Library Corner: Goodall

by Goodall Library Staff

Recent Successes:

• Switch to Minerva: In December, the library switched over to a new catalog system and joined the Minerva Maine consortium. This means that Goodall is now connected to over 70 other libraries in the state, so you can get more materials than ever even more quickly than ever before! Visit searchminerva.maine.edu to see for yourself.
• Bucket Filler Bingo: Also in December, we hosted a bucket filler bingo challenge, where participants (mostly kids) could perform acts of kindness during the holiday season and earn prizes for doing so. If they filled enough of other people’s internal buckets with kindness, by filling their whole bingo board, they got to choose a special gift that Goodall Library would donate on their behalf to another nonprofit in town. About 20 people participated, and 8 filled their whole board! The library will be distributing these donations this month – they include book donations to local elementary schools, puzzle donations to Mayflower Place, food donations to the Sanford Food Pantry, and additional animal food donations to Safe Haven Humane Society and the Animal Welfare Society. Thank you so much to all who participated and made a difference!
• A Child’s Christmas at Goodall: Despite being postponed due to weather, our Child’s Christmas event went beautifully! Kids and their families enjoyed a group story, painted holiday ornaments, ate some yummy snacks, and had fun connecting and crafting together. Some of Goodall’s sleds were checked out, too! 
• Partnership with Headstart: At the start of the year, our Youth Services Librarian Miss Nicole began a partnership with a Head Start class at YCAC run by Carrie Jensen. Every month during 2022, Miss Nicole will be reading a virtual story for the Head Start students (sometimes with help from her bunnies and cats at home!). This includes a discussion after the story that facilitates critical thinking and engagement.

Upcoming Programs/Events:

• Please note: Goodall Library will be closed on Monday Jan 17th in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
• Tuesday Jan 18th @ 3:30pm: Chewonki Presents: Mammals of Maine. This exciting and interactive program introduces children to Maine mammals. It is an in-person program (masks required) where they will study animal bones, fur, adaptations, habitats, sounds, and more. At the end of the hour they will get to interact with and learn about a live wild Maine mammal! Recommended for ages 5 – 12. Limited slots available, sign-ups required.
• Monday Jan 25th @ 5:00pm – 7:00pm: Board Game Night. All ages welcome – children, teens, adults. Drop in and enjoy one of our many board games/card games in the library’s Community Room, or bring your own. Free snacks provided. Masks required. Games we have include Battleship, Candyland, Uno, Monopoly, Sorry Disney Edition, Exploding Kittens, Chess, Checkers, and more. 
• Ongoing until February 26th: Winter Reading Program. Our Winter Reading Program began on December 18th, but you can join in and start tracking the books you’re enjoying any time. There is a program for ages 0 – 12 and one for ages 13 – adult. Earn prizes as you go; final prize is a free book or movie. Bonus prizes awarded for participating in special winter activities. Download the free Beanstack app and search for Goodall Library, or visit lbgoodall.beanstack.org. Paper logs available at the library as well.

New Books:

• Adult Fiction: The Maid: A Novel by Nita Prose (Good Morning America Book Club pick). Molly Gray is a hotel maid who is excellent at her job but not as excellent at socializing and interpreting the world. When she finds a wealthy man dead in his room and suddenly becomes the authorities’ number one suspect, she has to connect with others to unlock clues to solve the mystery and find the true criminal. 
• Adult Nonfiction: Wish It Lasted Forever: Life with the Larry Bird Celtics by Dan Shaughnessy. Get your March Madness on with this nostalgic look back on an iconic time in basketball. Written by the former beat reporter for the Boston Globe who traveled with the Celtics during the ’80s, this is a super fun and informative read filled with stories that have never been told before. 
• Young Adult: The Prison Healer by Lynette Noni. An excellent choice for fans of fantasy and Sarah J. Maas, this novel is the first in a new trilogy that is dark and thrilling. It tells the story of 17-year-old Kiva Meridan, who has spent the last decade fighting for survival in a death prison as its healer. When the Rebel Queen is captured, Kiva is tasked with keeping her alive long enough to undergo her punishment: The Trial of Ordeals. After receiving a coded message, Kiva volunteers to take the queen’s place. If she succeeds, she and the queen will go free. But there is just one problem: No one has ever survived the trials. 
• Children’s: The Smart Cookie by Jory John and Pete Oswald. From the writers of The Cool Bean, The Couch Potato, and The Bad Seed comes this creative new story about a cookie who has never felt smart compared to the other bakery foods no matter how hard she tries. In her quest to discover more about her own intelligence, readers get plenty of laughs and lessons, and ultimately learn a lot about what it really means to be a “smart cookie.”