The Friends of the Library meets at the library on the first Tuesday each month.

• Tue, Dec 6^th at 8:45am

Our annual Gingerbread House contest is back! Gingerbread houses this year can be constructed out of any edible ingredient (not only from gingerbread). Entries will be judged in three categories: 12 and under, 13 and up, and groups. In addition to the first and second place prizes for each age group, we will also be having a grand prize for Best in Show. Gingerbread houses should be brought to the library during the week of November 28^th. Your creation will be put on display at the library. Patrons will be encouraged to visit the library and vote for their favorite house during the week. Judging will take place on December 3^rd. Contestants do not need to be present to win. Sat, Dec 3^rd.

The board meets at the library at 4pm on the third Monday of each month.

Get hands-on experience using Windows 7 to manage tasks on the computer. Start programs, switch between windows, minimize, maximize, resize, customize, and more. Mon, Jan 30^th, 5:30-8pm.

The library will be closed in observance of the holiday.

• Sat, Dec 24^th, Christmas Eve
• Mon, Dec 26^th, Closed for Christmas
• Mon, Jan 2^nd, Closed for New Year's
• Mon, May 28^th, Memorial Day
• Wed, Jul 4^th, Independence Day
• Mon, Sep 3^rd, Labour Day
• Thu, Nov 22^nd, Thanksgiving Day
• Fri, Nov 23^rd, Day After Thanksgiving
• Mon, Dec 24^th, Christmas Eve
• Tue, Dec 25^th, Christmas Day
• Tue, Jan 1^st, Closed for the New Year

Come out of the cold and get some FREE Dunkin Donuts Coffee! The free coffee is yours as a thank you for your blood donation to the American Red Cross. Come make the holiday a little brighter for someone in need! Wed, Dec 28^th, Noon-6pm.

Come to the library for an afternoon of Superhero Science. Come find out how Magneto controls metal objects, how Storm flies, and more. Test your own Superhero abilities. We'll also have Superhero crafts and games and a Superhero snack. There is no charge for this event, but registration is required. For grades K-6. Sat, Jan 21^st, 2-4pm.

Listen to a Fancy Nancy Valentine story, make fancy Valentine crafts and jewelry, and enjoy a fancy tea party. For grades K-2. There is no charge for this event, but registration is required. Sat, Feb 4^th at 2pm.

Spend the afternoon enjoying chocolate themed crafts and games, and create some chocolate treats of your own to take home. For grades 3-6. Call or visit the children's room to sign up. Sat, Feb 18^th at 2pm.

Come celebrate the 108^th birthday of Dr. Seuss, as well as the opening of the new Seuss film The Lorax. All party goers can make a truffula tree and some gluppity-glup of their own to take home. Help us sing Happy Birthday and enjoy some birthday cake. For grades K-2. There is no charge for this event but registration is required. Sat, Mar 3^rd at 2pm.

For grades 3-6. Sat, Mar 17^th at 2pm.

Federal tax forms and state tax booklets are here now.

Do you have a Point and Shoot camera that you're not sure how to use? Join photography expert, Marcheta Gibson, for her get-to-know-your-camera class. Bring your camera and your manual in order to take full advantage of her expertise. Registration for this event is closed, because the class is full. Sat, Jan 7^th, 10-Noon and Sat, Mar 3^rd, 10-Noon.

Do you have an SLR camera that you're not sure how to use? Join photography expert, Marcheta Gibson, for her get-to-know-your-camera class. Bring your camera and your manual in order to take full advantage of her expertise. Sat, Jan 14^th, 10-Noon.

Join us Tuesdays at 6:30pm for stories, crafts, and lots of fun.

• Tue, Dec 6^th at 6:30pm, Deck the Halls
• Tue, Dec 13^th at 6:30pm, Merry Christmas
• Tue, Jan 17^th at 6:30pm, Storytime Resumes for 2012
• Tue, Jan 24^th at 6:30pm
• Tue, Jan 31^st at 6:30pm
• Tue, Feb 7^th at 6:30pm
• Tue, Feb 14^th at 6:30pm
• Tue, Feb 21^st at 6:30pm
• Tue, Feb 28^th at 6:30pm
• Tue, Mar 6^th at 6:30pm, Windy Days
• Tue, Mar 13^th at 6:30pm, Everything Green
• Tue, Mar 20^th at 6:30pm, Spring
• Tue, Mar 27^th at 6:30pm, Out Like A Lamb
• Tue, Apr 3^rd at 6:30pm, Easter
• Tue, Apr 10^th at 6:30pm, Rainbows
• Tue, Apr 17^th at 6:30pm, Spring Garden
• Tue, Apr 24^th at 6:30pm, All About Trees
• Tue, May 1^st at 6:30pm
• Tue, May 8^th at 6:30pm
• Tue, May 15^th at 6:30pm
• Tue, May 22^nd at 6:30pm
• Tue, May 29^th at 6:30pm

Join us Wednesdays at 10:30am for stories, crafts, and lots of fun.

