The library will be closed for the holiday.

• Fri, Dec 24^th, Christmas Eve
• Sat, Dec 25^th, Christmas Day
• Sat, Jan 1^st, New Year's Day

There will be no story times the last two weeks of December. See you in January!

Join Marcheta Gibson at the library to learn how to make beautiful holiday bows. Ms. Gibson will demonstrate how to make bows for wreaths as well as provide unique ideas for gift wrapping. Registration is required. There is a $5 material fee. Ribbon will be provided during the workshop for registrants. If, however, you have ribbon already for a project at home, please don't hesitate to bring it. Struggling decorating a present? Bring it for one-on-one gift-wrapping advice! Sat, Dec 11^th, 10-Noon.

The library is closed because of the weather. I (the computer guy) personally rather like going out in the snow, but apparently some people feel somewhat differently about this.

• Tue, Feb 1^st at 4pm
• Wed, Feb 2^nd, All Day
• Fri, Feb 25^th

Reading to a completely non-judgmental audience calms children so they can practice, gain confidence, and improve their skill in a relaxing environment. Come meet Joyce and her trained and certified therapy dog Griff, who will read with students from 5-6pm on Wednesdays. Parents can sign their children up for a ten-minute session of reading with Griff. Call and speak with the Children's Room staff.

Join Rachel Mendell in the 3rd of 4 writing workshops that will be held at the Galion Public Library. Her 3rd workshop will focus on creating your own character. Writers will create their own character and work with other writers to create a plot within the confines of a predetermined setting, time frame and genre. As the creating process progresses, setting/time/genre alter to allow for the quirks of the characters and character interplay. Please call 419-468-3203 to register. Sat, Mar 5^th, 1-3pm.

• Thu, Dec 2^nd, 6:30-8:15pm
• Thu, Dec 16^th, 6:30-8:15pm

Anime, manga, writing, cosplay, and all things Japanese.

• Mon, Dec 6^th, 6:30-8:15pm

Join us for our annual holiday open house. Enjoy the sights and sounds of the holidays! There will be a gingerbread house contest, musical performances, children's activities, carriage rides, and so much more.

Holiday Music Schedule

1:00 - 1:30	Good Company (Barbershop Quartet)
1:30 - 2:00	ShowTunes (High School Show Choir)
2:00 - 2:30	Rinehart Family
2:30 - 3:00	Kayla Duryea

Sat, Dec 4^th, 1-3pm.

Join us for anime, manga, writing, cosplay, and Japanese culture.

• Mon, Jan 3^rd, 6:30-8:15pm
• Mon, Feb 7^th, 6:30-8:15pm
• Mon, Mar 7^th, 6:30-8:15pm
• Mon, Apr 4^th, 6:30-8:15pm
• Mon, May 2^nd, 6:30-8:15pm

This game of kings is one of our most popular ongoing programs for young people. Whether you're learning to play for the first time, improving your strategy, or testing your advanced skills against other players, you're bound to have a great time with this classic. For grades 6-12. No registration required: just come and play.

• Thu, Jan 13^th, 6-8:15pm
• Thu, Jan 27^th, 6-8:15pm
• Thu, Feb 10^th, 6-8:15pm
• Thu, Feb 24^th, 6-8:15pm
• Thu, Mar 10^th, 6-8:15pm
• Thu, Mar 24^th, 6-8:15pm
• Thu, Apr 14^th, 6-8:15pm
• Thu, Apr 28^th, 6-8:15pm
• Thu, May 12^th, 6-8:15pm
• Thu, May 26^th, 6-8:15pm

Teens, gather at 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. For grades 7-12. Registration is required: call or stop by the main desk. Refreshments will be served. Fri, Jan 14^th, 7-10pm.

The holidays are a busy time for everyone. It is also a time that the Red Cross realizes a decline in blood donations. Please remember others in need. Donation only takes a short amount of time, but makes a huge difference in many lives! Please call 419-468-3203 to sign up for your preferred time. Tue, Dec 28^th, Noon-6pm.

