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Library Make-It Lab Opens Aug. 1

Reference Clerk JD Smithson, left, and

Young Adult Coordinator Talley Gaskins

are the primary planners for the new Make-It Lab.

The much-anticipated Coeur d’Alene Public Library Make-It Lab is open as of Aug. 1 in the library’s former computer lab on the main level.
The Make-It Lab is designed to be a place for people with similar interests, including computing and technology, to gather to work on projects while sharing ideas, equipment, and knowledge.
“The Make-It Lab enhances library resources by giving our patrons materials and tools to create items and to experiment with tools they may not be able afford at home,” said Library Director Bette Ammon.
She said the lab is a work in progress and resources, tools, and programs will be added based on user comments and interests.
“Like everything else in the library,” she said, “we count on user feedback so we can improve the services we provide.”
Make-It Lab users will be asked to sign a waiver for the use of some tools in the space. The waiver will need to be signed by a parent or guardian for users under 18, and unaccompanied young children will not be allowed in the space.
Tools in the lab include such items as a sewing machine, Cricut, a button maker, hand tools, and a die cutter. Tech will include Makey-Makey, Edison bots, Easy Circuits, and a stop-motion lab. The space will also have a dedicated computer.
The space will be open during regular library hours, but projects will need to be completed a half-hour before the library closes. Completed projects can be taken home, but all tools and materials will need to remain in the lab.
The lab is supported by the Make It At the Library Project through the Idaho Commission for Library with additional support from the Coeur d’Alene Public Library Foundation.

Coeur d'Con: Geeks Invade Library Aug. 19

The geeks are coming.
The third annual Coeur d’Con on Saturday, Aug. 19, will fill the library with superheroes, villains, and all kinds of comic book, video game, TV, and movie characters. The day will feature vendors, gaming opportunities, crafts, fan meetups, discussion panels, and other activities inside and outside the library related to popular media.
Prior to Coeur d’Con the entries in the Fan Art Contest will be displayed at the library Aug. 6-19.
On Aug. 19, the doors will open at 10 a.m. and activities continue through 4 p.m. Scheduled activities will include:
► Panels – Community Room: “Guardians of the Galaxy 2 (PG-13),” 10:30 a.m.; and Nerdwest Geek Trivia, 1:30 p.m.
► Fan Meetups – Gozzer Room: The Heart of Geekdom, 10:30 a.m.; Kpop/Kdrama, 11:30 a.m.; Cosplay, 12:30 p.m.; RWBY/Rooster Teeth, 1:30 p.m.; and Overwatch, 2:30 p.m.
► Crafts – Children’s Craft Room:  DIY Lightsaber, 10:30 a.m.; and DIY Wand, 12:30 p.m.
► Activity Zones – Various Locations: 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Meet the 501st, Shirley Parker Storyroom; LARP Group, outside; Canton of Silverheart; outside; Uncle’s Games, right fireplace; FATE Games, right fireplace; Archaic Realm RPG, right fireplace; League of Legends, Nelson Room; SPLAT Table, Makerspace.
► Cosplay – Storyroom and Community Room: Registration, 10-11 a.m., voting begins, 1 p.m., finalists announced, 2:30, contest 3-4 p.m.
► Gaming Tournaments – Left Fireplace: Arms, 10:30 a.m.; MarioKart, 11:30 a.m.; Smash Bros, 12:30 p.m.; Ultimate Street Fighter 2, 1:30 p.m.; Gamers’ Choice, 2:30 p.m.
More information is available at www.coeurdcon.weebly.com.

Lake City Public Library Receives Cities’ Award

Lake City Public Library Branch Manager JD Smithson.
(Photo courtesy of the Coeur d’Alene Press)

