Spring Lake District Library | Serving Our Community For More Than 150 Years

Big Library Read – Keys to the Kitchen

Get ready for the third Big Library Read! What’s a Big Library Read? It’s when millions of eBook readers from all over the world can download and read a book at the same time. There’s no hold list for this book – everyone can check out and download the eBook at the same time! You can download this book at any time from Monday, February 17 through Wednesday, March 5.

This time around, they chose a cookbook: Keys to the Kitchen by Food Network star Aida Mollenkamp. All Spring Lake District Library cardholders are invited to download and read it or try out the recipes! There are more than 300 contemporary recipes along with color photographs, informative illustrations, and a primer to important kitchen techniques. This would be a good book to check out on a tablet like an iPad, Kindle Fire, or Android. If you don’t have one, remember the library has iPads available for checkout.

To check it out or learn more about Keys to the Kitchen, you’ll find it at OverDrive. You’ll need to log in with your Spring Lake library card number to check the book out. If you have any questions about how to check out and read eBooks, OverDrive’s help site has lots of good information. We’ve also scheduled a class on downloading eBooks from OverDrive during the Big Library Read on Friday, February 21 at 10am. Be sure to pre-register to reserve your place or stop in at any time for assistance.

Tax Form Update!

If you’re a tax season early bird, you’ll be happy to know that most of our tax forms have arrived! We have the Federal 1040, 1040A, and 1040EZ forms along their instruction books along with the general Michigan forms and Home Heating Credit forms. We aren’t able stock all the tax forms out there, but all forms are available online either at irs.gov or Michigan.gov.

Are you a senior feeling overwhelmed at the thought of doing your own taxes? The Four Pointes Center for Successful Aging (formerly the North Ottawa Country Council on Aging) is here to help! The Center is providing trained AARP tax aides to assist seniors. To make an appointment with a tax aide, call the Four Pointes Center at 616.842.9210. Meetings can be held here at the library or at another location.

Library Closing at 4pm on Monday January 27.

Due to the weather conditions, the Spring Lake District Library will close at 4pm today, Monday the 27th of January.

Even though the physical library is closed, our eBooks and eAudiobooks are always available for check-out on OverDrive. You can also put materials on hold for pick up at the library using our online catalog.

Stay home and warm if you can, but if you have to go out, be sure to bundle up!

Join the Great Michigan Read!

Every two years, the Michigan Humanities Council chooses a book to be the Great Michigan Read. A statewide committee searches for a new book that was either written by a Michigan author or set in Michigan that will help us connect as Michiganders by exploring our history, present, and future.

For 2013-14, the Great Michigan Read is Annie’s Ghosts: A Journey into a Family Secret by Detroit native Steve Luxenberg. The book has been described as ‘part memoir, part detective story, and part history.’ It follows the author’s search for the truth after he learns that his mother – who’d always claimed to be an only child – had a sister who died in a mental institution. A story about family secrets, poverty, illness, mental and physical disabilities, immigration, surviving the Holocaust, and genealogy, Annie’s Ghosts gives insights into how our family history defines us and revealed secrets can change us.

At the Spring Lake District Library, we’ve put together a selection of programs related to the Great Michigan Read as well as having copies of the book available for check out. We also have Annie’s Ghosts available as a Book Club in a Bag which includes 10 copies as well as discussion questions and author information.

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Sign Language for Babies and Toddlers

Sign language as an effective way of communicating with your infant or toddler has been a widely discussed topic recently. If you are curious about the benefits or where to get started, we have the class for you!

Beginning on Tuesday, February 4 at 10:30am, Shyle Lyons of Small Talk Signing will be teaching a 4 week class for caregivers and their young ones ages 0-4. Shyle will be teaching many of the most helpful signs to begin using with your child. The classes will also include music, stories, and games to help reinforce the signs learned, as well as providing flash cards to reinforce learning at home. Parents, grandparents, caregivers and daycare providers will all take something away from this class!

There is a limit of 15 children for this class (2 children per caregiver please). We ask that you pre-register by calling the Youth Services desk 616.846.5770 ext. 134 or stopping by to sign up.