• Wed, Dec 7^th at 10:30am, Mail
• Wed, Dec 14^th at 10:30am, Merry Christmas
• Wed, Jan 18^th at 10:30am, Storytime Resumes for 2012
• Wed, Jan 25^th at 10:30am
• Wed, Feb 1^st at 10:30am
• Wed, Feb 8^th at 10:30am
• Wed, Feb 15^th at 10:30am
• Wed, Feb 22^nd at 10:30am
• Wed, Feb 29^th at 10:30am
• Wed, Mar 7^th at 10:30am, In Like a Lion
• Wed, Mar 14^th at 10:30am, St. Patrick's Day
• Wed, Mar 21^st at 10:30am, Spring Flowers
• Wed, Mar 28^th at 10:30am, Rabbits
• Wed, Apr 4^th at 10:30am, Happy Easter
• Wed, Apr 11^th at 10:30am, April Showers
• Wed, Apr 18^th at 10:30am, Cows
• Wed, Apr 25^th at 10:30am, All About Trees
• Wed, May 2^nd at 10:30am
• Wed, May 9^th at 10:30am
• Wed, May 16^th at 10:30am
• Wed, May 23^rd at 10:30am
• Wed, May 30^th at 10:30am

Come to the library after hours for a night of gaming. Showplace Rent-to-Own will provide big screen TVs, and Stickman's will provide the games. We'll have some of your favorite games, as well as some new releases. Registration for this event is required and can be done by calling or stopping by the main desk at the library. Refreshments will be served. For grades 7-12. Fri, Jan 27^th, 7-10pm.

Discover the World of Tea through the teacup! In celebration of National Hot Tea Month, Lisa Belstein, owner of the Blueberry Patch, will lead a 1 hour tasting at the Galion Public Library. Learn about 4 different types of tea as she takes you on this fragrant journey through the teacup! This workshop is FREE, but registration is required. Call 419-468-3203 to register. Mon, Jan 23^rd, 6:30-7:30pm.

The Galion Public Library will be accepting non-perishable food products in lieu of cash for the payment of overdue fines during the month of February. All the collected food will be donated to a local food bank. Only overdue fines (not lost item charges or other fees) are eligible. Please donate an amount of food in keeping with the size of your fine, and remember that foods with expired use-by dates cannot be given to those in need.

• Wed, Feb 1^st, Food for Fines Starts
• Wed, Feb 29^th, Last Day for Food for Fines

Get hands-on experience using a computer to create documents. This course starts you out on the ground floor with word processing and will teach you to create documents, edit them, format them to look just like you want, copy and paste, insert pictures, and more. We have our laptop training lab now, so you'll have the chance to practice everything the instructor is doing on the big screen, following along at your own seat, using one of our laptops. Cost is $2 when you sign up. Mon, Feb 13^th, 5:30-8pm.

Join our lively book discussions. Contact Cyndi for details.

• Thu, Dec 1^st at 6:30pm, A Christmas Blizzard, by Garrison Keillor
• Thu, Feb 2^nd at 6:30pm, One Thousand White Women, by Jim Fergus

Want to learn more about buying and selling on eBay? eBay Education Specialist, Katie Hux, will be instructing this 3-hour course. Ms. Hux was trained by eBay University in 2006 and has been helping hundreds understand the ins and outs of eBay ever since. She will spend the first hour of this workshop teaching students about buying on eBay; the last 2 hours will focus on how to effectively market and sell your product. Topics include: techniques for selecting an item, writing an accurate description, taking the perfect photo, signing up for a Paypal account, learning various shipping methods and MORE. Registration is required. Sat, Feb 4^th, 9-Noon.

The Friends of the Library will be hosting their spring book sale. Proceeds will benefit the library. Fri, May 25^th, Thu, May 24^th, and Sat, May 26^th.

National Library Week this year will be April 8^th-14^th. We're planning food, games, prizes, and activities for everyone. Watch this space for details.

Local photography expert Marcheta Gibson will show you how to set up a scene with props, lighting, and people. Take those photos and turn them into a poster you design using Picasa software. You can either use your own digital camera and SD card, or borrow one of ours. There is no charge for this program, but registration is required. Thu, Mar 8^th, 6:30-8:15pm.

Test your wits, reflexes, and courage in our library tribute to the hottest book series of the year. There will be no fight to the death, but contestants will be assigned districts, draw their weapons from the cornucopia, and engage in battles that will test their wits, reflexes, and courage. Crafts, games, contests, refreshments, and door prizes will be provided. Registration is required. Fri, Mar 16^th, 7-10pm.

Area computer expert and instructor Jerry Francl will show us how to produce computer animation using the freely available "Scratch" programming environment, which can be used to make games and short animated films. Bring your own laptop or use one from the library's laptop training lab. This workshop lasts for two sessions, so you'll want to attend both. Space is limited, so registration is required. Thu, Mar 29^th, 6:30-8:15pm and Thu, Mar 22^nd, 6:30-8:15pm.