The Lake City Public Library (LCPL) was recognized with a Community Engagement Award from the Association of Idaho Cities (AIC) at its conference June 22 in Boise.
The award was one of two received by the City of Coeur d’Alene, which was also recognized with a Public Safety Award for its Community Action Team, which is partially funded through a federal COPS grant and proactively works with the community on crime prevention, relationship building and problem solving.
LCPL is a joint project between the Coeur d’Alene Public Library, the city, and the Coeur d’Alene School District that created a public library branch at the school library within Lake City High School on Ramsey Road.
“This award is confirmation of what we set out to do,” said Library Director Bette Ammon. “With the support of City Council Member and Library Liaison Kiki Miller and the cooperation of school officials we wanted to make the Lake City Library more accessible for the students and teachers while at the same time expanding library services to patrons in a fast-growing part of the city.”
The application for the library’s AIC award was submitted for the Community Outreach and Collaboration and Increasing Services and Low Cost category.
In the application Ammon noted that, “The Library’s long-range plan called for extending public library service as a future city need and constituents asked City Council members for library services to be provided near them.”
She noted that the Library Board of Trustees is aware of building and facilities costs and that finding an appropriate space and resources in an established school library would be more cost-effective. The proposal replicated a similar endeavor in Missoula, Mont., Ammon said.
LCPL was established following lengthy discussions between representatives of the School Board, Lake City High School administration, and the City Council.
“With the support from the City and the Coeur d’Alene Public Library Foundation, this successful partnership brings public library service throughout the year to the fastest growing area of the city,” Ammon said. “Children can ride their bikes along well-planned trails and keep reading all summer long. Where equipment and materials languished during the summer, they are now in use all year long.”
The branch opened in January 2016 with J.D. Smithson as branch manager. She also serves as courier between the main library and the branch.
During the school year the library is open to the public Monday through Thursday, 3-6:30 p.m., providing its own collection of books, Internet computers, and Wi-Fi services. The branch can be designated as a pickup site for holds placed by patrons living near the site, and its materials are listed in the catalog for the Cooperative Information Network – a group of 27 libraries in North Idaho and eastern Washington.
When school is not in session, during the summer and other breaks, branch hours are extended. The library is currently open 12-5 p.m., Monday through Thursday. The branch offers its own programs, a story time for children and a LEGO Club that incorporates robots. Additional programs are planned for the future.

Lake City Branch Closed Aug. 7-21

The Lake City Public Library, in the high school on Ramsey Road, will be closed Aug. 7-21, due to annual school maintenance.
During the closure patrons can visit the main library at 702 E. Front in Coeur d’Alene and arrange to pick up holds at any of the other libraries in the Cooperative Information Network.
Many library services are also available through the libraries’ websites, www.lcplibrary.org or www.cdalibrary.org. Patrons can access their library accounts to check on due dates or place holds, utilize online reference materials and other resources, download music to keep from the Freegal service, and check out e-books through the OverDrive system.
The Lake City branch will resume its summer hours, Monday through Thursday, 12-5 p.m., on Aug. 21. School-year hours, Monday through Thursday, 3-6:30 p.m., resume on September 5. Lake City will be closed Monday, Sept. 4, for Labor Day.
During the first week of August and the last two weeks the branch will continue to offer its Summer Reading programs: LEGO Club, Tuesdays 4-5 p.m., Storytime with a Snack, Wednesdays, 12:30 p.m., and Lego Club with Robots, Thursdays, 4-5.

Library Looks Skyward with Eclipse Programs

Dialogue with Homeschool Families Also Scheduled
Two programs for families at the library will shed some light and dark on the upcoming solar eclipse.
Eclipse Readiness 101 is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 15, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. in the Community Room at 702 E. Front Ave. This program will include what an eclipse is and what we can expect in our area, important safety considerations, and the construction of a pinhole projector for viewing the eclipse. Each family attending the program will receive a pair of solar-eclipse glasses.
The day of the eclipse, Monday, Aug. 21, the library will host a Solar Eclipse Party beginning at 8:30 a.m. The eclipse begins at 9:13 a.m. The first 100 people attending this program will receive solar-eclipse glasses.
In preparation for fall, the library’s youth services will also host Back-to-(Home)-School Day on Thursday, Aug. 17, 1-2:30 p.m., in the Community Room for families who are considering homeschooling and those who are more experienced with home education. Library Circulation Clerk Amy Bardwell, who has experience as a homeschool mom, will lead the discussion about library and community resources and hear suggestions for additions to the library collection.
Young patrons can continue to track the time they read – or are read to with reading logs. Children who pick up a reading log at the Coeur d’Alene library can have any overdue fines on their library cards waived. For every three hours of reading time logged they can pick up a prize in the Seagraves Children’s Library. The final day to turn in reading logs will be Sept. 2.
Each time children visit the library they can also vote for their school. The school to win the most votes will earn the right to house the Summer Reading Traveling Trophy in their school library for the next school year. In addition, for each 50 votes a school receives their school library will receive a book.
Children under 6 visiting the library need to be supervised by an adult or a person who is at least 14 even during programs. Children ages 6-9 should be accompanied by someone who is at least 14 who will remain in the building.
For more information call 208-769-2315 Ext. 438 or e-mail Susan Thorpe, Youth Services Supervisor, at sthorpe@cdalibrary.org.

