5 February 2014 Happy Mid-Winter! The first week of February is the middle week to the winter, hopefully the second half will not be as bad as the first half. It is light out until after 6:00 p.m. and the sun is up before 8:00 a.m. Come on Spring! February has a lot of holidays also. Lincoln's Birthday on the 12th, Washington's Birthday on the 22nd, Presidents Day on the 17th and Valentine's Day on the 14th. To help celebrate Valentine's Day, our reference librarian, Andrea, has put together a Blind Date With a Book display. All of the books are wrapped so you cannot see the title. On the front there is a heart with a brief description of the book. For instance: Mystery, set in England, popular author. It could be a romance or a mystery or even a classic title. It is great way to try a new author or reconnect with an old friend. Remember to register for the Adult Winter Reading Program. Any fifteen titles that you read, view or listen to earns you an entry for the Grand Prize and for every five titles after the initial fifteen earns and extra entry. The Grand Prize is two tickets to see Boeing, Boeing and two tickets to see Annie Get Your Gun at the Kalazamoo Civic Theatre. If you read, view or listen to ten items, you earn a lunch cooler. The contest ends on March 30, and the drawing is being held on March 31. With weather like we have been having, earning entries will be easy as cake. Later this month the library will be having the interior re-painted. We are scheduled for the 19th. This is a Wednesday and we do not have programs on that day. We may have to close early on the 18th and delay opening on the 20th. We will let everyone know as we get nearer to the day. This will be the first time the library has been re-painted since the addition was put on in 1983. We are seeking grants to replace the carpet on the main floor of the library as that is getting worn and stained. Did you know that the Vicksburg District Library has an endowment fund through the Kalamazoo Foundation? A donation to the endowment fund is tax dedctable, as are all donations to the library, and it helps the library. The fund grants a part of the earned interest to the library for library needs. It does not need to be spent every year but it is there. The painting that will be done in the library this year will be almost entirely financed from the grantable part of the endowment. A donation to the library is an investment in the community. Unwanted books and dvd's and cd's can be donated to the library for the Annual Book Sale run by the Ladies Library Auxilary. Please no encyclopedias, or magazines. Stay warm, read a good book and visit us here at the library. John