Join us for a party celebrating man's best friend: dogs! We'll have stories, crafts, and games. Meet Joyce and her therapy dog, Griff. For grades K-2. Refreshments will be provided. This program is free, but sign-up is required. Sat, Jan 15^th, 2-3:30pm.

Play our life-sized Bookopoly game. Answer trivia questions and perform physical challenges to win! For grades 3-6. Refreshments will be served. This program is free, but registration is required. Sign up now! Sat, Jan 22^nd, 2-4pm.

Preschool story times are Tuesdays at 6:30pm and Wednesdays at 10:30am. Join us in the Community Room at the library for stories, crafts, games, and fun.

Do you have a new Digital Camera? Not sure how to use it? Want to take the best pictures possible? Bring your camera and the manual to the library to learn all there is to know! Local photographer, Marcheta Gibson, will aid you in getting acquainted with your camera to have it work for you! This class will offer plenty of one-on-one assistance. Registration is required! Please call 419-468-3203 to register. Sat, Jan 8^th, 10-11am and Sat, Jan 22^nd, 10-11am.

Join Deb Jeffers and friends in the Ohio Room for one-on-one assistance with all the Ohio Room resources. Are you stuck tracing your Genealogy? Don't know how to get started? The Galion Public Library has great resources in the Ohio Room! Please bring your current Genealogy Project and any questions you have. The experts will be there to help! Wed, Jan 12^th, 1-3pm.

Do you have a digital camera? Do you only know how to point and shoot? Do you envision taking better pictures? This is the class for you! Bring your camera and your manual and come to the library! Join local photographer, Marcheta Gibson, for this 1 hour workshop. Ms. Gibson will teach you how to change the ISO settings, create better balance, photo editing and SO MUCH MORE. Registration is required! Please call 419-468-3203 to register. Sat, Jan 15^th, 10-11am.

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.

DUE TO POPULAR DEMAND - 2nd BEGINNERS CLASS SCHEDULED. Do you have a new Digital Camera? Not sure how to use it? Want to take the best pictures possible? Bring your camera and the manual to the library to learn all there is to know! Local photographer, Marcheta Gibson, will aid you in getting acquainted with your camera to have it work for you! This class will offer plenty of one-on-one assistance. Registration is required! Please call 419-468-3203 to register. Sat, Jan 22^nd, 10-Noon.

Grades K-2, come play our life-sized board game. Travel the Rainbow Path and make your way to the Candy Castle. Meet your favorite Candyland characters, and collect some sweet treats along the way. This program is free, but registration is required. Sat, Feb 5^th, 2-3:30pm.

We've scheduled computer classes for February and March. Classes on the docket this season include basic internet, basic Windows, and basic and intermediate word processing. See the schedule for details. All classes are $2 per person per class, payable when you sign up to reserve your seat. There's also a waiting list you can sign up for if you want a class that's not offered this time. Stop by the library desk and sign up today.

We'll meet at the library and discuss the book. See here for a list of recent and upcoming titles and other details.

• Thu, Dec 2^nd at 6:30pm, The Testament, by John Grisham
• Thu, Feb 3^rd at 6:30pm, Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man, by Fannie Flagg
• Thu, Mar 3^rd at 6:30pm, One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
• Thu, Apr 7^th at 6:30pm, Assassination Vacation, by Sarah Vowell

Come celebrate the best part of Valentine's Day: the chocolate! Answer chocolate trivia, participate in the Chocolate Olympics, and make a sweet treat for your valentine. For grades 7-12. Registration is required. Mon, Feb 14^th, 6:30-8:15pm.

Join writer Rachel Mendell in the 2nd of 4 workshops that will be held at the Galion Public Library. Her 2nd workshop will focus on creating raw material for poems, stories, and memoirs. Infuse new life into a lagging project by using all the senses. Use sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, the sixth sense of the muse and the seventh sense of randomness to open up new areas in the locked up closets of your mind. Please call 419-468-3203 to register. Wed, Feb 16^th, 6:30-8pm.

Experiments, activities, and games for all things yucky and disgusting. For grades 3-6. This program is free, but registration is required. Sign up now! Sat, Mar 19^th, 2-4pm.

