Stillwater Public Library Newsletter
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March 2021
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Expanded Hours Coming in April
 
 
In April, we will be expanding our hours for Express Services. Beginning on April 5, the library will be open on Mondays from 10 AM - 2 PM, Wednesdays from 1 PM - 7 PM, and Saturdays from 10 AM - 4 PM. Stop in to browse the shelves, check out items, sit out on the terrace, use a computer, and copy, print or scan. Face masks and social distancing continue to be required of all staff and patrons. Learn more about Express Services and what to expect at the library.
 
Calling All Bird Lovers
 
 
Although we are not out of winter quite yet, the library is ready to help young and old alike explore nature and our winged community. Here are just a few ways to learn more about our feathered friends: 
 
Owls of the Eastern Ice (Thursday, April 15 | 7:00 PM): Author Jonathan Slaght will discuss his award-winning book, Owls of the Eastern Ice. Researcher and conservationist Slaght takes us to Eastern Russia where we join a small team for late-night missions, mad dashes across thawing rivers, and vodka with mystics, hermits, and scientists. Most captivating are the fish owls themselves: careful hunters, devoted parents, singers of eerie duets, and irrepressible survivors in a harsh and shrinking habitat. Register to attend this Zoom program.
 
Bird Feeding Fun, Be Bird Friendly and Be a Better Birder: Over the past year, Joanna Eckles, Curator of Birds at The Raptor Center, has inspired us with her ideas for watching and feeding birds. View these past programs on the library's YouTube channel, under the lifelong learning playlist. This playlist also includes the library's most recent birding program, Bird Migration from the St. Croix Valley to Costa Rica, presented by Patty Mueller of Tropical Wings.
 
Nature Backpacks: For children and families, birding backpacks are available to borrow from the library. These packs are perfect for a young ornithologist, filled with bird guide books, bird identification cards, a field journal, and other birdwatching supplies.
 
Books For Bird Lovers: We can’t forget reading about our feathered friends! Check out these books about bird migration, feeding, watching and more.
 
What We Are Reading
 

 
At the library, we love to talk about books! On the first Monday of each month, staff and patrons connect to share what they have been reading. Here's a peek of a few of the titles discussed in March:
 
Book of the Little Axe
by Lauren Francis-Sharma

Quietly but purposefully rebelling against the life others expect of her in late-18th-century Trinidad, Rosa loses her family's farm when her homeland transitions to British rule, before her half-Crow son finds his coming-of-age challenged by decades-old secrets.
Hamnet : A Novel of the Plague
by Maggie O'Farrell

A short, piercing, deeply moving novel about the death of Shakespeare's 11 year old son Hamnet and the years leading up to the production of his great play. A luminous portrait of a marriage, a shattering evocation of a family ravaged by grief and loss, and a hypnotic recreation of the story that inspired one of the greatest masterpieces of all time, Hamnet is mesmerizing, seductive, impossible to put down.
Journal of a Prairie Year
by Paul Gruchow

A lifelong resident of southwestern Minnesota and northwestern Iowa, Paul Gruchow celebrated the few scattered patches of prairie land that remain in a region once dominated by grasslands. Gruchow recorded his thoughts, observations, and experiences in each season on the prairie, eventually compiling them into this moving chronicle of a sometimes harsh but always stunning landscape. 
View the full list of March titles. Click on a cover to learn more or place a hold.
 
Our New eLibrary
 


All digital materials – eBooks, eAudiobooks, and digital magazines – are now in one place! With the free Libby app, you can browse and borrow all of our digital content, plus content from all Twin Cities public libraries, through a single collection called MELSA Twin Cities Metro eLibrary. Learn more!
 
Discover Your Family's Story
 

 
The library's Ancestry subscription is available remotely through June 30, 2021! Research your family history from home with access to digitized images of the U.S. Census, passenger and immigration lists, narrative and oral histories, genealogical indexes, and much more. Need help getting started? Try Ancestry Library Edition Research Aids to get your research moving. You can access Ancestry under the A-Z list of research databases.
 
From the Archives
 

 
Become a house detective! Did you know that the Queen Anne style house at 119 West Chestnut Street provided an excellent vantage point for its original owner, Alexander Johnson, to watch over the daily activities of his sawmill? The house was built in 1894-95 with all of the latest trimmings, and a barn was added two years later (which today serves as a garage). To learn more about this home and to explore the histories of other Stillwater homes, tap into the resources of the St. Croix Collection. You can access digitized building permits, view Sanborn fire insurance maps, and peruse house history files. You can also visit the City of Stillwater's Heirloom Homes and Landmark Sites to uncover more intriguing facts about our community's historic places. 
 
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Check Out These Virtual Programs
 
Story Kitchen
Wednesdays | 10:15 AM
MN's Gangster Past
March 23 | 6:30 PM
Virtual Pet Show
March 29 | 1:00 PM
Connect Through Books
April 5 | 6:30 PM
Ending the Silence
April 6 | 6:30 PM
Operation Pollination
April 12 | 7:00 PM
Bunny Sunsets
April 17
Tech Classes
April 8 & 22
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Event Wing Use Survey
 
We invite your feedback on the use of the library's event wing. Your input will help us better understand community interests and preferences regarding use of the space, which includes the Margaret Rivers meeting rooms, a conference room, a gallery, and the rooftop Johnson Terrace. Please take a minute to complete our 8-question survey. Share your thoughts today!
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Connect With Us
 
 
Stillwater Public Library
224 Third St N | Stillwater, Minnesota 55082 | 651-275-4338
https://stillwaterlibrary.org/ | splinfo@ci.stillwater.mn.us
 
Connecting members of our community with the power of knowledge, the possibility of new ideas, and the opportunity to engage with one another