Blaine County Library

Thanks to everyone who stopped in during National Library Week! National Library Week is a time to celebrate our nation's libraries, library workers' contributions and promote library use and support. Winners of the book bags were Benson Acosta, Maysen Olson, and Tristan Fultz. Winners of the Rad’s gift certificates were Irene Wendeln and Savannah Brown. Winners of the Creamery gift certificates were Kiley and Mariah Huravitch. Congratulations to the winners of our drawings.

There will not be LEGO Club on Thursday and the library will be closed Friday, so staff can attend Montan Library Association Conference. We apologize for any inconvenience.

April is National Garden Month and Autism Awareness Month. The display table is full of a wide variety of gardening and landscaping books to choose from. We also have a selection of books to improve your awareness of autism, many of which have been purchased recently.

We would like to remind patrons about MontanaLibrary2Go. MontanaLibrary2Go is a consortium service that offers circulating downloadable digital e-books and audiobooks to patrons at participating libraries. MontanaLibrary2Go offers a collection of over 25,000 contemporary, classic, and bestseller downloadable and streaming audiobooks and e-books (books in electronic, or digital, format) to patrons of participating Montana public, tribal, and academic libraries. Recently 2,379 downloadable magazines were added to MontanaLibrary2Go. You need to be a patron of a participating library and be in good standing to use MontanaLibrary2Go. Blaine County Library is a participating library. If you need to learn how to access MontnaLibrary2Go, just give us a call and we can walk you through the process. If you need in-person help with your device, we can do that too!

We have 5 new DVDs ready for checkout, including a new Backroads of Montana. In Episode 47 Hidden Treasures, you will meet a Fort Benton mother and daughter teaming up to spread random acts of kindness, learn the history of the “Pink Church” near Harlem, follow a historian and an archeologist as they search for the long-forgotten Taft Cemetery, watch a father and son duo with a passion for gem cutting search for Montana sapphires near Helena and several other stops around the state. Backroads is funded by grants from the Greater Montana Foundation, Travel Montana, and the University of Montana. Other DVDs ready to go are News of the World, Soul, Earwig and the Witch, and Wonder Woman 1984.

Staff is planning the Summer Reading Program. We will continue the in-person programs we have been doing during the school year, including Hangout for 7th & 8th grade and 5th & 6th grade, Story Time for kids 6 and under, LEGO/STEAM Club, and Story Time at the local Day Cares. We will do Story Walks and take and Make crafts at the Meadowlark twice a week during the lunch pick up again this year. We have some other fun programs that we are currently planning, and we will have more information about the Summer Reading Program in the coming weeks.

After School Hangout for grades 7 and 8 is on Mondays at 3:30. Story Time for ages 6 and under is Tuesdays at 10:30. After School Hangout for grades 5 and 6 is Tuesdays at 3:30. LEGO Club for grades Kindergarten and up is Thursdays at 3:30. Masks are still required for anyone age 5 and over during all programs. Hand washing will be required upon entering the building. There will be social distancing where applicable. There will be no food or drinks during programs.

We have 2 iPads available for checkout for a 14-day checkout, and 3 WiFi hotspots.

Blaine County Library is still following CDC guidelines for preventing the spread of COVID. We are currently under a mask mandate implemented by the Blaine County Commissioners after the Governor lifted the statewide mandate. The library’s Pandemic/Epidemic Policy gives the library board the authority to continue requiring masks, handwashing and social distancing until the CDC no longer recommends those measures to prevent the spread of COVID, and the library will be following that policy.