To kick off 2008, the Lopez Island Library is now offering new programs for Lopezians of all ages.

Join us for Poetry Nights at 7 p.m. on the third Thursdays of the month. Patrons can share their favorite poets or read works of their own. Movie Nights! We will be showing select films every Wednesday starting at 4:30 p.m. Some will be for young children or teens. Call or check our website for listings. Seating is limited, so come early. The Rebel Book Club, a teen reader forum for exchanging great reads for young adults, will be held at 3:30 p.m. in the Library Conference Room on the last Fridays of the month.

On February 9, enjoy the fiddle music and storytelling of Joe McHugh at a free concert at the Lopez Island Community Center at 7 p.m., sponsored by the Friends of the Lopez Island Library. Joe will teach a workshop on Feb. 11 about writing your own family stories and personal histories. There is a $15 fee for the workshop. Please e-mail lpray@lopezlibrary.org to sign up for the workshop.

You can now access your library account from home to see what you have checked out and to renew items if you need more time. Just go to the library’s home page, www.lopezlibrary.org, and click on “renew items” to see your account. You’ll need your library card number and pin to log in. The pin number is the last four digits of your phone number. As a gentle reminder, an automatic e-mail is sent to you when your due dates near. Please call us if you want to add or change information on your account (468-2265) such as changing or deleting an e-mail address.

Library staff will hold drop-in computer training sessions every Friday at 10 a.m. in the Library conference room. We’ll show you everything from the basics of getting around on the web to how to locate books and articles in the Lopez Library with your computer. These free sessions can be tailored to meet the needs of the attendees.

The library now has a Community Knitting Corner, complete with yarn and needles in a basket. The inspiration came from a patron who had recently visited a library in Sweden where this was done. You can sit and knit a few rounds. Change yarn color, texture, knit in designs, and get creative. Just relax and knit by the fire! Visitors to the library in Sweden enjoyed the feeling of traveling far and leaving a bit of their creativity behind.

Thank you for your support of the library and take advantage of our resources in the coming year!