Teens Have Movie, DnD Activity

Teens will have a free movie and a Library Dungeons and Dragons game as Summer Reading activities for young adults continues at the Coeur d’Alene Public Library.
The free film for teens will be the 2017 release, “Power Rangers” (PG-13), to be screened in the Shirley Parker Storyroom beginning at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 4.
The Library DnD event will be Friday Aug. 11, 3:30 to 6 p.m., in the Nelson Room off the main library and will replace that day’s regularly scheduled League of Legends activity.
Teens have their own Reading Log to keep track of their Summer Reading and to win prizes – any kind of reading counts. Any teen with overdue fines on their library card who participates in Summer Reading by picking up a reading log will have those fines forgiven.
Other teen programs in August are:
► Creative Writing Club:  Tuesday, Aug. 1, at 4 p.m.
► Teen Book Club: Tuesday, Aug. 8, 4 p.m.
► Manga & Anime Club (ages 12-15): Tuesday, Aug. 15, 4 p.m.
► Manga & Anime Club (ages 15-18): Tuesday, Aug. 22, 4 p.m.
► Make-It @ the Library: Tuesday, Aug. 29, 4 p.m. in the Library Makerspace.
► Teen Makerspace: Thursday, Aug. 17, 3:30 p.m.
► Teen Craft: Paint ‘n’ Sip, Thursday, Aug. 31, 3:30 p.m.
► League of Legends: Each Friday at 4 p.m. (except Aug. 11).
For more information contact YA Coordinator Talley Gaskins, at 208-769-2315 Ext. 469, or by e-mail at tgaskins@cdalibrary.org.

'Selling Sex in the Silver Valley' Book Talk Here Aug. 17

Branstter

Dr. Heather Branstetter, author of “Selling Sex in the Silver Valley: A Business in Doing Pleasure” will discuss the book Thursday, Aug. 17 at 7 p.m. in the library Community Room.
This program is offered as one of a series of regional author talks as part of the library’s Adult Summer Reading programs.
Once the largest silver producer in the world, Wallace became notorious for labor uprisings, hard drinking, gambling and prostitution. As late as 1991, illegal brothels openly flourished because locals believed that sex work prevented rape and bolstered the economy, so long as it was regulated and confined to a particular area of town.
The madams enjoyed unprecedented status as influential businesswomen, community leaders and philanthropists, while elsewhere a growing aversion to the sex trade drove red-light districts underground. Branstetter’s research features previously unpublished archival materials and oral histories as she relates the intimate details of this unlikely story.
A Silver Valley native, Branstetter graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in English and philosophy from the University of Idaho before completing a doctorate in rhetoric, writing and cultural studies at the University of North Carolina. She taught at the University of Idaho, the University of North Carolina and Wake Forest University and was assistant professor of rhetoric and writing at the Virginia Military Institute. She now lives in Wallace where she is executive director of the Historic Wallace Preservation Society.
Copies of the book will be available to purchase for signing, with a portion of sales benefiting the

Friends of the Library.

Sibley Film Examinse the Life of Ranger, Conservationist

Bud Moore

“Bud’s Place,” a film by George Sibley, will be screened at the library Friday, Aug. 25, at 7 p.m. in the Community Room.
District Ranger, soldier, fur trapper, wilderness advocate — Bud Moore was all of these. During a long career with the Forest Service, he was part of most of the key events in the history of conservation and public land management during the 20th century. 
Later at his sustainable forestry operation in Condon, he walked his talk about the values and virtues of living in harmony with the natural world.
His friend , Sibley, who has woven together recreations, historic films and photographs -- many taken by Moore along with new interviews to paint his portrait of this remarkable man.
Sibley has been a filmmaker for more than 40 years, mostly making educational films and documentaries.  In 2005, three of his Florida conservation documentaries were shown nationally on the DISH network’s satellite channel program  “Free Speech TV.”  His film “Lewis and Clark and US” was broadcast on Montana Public Television as part of the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial. 
Back in Florida “Smyrnea Lost and Found” told the story of the origins of what became the town of New Smyrna Beach and won the “Outstanding Preservation Media of  2007” award from the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation.
Sibley said he likes to choose projects which connect science and history, and has often filmed here in the west. “Shadows of David Thompson,” about an almost forgotten fur trader and early map maker, was shown on both Idaho and Montana PBS stations. “Ordeal By Fire” followed in this vein, combining a mini-history of wildfires in North America with a recreation of the big 1910 burn on the Idaho-Montana border, the biggest forest fire in North American history.
Sibley has done projects for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service, and in June his film about the astronomer William Herschel was shown at Cambridge and Oxford Universities in the UK.
"Bud's Place" was produced with support from the Idaho Humanities Council – the state-based affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities – the Montana Wilderness Association, the Society of American Foresters, and the Vital Ground Foundation.

