​LAKEVIEW, Ore.—February 1, 2019— Save the dates to spend an evening with best-selling Oregon author Molly Gloss hosted by your local library in Christmas Valley on Thursday, April 25, 2019 and in Lakeview on Friday, April 26, 2019. A fourth-generation Oregonian, Gloss’ work often concerns the landscape, literature, mythology and life of the American West.
 
Gloss’ five novels, including The Hearts of Horses and Falling From Horses, span the time from home-steading the northwest in the 1890s to a near future space colony. “[To] my way of thinking, there’s a continuous line between historical fiction and science fiction. We are every bit as distanced from the past as we are from the future,” says Gloss.
 
Molly Gloss has been awarded the Oregon Book Award, a Pacific Northwest Booksellers Award, the PEN West Fiction Prize, the James Tiptree Jr. Award; as well as a Whiting Writers Award. In her writing she seeks to retell the classic American western story as a narrative of communities and human individuals, shaping it around the realities of the historical West and finding a central place in it for women.
 
This free public program is suitable for adults. More details about the events will be released in March. For more information about this program, please contact Library Director Amy Hutchinson at 541-947-6019 or amyh@lakecountylibrary.org. Connect with the author at  mollygloss.com . 

​In 2018, Lake County preschoolers received 1,746 free books mailed directly to their home by the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, thanks to the Friends of Lake County Library, the 93.5 The Goose, and dozens of local businesses, organizations, and individuals. As of December 31, 2018, over 200 Lake County kids were registered for the program, which mails a free, age-appropriate book per month to children under 5. Parents can register their children at any time at their local library or online at imaginationlibrary.com.
 
The Imagination Library is free to every Lake County child under 5 no matter their income. The goal of the program is to inspire a love of reading, which is a key indicator of future school success. Parents are encouraged to register their preschooler today to bring home the benefits of reading together.

Studies have shown that when parents read to their children, kindergarten readiness improves. Parents reading to their children from birth can have lifelong positive benefits. The Imagination Library puts books directly into children’s homes, and research has shown significant positive benefits for children in the program.  
 
“We are very proud of the success of our first year in the program,” said Shelley Batty, Friends Imagination Library Committee member. “We have already registered over 60% of Lake County children for the program – a level most communities do not reach for several years. Our high registration and the amount of financial support we’ve received from local people and organizations really shows Lake County’s strong commitment to education in action.”
 
The program costs local sponsors $25 per child annually. If all eligible preschoolers registered, the program would cost over $8,000 per year. Fortunately, an Oregon family foundation will cover half of the local costs for the first three years. The Friends’ are over halfway to their goal of beginning each year with two years’ full operating costs in the fund. If you would like to support the program, stop by your local library and make a donation or mail a check to Friends of Lake County Library at 26 South G Street, Lakeview, OR 97630.
 
Questions about the program may be directed to your local library or Amy Hutchinson, Library Director, at 541-947-6019.

​LAKEVIEW, Ore.—December 28, 2018— The Main Library’s new power source is up and running. The 78 solar panels on the building’s roof are expected to produce about 1/3 of the power needed for the library annually and save the library more than $25,000 in energy costs over the first 10 years. Click here to see how much power the panels are producing.
 
The 23.4 kilowatt rooftop solar system was made possible with funding support from Pacific Power’s Blue Sky program customers through a $65,000 grant award. The library was able to raise the additional $8,500 needed to complete the project through local community donations.  Adding solar panels to the highly efficient ground-source heating and cooling system brings the Main Library close to a net-zero building.
 
“We can’t thank Lake County Resources Initiative, Oregon Clean Power Cooperative, Sunlight Solar, and Pacific Power’s Blue Sky customers enough for making our solar power dreams come true,” said Amy Hutchinson, Library Director. “The team made the complicated process of designing the project, applying for the grant, and installing the project so easy on the library, returning valuable tax dollars to library services for many years to come,” Hutchinson said.
 
This solar development project is part of a statewide effort to install solar energy systems on nonprofit and government facilities. In 2017, Lake County, Hood River County, and Douglas County teamed up with Sustainable Northwest to compete in the U.S. Department of Energy SunShot: Solar in Your Community Challenge. Oregon Clean Power Cooperative is supporting the SunShot team’s efforts through its unique community financing model, which allows community members to invest in local solar projects.
 
Lake County Resources Initiative (LCRI) works to promote and share an understanding of the inter-relationships between people and their environment. LCRI believes that promoting healthy ecosystems and natural resources products can provide economic opportunities to local communities.
 
Founded in 1994, Sustainable Northwest works at the intersection of economy, environment, and community, pioneering natural resource solutions that work for people and nature. By bringing people together to find common ground, they are building a regional economy based on land stewardship and markets for sustainable wood and clean energy. For more information visit SustainableNorthwest.org
 
The Oregon Clean Power Cooperative is the only state-wide cooperative in the U.S. dedicated solely to community-owned renewable energy. Their member-financed projects keep capital circulating locally, create green jobs, and enable Oregon communities to become more self-reliant through locally-generated clean power.
 
Lake County Libraries provide inviting community spaces to nurture young readers, explore stories and information, and connect with others. Questions about the library or the project may be directed to Amy Hutchinson, Library Director, 541-947-6019

“You can put a loved one’s name right in the heart of the community,” said Fitzgerald.

The Library Building Committee is pursuing donations from donors as well as grant funding to complete the interior of the Main Library building in 2019. Proceeds from the brick sales and ongoing fundraising will be used to put these finishing touches in place: acoustic panels throughout the library, window and baseboard trim, window coverings, navigational signs, brand panel installation, courtyard furnishings, and more reading chairs and tables.
 
