Missy Henderson
What would you like to do today? Get some cleaning done? Bake something?
Create something? Play a game? Binge watch your favorite TV show? Your local library can help you achieve your goals.
During the COVID lockdown, I cleaned and organized my house like crazy. (To this day, I still don’t know where I put my glass pie plate.) But overall, I was happy with the new organization.
If cleaning and organizing your house seems like an overwhelming task, look for the library books “How to keep house while drowning” by KC Davis, “Keep the memories, lose the stuff” by Matt Paxton, and “The queen of clean conquers clutter” by Linda Cobb.
If something culinary is more to your liking, the library has all kinds of books to help. Located in the 641.5-641.877 call numbers, there are books on vegetarian and vegan cooking, cooking on grills, slow cooking, breads, soups, and all kinds of desserts. The library has not only books, but we also offer cake pans and bread pans for you to check out.
And if you might be worried about extra calories, the library has books and DVDs on exercise to help you maintain a healthy weight. Some materials of note include the books: “The DASH diet for weight loss” by Thomas Moore, M.D., “15 minute total body workout” by Joan Pagano, and the DVDs “In home fitness: Chair strength and tone for seniors” and “Hard body” by Jillian Michaels.
How about creating something? I always wanted to be artistic, but those genes went to my oldest sister and youngest brother. But I still like to create things and the library has lots of books for all levels of crafting. You might enjoy crocheting, knitting or jewelry making. If you’d like to hem some pants, we have sewing machines.
Maybe you’d like to create something bolder, like making wreaths to hang on your front door, or you might enjoy making handmade paper or the ancient art of origami.
Perhaps after you’ve finished cooking, cleaning, and creating, you will be ready to watch TV or play games with your friends and family. Guess what? We can help you in this area too!
Maybe you’re ready to watch “Downton Abbey” in its entirety. Or perhaps you want to play indoor games like Skip-Bo if it’s cold and rainy, or some Ladder Toss outside if the weather is warm. We have lots of indoor and outdoor games for you to check out and enjoy.
We have ukuleles and synthesizers for something more musical. Speaking of musical, did you know that the library has vinyl records and record players available to check out?
The library has a lot to offer within its walls such as materials, storytimes, and events, but if you look online at www.mybcpl.org under “Digital Library Resources,” you’ll find even more to do.
You can watch shows and movies, listen to music or audiobooks, or read books that the library may not physically own. There is help with writing a resume, IU free computer courses, links to tax and legal forms, the schedule for ColumBus Transit, hot meal sites, and sites for language and music instruction.
If you can’t get to the library, we have many Bookmobile stops located throughout the county and the BCPL Express visits many neighborhoods to distribute new and gently-used free books.
Look on our website for more information about these two outreach programs. You can also apply for a “Digital Only Card” to access all of our online resources, even if you never set foot inside one of our physical locations.
Your library card is the key to unlock all of this and so much more.
Missy Henderson is technical services department assistant at the Bartholomew County Public Library and can be reached at [email protected]
