December 2022 Newsletter: Celebrations of Many Kinds!

There’s a lot to celebrate here at the East Lansing Public Library! Check out some of the things we’re excited about now, and what we’re looking forward to.

Featured: Happy Holidays!

We’re feeling festive and ready to celebrate the holidays with you! Stop by the library to see all our decorations - it may be dreary and cold outside, but it’s warm and bright inside the library! 

This year Dr. B designed and printed a mini winter wonderland using our laser cutter in the Maker Studio; explore the Reader’s Resort Coffee and Hot Chocolate shop, the Plot Twist Slopes Ski Rental, and of course, your local Public Library! Stop by to check out our “Tiny Town” and learn how you can use our laser cutter and other technologies for your own projects.

We have a wide variety of books, movies, and music set out for you to browse and get in the holiday mood. We’ll also be sharing reading lists on our social media every week for #FridayFeaturedReading; you can find a mixture of festive fiction, holiday gift guides, tasty recipes, and more! 

Scattered through the rest of the library are other fun wintery delights as well, all to make you feel cozy and right at home. And, don’t forget we have a working fireplace in our newspaper and magazine section!

Featured: Woodlands Membership Perks

ELPL is a member of the Woodlands Library Cooperative, and as part of the cooperative, our patrons can access a variety of discounts to experience art and culture around the state! Here are some of the deals available to you right now as a member:

• Detroit Lions: discounted tickets at https://bit.ly/3P5jbGK
• Grand Rapids Civic Theatre: 20% off tickets with promo code library20
• Detroit Pistons: visit pistons.com/specialoffer and use promo code READ
• Select shows at Little Caesars Arena: browse available shows with discounted tickets at https://bit.ly/3Fxv7Oq
• Abrams Planetarium: 50¢ off all public show admissions when you show your library card at the door
• Detroit Zoo: visit https://tickets.detroitzoo.org and use store name password WLC
• Fisher Theatre: visit www.broadwayindetroit.com/librarymember. When choosing your tickets, select “unlock” and enter the discount code LIBRARY

Featured: December Programs

Check out some of the programs we’re looking forward to this month!

• Winter Fest (all ages): December 10, 11am-2pm, opens a new window       
  • This event is organized by the City of East Lansing and will take place at Hannah Community Center. We’ll be there in our Library on the Go with crafts and fun!
• Spartan Science Seminar Series (teens and adults): December 14, 7-8pm       
  • Dr. Elise Zipkin will present  “Forecasting the Future to Protect Monarch Butterflies”.
• Let’s Make Gingerbread Houses! (kids): December 15, 6-8pm       
  • Session one is 6-7pm and session two is 7-8pm. Please sign up in advance at elpl.org.
• Chanukah StoryTime with PJ Library (kids): December 18, 2-3pm       
  • Enjoy a story with guest reader Karen Weinstein. Crafts and snacks to follow!
• Holiday Concert with the Fleetwood Four (all ages): December 19, 7-7:45pm       
  • Celebrate the holidays in harmony with this Sweet Adeline Quartet!
• Silent Book Club (adults): December 27, 6-8pm       
  • Join us at the Graduate Hotel in East Lansing for introvert happy hour.

For more information about these events and others through the month, visit our events page.

Featured: ELPL is Turning 100 in March!

ELPL is turning 100 in March! We’re planning some big and exciting celebrations. Here’s a sneak peek of a few things coming your way in the new year:

• Centennial Book Club: Starting in January, we will be leading a book club that discusses titles published in each decade of the last 100 years. 
• ELPL 100th Birthday Party: Save the date for March 11, 2023. We will be celebrating in style!
• History with Phyllis: Phyllis Thode, Community Development & Volunteer Coordinator, as well as long-time ELPL staff member, will star in a video series exploring ELPL’s history! Starting in March, she’ll be sharing interesting facts about the library we love and its storied 100 years.

More details are yet to come. Check back to our website at elpl.org and keep an eye on our social media throughout the next few months to learn more! 

Featured: The Millage Passed!

We want to give a huge thank you to our wonderful community for your support in the November 8 election! The renewal of our operating millage passed with an incredible ~85% in favor. This is a huge affirmation of our library’s value in the East Lansing community, and we are so grateful. We are also so excited to continue to grow with this community and provide you with great resources, programs, and services for the next ten years - and hopefully many more!

Featured: Giving Tuesday

November 29 was #GivingTuesday, a day encouraging acts of generosity big and small. We want to give another huge thank you to everyone who chose to contribute to ELPL on this day. We made wish lists available for our kids and teen departments, as well as for our Maker Studio; together, our community provided a variety of items off of all three wish lists! Our programming staff are so excited to enhance their programs and spaces with these items.

If you’d like to continue to share your generosity with us, there are many ways to support the library year-round.

• You can sign up to support ELPL through Amazon Smile or Kroger Community Rewards; these programs donate a percentage of your purchases to the library, at no additional cost to you!
• Donate gently used books and other items to the Friends of ELPL.
• Volunteer your time.
• Donate money via check or credit card.
• Use your voice to show your support for ELPL: share our content on social media, tell your friends and family about us, or pick up a free “libraries are for everyone” yard sign from our service desk!

Up and Coming Dates:

• The library will be closed from Friday, December 23, through Monday, December 26 in observance of Christmas.
• The library will be closed from Friday, December 30, through Monday, January 2 in observance of the new year.

Catch ELPL Next Month:

Be on the lookout for more excitement in January! ELPL will be sharing featured reading lists, book displays, and programs throughout the month. Some of the library programs will include:

• Author Talk: Lori Garver, Former NASA Deputy Administrator
• English as Second Language Conversation Group
• Centennial Book Club
• And more!

For more information, keep checking back here at elpl.org or follow us on social media!