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

• Tue, Mar 1^st at 8:45am
• Tue, Apr 5^th at 8:45am
• Tue, May 3^rd at 8:45am
• Tue, Jun 7^th at 8:45am
• Tue, Jul 5^th at 8:45am
• Tue, Aug 2^nd at 8:45am
• Tue, Sep 6^th at 8:45am
• Fri, Oct 7^th at 8:45am
• Mon, Oct 31^st at 8:45am, November Meeting a day early
• Tue, Dec 6^th at 8:45am

Join Rachel Mendell in the 1st of 4 writing workshops that will be held at the Galion Public Library. This workshop will focus on how to create your raw material by unchaining your creator self from your editor self. This will be done through several 5-10 minute writing exercises. Create short fiction, resurrect forgotten memories, start a new project and allow your mind to surprise you. Please call 419-468-3203 to register. Wed, Mar 2^nd, 6:30-8pm.

Test your chess skills in our four-round Swiss System tournament. There are no eliminations! Points are assigned for each win, lose, or draw, and the highest score wins. Participation prizes and prizes for the top three competitors will be awarded. Refreshments will be served. Registration is required. Sat, Mar 26^th, Noon-5pm.

Ann Browning, local Galion author, will be at the library to read from and share her self-published book, Six Days Till Sunday: Inspiration for the other 313 Days. Copies of Ms. Browning's book will be available for purchase. Ms. Browning will also be signing books. Please join us for an evening of inspiration. Refreshments will be served. Thu, Mar 3^rd, 6:30-8pm.

We've all been trapped indoors for months. We've all been brushing up on our Wii Bowling skills, come to the library to show what you've learned in our 1st Wii Bowling Tournament. Register as a Doubles Team or a Single Player. Have fun either way! The tournament will be double elimination. The top 2 Doubles Teams and top 4 Singles players will advance to the finals. Prizes will be awarded for the top doubles team and top singles player. Participation prizes will also be awarded. Limited spots available. Call 419-468-3203 to register. Sat, Mar 12^th, 2-4:30pm.

Join local writer Rachel Mendell in her 4th writing workshop held at the Galion Public Library. Her final workshop will focus on poetry. Writers will try their hand at many different types of poems and poetic forms using a variety of activities. This workshop will prepare those attending for the Annual Poetry Contest held at the Galion Public Library. The Poetry Contest will be held in April. Please all 419-468-3203 to register for the workshop. Wed, Mar 16^th, 6:30-8pm.

The Galion Public Library Association meets annually at the library. Mon, Apr 11^th at 7pm.

Want to know about prehistoric animals that once roamed Crawford County? Join Crawford County Park District experts, Bill Fisher and Josh Dyer, as they discuss mastodon finds in Crawford County dating back to 1834. Wed, Feb 23^rd at 6:30pm and Mon, Apr 25^th at 6:30pm.

This 2-hour workshop is designed for those with little (people who have never done much more than doodling) to no experience in drawing. Carol Kable will lead this workshop; the emphasis will be on drawing principles and practices. Participants should bring a sketchbook or pad of white paper (9x12) and several pencils. Wed, Apr 6^th, 6-8pm.

The Galion Public Library is holding our 2nd Annual Poetry Contest in honor of National Poetry Month and National Library Week. We encourage those 18 years and older to submit an original poem for this growing contest. Poetry Contest Rules: 1) Poets must submit original poems, 2) Poets must be 18 years or older, 3) Poets can submit a maximum of 2 poems, 4) Poems can not exceed one 8 1/2 x 11 page. You can download a copy of the entry form here. Winners will be announced by Monday, April 25^th. Prizes will be awarded for 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd place poems. Winning poems will also be displayed on the Galion Public Library website during the month of May.

• Fri, Apr 15^th, All poems must be submitted by 6:00pm

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 Friday, April 15th! We look forward to seeing you there. Fri, Apr 15^th.

Once again the Friends of the Library will raffle off a beautiful quilt in honor of Mother's Day. A larger photo of the quilt is available in our photo gallery.

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