News and Highlighted Events

A Pat Wiesner workshop for those who want to excel in sales.

Join Pat Wiesner, retired founder and CEO of Wiesner Media, publishers of Colorado Biz Magazine, Colorado Homes and Lifestyles and some 35 other publications. He's trained hundreds of sales people in his career.

Learn how to:

Douglas County Libraries is uniting with Coats for Colorado and the Task Force of Douglas County to provide food and warmth for families this winter.

Throughout the month of November, Douglas County Libraries will gather gently used and new coats for those who need them this winter as part of the Coats for Colorado program. In addition, all library fines collected Nov. 15 - 28 will be donated to the Douglas County Task Force to stock their food bank and feed local families. Those without fines wishing to make a donation may do so during the same time. Checks can be made out to the Task Force of Douglas County. Please bring your used coats or pay your fines at any of our library branches:

Thursday, Nov. 5th at 7 pm

Explore out-of-this-world science fiction and fantasy books at the Philip S. Miller Library with the Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Club. The introductory meeting will be Thursday, November 5th at 7 pm at the Philip S. Miller Library in Castle Rock.

To register for the book club, call 303-791-7323, or Register online.

Stories to get you through the week! 

This is a new storytime for adults.  It takes place the second Wednesday of every month from 7-8 p.m. at Highlands Ranch Library (9292 Ridgeline Blvd.) in the Reading Lounge on the second floor.

No registration required.

Come enjoy readings by staff of short stories, poems, from funny to mystery to the unforgettable.

H1N1 Influenza Sites & News Coverage

CITY / COUNTY

• Douglas County Sheriff Emergency Management Swine Flu Preparedness
• Tri County Health
  http://www.tchd.org/flu.htm

Being green doesn’t have to cost a lot.

Learn how to save money by making choices that are smart, sustainable, and healthy.  Eco-Smart Communities will show you how to find out if a company or product is really green.  You’ll learn how to make your home more energy-efficient on a budget, and how to shop and make healthy choices for you and your family without breaking the bank. 

Become Involved in Decisions For the Library

The next meeting of the Board of Directors for Douglas County Libraries will be 7 p.m., Thursday, December 10, at the Parker Library.  Click here for more information and read minutes from past meetings.

If you’re learning English as a second language, Douglas County Libraries has the book club for you!

The ESL Book Club is for adults who are intermediate to advanced English learners and it meets on the first Wednesday of every month from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. at the Philip S. Miller Library.

Join other English learners to read books together, improve reading skills, and work on understanding English. The group will read a new title every 1-2 months.

No registration is required, just stop by.

Share the love of reading with a child! Volunteers go through a two-hour training session which takes place at Philip S. Miller Library, Castle Rock.

After this training the volunteer is ready to be placed in a childcare center. The next session takes place from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 18. Registration is required.

To book your spot, stop by your library, call 303-791-7323.

Now is your chance to share your amazing stories with young people and become a Spellbinder!

Spellbinders are adults, 50 and up, who stay young at heart by telling stories to children in Douglas County Schools. By sharing traditional stories and personal history tales, Spellbinders make a difference.

Training sessions to become a Spellbinder are coming up in August at the Philip S. Miller Library (100 S. Wilcox St., Castle Rock): August 10, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (lunch provided) and August 14, 9 a.m. to noon. Attendance at both sessions is required to become a Spellbinder.

Registration is also required. To sign up for these classes, email spellbinders@dclibraries.org, or call 303-791-READ and ask for Priscilla Queen in the Literacy Department.

Douglas County Library adult patrons can act locally and think globally by joining one of four 2009 Great Decisions discussion groups. The Philip S. Miller Library (Castle Rock) and Highlands Ranch Library will each host daytime and evening groups. Each group will meet 9 times, first to establish the coming agenda and then eight times to discuss specific topics. Registration is required and it is inclusive for all eight sessions, no drop-ins and no single sessions.

Free GED Test Prep

6-8:30 p.m. Monday Nights Parker Library (excluding holidays)

• Instruction, assessments, & practice tests
• In partnership with Colorado Educational Outreach
• Ages 17+, no registration required.

The Watercolors of Tanya Haynes

Are you in a book club or thinking of starting your own?

Douglas County Libraries offers a service called Book Club Express. Titles are available county-wide and are centrally housed at Highlands Ranch Library.

We'll provide you with multiple copies of a book, author biographies, discussion questions, and more!

A Book Club Express kit can be checked out for six weeks with over 150 titles from which to choose for adults, children, and teens. You can also reserve titles as future book club selections.

We are also happy to provide book talks at your book club meeting. Just leave your phone number and/or email information when you speak to us about Book Club Express.

The following are available as Book Club Express titles:

• Adult books
• Kid's books
• Young Adult books

For more information contact bce@dclibraries.org

Every Saturday, except holiday weekends, Douglas County Libraries hosts casual drop-in sessions for anyone age 17 and older to practice English. All levels and abilities are welcome. Come practice conversational skills with other English learners. Volunteer facilitators, who are fluent in English, lead the conversation and answer any questions.