Library Director Amy Hutchinson estimates to complete the interior of the building will cost about $225,000 with the current hot construction market. With about $125,000 in the building fund right now, the library needs to raise about $100,000 to complete the work. Only about 400 bricks are available, so act quickly to get yours.
 
To order, you can download a copy of the brick form online or pick one up at the Main Library. (Online purchases are coming soon.) For questions about the bricks or more information about the library, contact Library Director Amy Hutchinson at 541-947-6019 or amyh@lakecountylibrary.org. ​

Lake County Libraries will be hosting a free Preschool Family Fun Night for families with preschool-aged children. The whole family is invited to join us for dinner and fun learning activities to help preschoolers get ready for kindergarten! 

Parents are a child’s first teacher and know their child best. Children learn best by doing, and they love doing things with their parents. Preschool Family Fun Night is primarily targeted at children aged 3 to 5 and their parents. Families will have fun with books, crafts, songs, and activities that help prepare preschoolers for kindergarten.  Older or younger siblings are also welcome to attend. 

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​“We are so excited to offer these great programs to help families have fun while getting ready for kindergarten. We learned a lot from Judy Springer at Lake County School District 7 and hope to help many Lake County families create young readers,” said Library Director Amy Hutchinson.
 
The first two Family Fun Nights will be at the Christmas Valley Community Center at 5:30 on Thursday, November 8th and the Lakeview Main Library Meeting Room at 5:30 on Thursday, November 15th. RSVPs are appreciated and can be made to Youth Library Assistant David Lev at 541-947-6974 or davidl@lakecountylibrary.org. Hope to see you there!
 
Programs are supported in part by the South Central Oregon Early Learning Hub. For more information about this program, contact David Lev at 541-947-6019, log on at www.lakecountylibrary.org or come to your local library! For more information about the South Central Oregon Early Learning Hub contact Gillian Wesenberg at 541-440-4774 or go online to https://douglasesd.k12.or.us/early-learning-hub/home. 

The Lake County Library Endowment Fund will host local author Patty Barnhart as speaker for the 2018 Library Endowment Dinner. The dinner will be held at 6:30 PM on Saturday, October 20, 2018, at the Elks Lodge. Friends of the Lake County Library will hold a no-host reception fundraiser at the new Main Library from 5 to 6 PM. 

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Barnhart will discuss the history of independent authors as well as what it takes to self-publish books today in her talk “Writing and the Independent Author.” Books will be available for purchase at the event, which will also include a reading and a book signing.

Barnhart is the author of ten books:  six short story collections, a novel, two cookbooks, and an anthology of poetry.  She has won four writing contests and placed in numerous others. In addition to her own titles, she has been published in The Arabian Horse World, Hoofbeats, Cascade Horseman, Rails and Trails, Horse Illustrated, and The Lariat. She has lived with her husband on Willow Springs Ranch near Valley Falls since 1996. Prior to her retirement she worked with the Lake County Juvenile Department for 18 years. In addition to writing she is an avid gardener and hiker. Jimmy, the cat, lives with them. 

This year’s fundraising items include artwork, wine basket, a collection of books written by local authors, and more. Regular raffle tickets are $1 each, six tickets for $5, or arms’ length for $20. All raffle tickets sales begin on Monday, October 1, 2018 in the Main Library. You need not be present at the dinner to win raffle items.
 
Tickets to the dinner are $30 and may be purchased or reserved at the Main Library in Lakeview before October 13, 2018. No ticket or reservation is required for the no-host reception at the Main Library, which is open to all. Questions about the event may be directed to Amy Hutchinson, Lake County Library Director, at 541-947-6019. 

The Lake County Library District is pleased to host local author Larry LaClair for a reading and book signing at the Main Library in Lakeview at 6:00 pm on Wednesday, October 10, 2018. La Clair will be reading from, talking about, and signing his book Simon Sees, a romantic thriller about a very invasive and persistent stalker Simon Proctor.

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​LaClair is a 15 year Army veteran as well as a Corrections Officer for over 12 years. He first started writing short stories to share with his family and friends. Although this is his first novel, a few of his short stories were published locally by “The Writers of the Purple Sage”.
 
Drawing on his life experiences before, during and after his careers in Corrections and Military Intelligence he was able to bring the story of Lincoln County to life. He’s traveled through 48 of the 50 states, Canada, Central America and Europe. He’s worked at NSA, was a crew member on reconnaissance aircraft, military linguist and instructor.
 
Among the many odd jobs in his life are College Bursar, furniture mover, accounting, assistant to carpet layers and roofers, paperboy and Western Union telegram deliverer. An avid traveler and people watcher, but not the Simon Proctor kind, he hopes to bring you along on this journey.
 
This free public program is suitable for adults. LaClair will read from his book and offer a short question and answer session before signing books. Copies of books will be available for purchase at the event.
 
For more information about this program, please contact Library Director Amy Hutchinson at 541-947-6019 or amyh@lakecountylibrary.org. Connect with the author at L.L.LaClairAuthor@gmail.com.

​If you have a child who was born in the fall of 2017 or later, or if you know of a family who has a child that age, please contact David Lev, Youth Library Assistant with a mailing address.  Lake County Libraries will include them on the invitation list.
 
All showers will be held at community’s library branch. Showers are free to participants, and we hope to see all of the new parents at them! Questions about the showers or addresses of new parents can be directed to David Lev, 541-947-6974 or davidl@lakecountylibrary.org.