Planning Under Way for Library’s Tenth Anniversary

The ribbon-cutting for the library, Sept. 10, 2007.

On Sunday, Sept. 10, the Coeur d’Alene Public Library has been in its Front Avenue building for ten years and the Library Foundation, Friends, staff, and volunteers want to celebrate.
Activities will get underway at noon with the annual birthday party for Mudgy and Millie in the Community Room with cake, music, a reading of the “Mudgy & Millie” book by author Susan Nipp, and a visit from the moose and mouse themselves.
The celebration then moves to McEuen Park where there will be music in the pavilion, jump house, food and beverage trucks, a clown, games, and other activities.
Watch the September newsletter, Facebook, and other social media for more news about the anniversary celebration.

‘Indian Creek Chronicles’ TitleFor Pageturners Discussion

The August Pageturners Library Book Club selection is “Indian Creek Chronicles” by Peter Fromm. Fay Sweney will lead the discussion of the book on Wednesday, Aug. 23, at 10:15 p.m.
Book club discussions are open to any adult reader and copies of the book, provided by the Let’s Talk About it program at the Idaho Commission for Libraries, is available to check out at the Research and Information Desk.
Winner of the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Book Award, “Indian Creek Chronicles” is Fromm's account of seven winter months spent alone in a tent in Idaho guarding salmon eggs and coming face to face with the blunt realities of life as a contemporary mountain man.
Upcoming titles for the book club include “American Gospel” by Jon Meachem, with George Sayler leading the discussion on Sept. 27, and “Who Owns the West,” by William Kittredge, with George Ives leading the discussion on Oct. 25.

Milestones Looks at Role of Farming in North Idaho

Photo from the Museum of North Idaho Archives.

The role of agriculture in the history of North Idaho will be the subject of Inland Northwest Milestones Thursday, Aug. 24, at the library.
Regional historian Robert Singletary, program and marketing director for the Museum of North Idaho is the presenter for this series which examines the people and developments that influenced regional history.
The free lecture series is offered in the Community Room, usually on the fourth Thursday of each month, except for the final program which will be presented on Nov. 30 due to the Thanksgiving holiday.
Additional programs in the Milestones series will be:
► Sept. 28: Inland Empire Electric Line.
► Oct. 26: Kirtland Cutter: Spokane’s Master Architect.
► Nov. 30: History of Skiing in North Idaho.
The Museum of North Idaho is located at 115 Northwest Blvd., in front the City Park, and is open Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Oct. 31.

Food For Thought Resumes With ‘Cooked’ Talk Sept. 6

“Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation” by Michael Pollan will be the book to be discussed by the Food For Thought Book Club when it resumes meeting Sept. 6, at 6 p.m., in the Gozzer Room at the library.
Pollan explores the previously uncharted territory of his own kitchen. Here, he discovers the enduring power of the four classical elements - fire, water, air, and earth - to transform the stuff of nature into delicious things to eat and drink.
Apprenticing himself to a succession of culinary masters, Pollan learns how to grill with fire, cook with liquid, bake bread, and ferment everything from cheese to beer. In the course of his journey, he discovers that the cook occupies a special place in the world, standing squarely between nature and culture. Both realms are transformed by cooking, and so, in the process, is the cook.
Held in partnership with the Inland Northwest Food Network, discussions are open to anyone interested in the science, cultivation, and preparation of food.
Upcoming titles and their discussion dates include: “An Unlikely Vineyard: The Education of a Farmer and Her Quest for Terroir” by Deirdre Heekin, Oct. 4; “Salt, A World History” by Mark Kurlansky, Nov. 1; and “My Organic Life” by Nora Pouillon, Dec. 6.
For more information visit www.inwfoodnetwork.org.