Who will be our next chess champ? Test your chess skills in our four-round Swiss-system tournament, with no eliminations. Points are assigned to each player's win, loss, or draw, and the player with the highest score wins. Participation prizes and prizes for the three highest scores will be awarded. Refreshments will be served. There is no cost to enter, but registration is required. Sat, Mar 24^th, Noon-5pm.

The Galion Public Library is once again honored to welcome Ken Hammontree of Living History Productions! In honor of President's Day and Washington's birthday, Ken will portray Washington in first person as a surveyor, a fearless explorer, a military soldier, and the first President of the United States. Call 419-468-3203 to register. Mon, Feb 20^th, 6:30-8pm.

Looking for something to do during these cold winter months? Has the competitive spirit gotten to you? Come to the library for our 2nd Annual Wii Bowling Tournament. All ages welcome! Those under 12 must to accompanied by an adult. Preliminary Rounds are double-elimination. The top 2 doubles team and top 4 single players will advance to the single-elimination finals. Participation prizes will be awarded as well as prizes for the finals winners. Limited spots available. Call 419-468-3203 to register. Sat, Feb 25^th, 1-3pm.

Attention young filmmakers: create and record a short (1-3 minute) book trailer for your favorite book and enter it into our contest. Finalists will be shown at our World Premiere program. Prizes will be awarded. Rules and details will be available at the main desk once the contest starts.

• Thu, Mar 1^st, Contest Begins
• Thu, Apr 26^th, World Premiere

March is Teen Tech Month. Geek out at the library.

The Morrow County Sheriff's Department will be here to tell us all about their K-9 unit and the work that they do. For grades K-6. Sign up now. Sat, Apr 21^st at 2pm.

Do you love free books and playing Bingo? Come on out, make new friends and win adult fiction and non-fiction books by playing Bingo. Everyone is welcome and it's FREE. Refreshments will be provided. Call 419-468-3203 to register. Mon, Mar 12^th, 10-11am.

Japanese culture, films, and manga. For teens in grades 7-12 only.

• Mon, Dec 5^th, 6:30-8:15pm
• Mon, Jan 9^th, 6:30-8:15pm
• Mon, Feb 6^th, 6:30-8:15pm
• Mon, Mar 5^th, 6:30-8:15pm
• Mon, Apr 9^th, 6:30-8:15pm
• Mon, May 7^th, 6:30-8:15pm, (Rescheduled)
• Mon, May 14^th, 6:30-8:15pm

The Galion Public Library Association meets annually at the library. Mon, Apr 9^th.

Only 38% of Americans are eligible to donate blood. Out of those, only 8% do. That amounts to about 3 out of every 100 people. Your donation makes a difference! To make a difference, schedule an appointment to donate blood at the Galion Public Library on Monday, April 2nd. We look forward to seeing you there! Mon, Apr 2^nd, Noon-6pm.

The Galion Public Library is holding our 3rd Annual Poetry Contest in honor of Poetry Month and National Library Week (April 8 - April 15). We encourage those 18 years and older to submit an original poem for this growing contest by Friday, April 13, 2012. All poems must be: 1) an original creation of the submitter, 2) typewritten, 3) no more than 40 lines in length, 4) never been published, 5) Poets will submit only one poem. Poems will be judged on thoughtfulness, grammar, tone, creativity, style and appearance. No additional artwork, please. Winners will be announced by Monday, April 23rd. Prizes will be awarded for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place poems. Winning poems will also be displayed at the library and on our website. You can download a copy of the entry form here.

• Fri, Apr 13^th, Poems must be submitted by 6pm.

The chess club is the longest-running teen program at the library. Whatever your skill level, join our ongoing ladder tournament and find out which rung you will dominate.

• Thu, Dec 1^st, 6-8:15pm
• Thu, Dec 15^th, 6-8:15pm
• Thu, Jan 5^th, 6-8:15pm
• Thu, Jan 19^th, 6-8:15pm
• Thu, Feb 2^nd, 6-8:15pm
• Thu, Feb 16^th, 6-8:15pm
• Thu, Mar 1^st, 6-8:15pm
• Thu, Mar 15^th, 6-8:15pm
• Thu, Apr 5^th, 6-8:15pm
• Thu, Apr 19^th, 6-8:15pm
• Thu, May 3^rd, 6-8:15pm
• Thu, May 17^th, 6-8:15pm

This local revolutionary war group will re-enact what life was like in 18th century America. Come learn about 18th century weapons, clothing and camplife. A highlight will be the portrayal of Dr. Knight as he informs us of the capture, torture and execution of Col. Crawford. Registration is required. Sat, Apr 28^th, 1-3pm.

Get hands-on experience using a web browser to find information on the internet. This course will start you off on the ground floor and rocket you into the online world. We can only take ten people for this class, so sign up now. $2 reserves your seat. Mon, Jan 16^th, 5:30-8pm.