tellers - Every Saturday - While supplies last

Lego Club (school aged kids) - Wed. 2/12, 3:30-5 pm - drop in any time