Dare County Library December 2024 Newsletter

This December finds us at the end of another outstanding year for our Dare County Libraries and the wonderful patrons who support us year-round.

We experienced a lot of changes this year with the introduction of new eBook and streaming apps, an expanded Library of Things collection, a few new faces at our front desks and some updated technologies in our three locations. Thanks to our generous donors, we continue to be able to offer a free community Summer Reading Program for children and adults, new furniture and fixtures, additional programs for all ages, and—the beating heart of a library—a great depth and range of reading materials in print and through our apps. 

Many of you have reached out to me this past year to share your ideas, views and suggestions on how we are doing, and from these thoughtful conversations we have made adjustments, small and large, to aspects of our libraries that we hope have enhanced the experiences of all of our patrons. I encourage open communication and hope to hear from more of our community members in the coming year about the ways we might be able to grow and better serve your needs. 

Our 22-member staff consists of librarians, library assistants, catalogers, children’s librarians and a bookkeeper who give their best each and every day to keep us running smoothly. Most of you know these exceptional people and their dedication to our patrons, visitors and community; I continue to be humbled by their excellence and the gift of working amongst them everyday. 

Thank you, Dare County Library Newsletter readers, for your support. On behalf of the Dare County Library, I wish you all a very Happy New Year and a fortunate 2025. 

Sincerely, 

Meaghan Leenaarts Beasley, Dare County Librarian 

When:
Wednesday, December 4, 2024
10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Where:
Fessenden Center Annex
47017 Buxton Back Road, Buxton, NC 27920

Join us for this free event, which is open to the public. Outer Banks Health will offer free flu vaccines and wellness screenings, including checking blood pressure, heart rate, cholesterol and blood sugar, on the Outer Banks Health Coach. The Dare County Sheriff’s Office will host a medication drop-off, and Beach Food Pantry will provide fresh foods. Speak with local nonprofits and agencies that focus on creating a healthy Outer Banks and other local resources. Questions? Call 252-449-4529.

Hatteras Library Branch Manager Michelle Lord is taking her library on the road again! She'll have books to check out, library card applications and lots of great information.

We’re making holiday cards!   

Kill Devil Hills Library:
Thursday, December 12, 2024
Floating from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Manteo Library:
Monday, December 16, 2024
Floating from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

All supplies are provided for this free, drop-in event. Cards will be delivered to local nursing homes and Meals on Wheels recipients.

Where:
Kill Devil Hills Library Meeting Room and Parking Lot 

When:
Wednesday, December 18, 2024 from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Rain date is Thursday, December 19, 2024 from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. 

Who:
Everyone! This is an all ages event. 

Join us for another fun and educational star-gazing event! Local educator Rhana Paris will host an information session in the Kill Devil Hills meeting room beginning at 5 p.m. She'll cover astronomy basics, telescope usage and dark sky initiatives. 

Next, we'll take it to the parking lot where Rhana and the OBX Astronomy Club will help attendees locate night sky objects using telescopes on premises. Stars, planets, meteors, who knows what we'll see! Have your own telescope or night sky photography equipment? Please bring them. All sky gazers are welcome. 

Learn more about the Library Telescope Program and the Dare County Library Telescope available for checkout.

It’s the season to curl up with a new book, tune into one of our live online author conversations, or dive into the archive of past recordings. 

Unearthed: Exploring the Smithsonian National Gem Collection with Dr. Jeffrey Post, Wednesday, December 4, 2024 at 2 p.m.

Join us for an absolutely dazzling presentation with the emeritus curator of the Smithsonian's National Gem Collection, Dr. Jeffrey E. Post, as he talks about the Smithsonian National Gem Collection Unearthed: Surprising Stories Behind the Jewels.

Laura Dave, On Pulse-Pounding, Family Driven Mysteries, Wednesday, December 11, 2024 at 2 p.m.

Join us for a captivating conversation with #1 New York Times bestselling author of "The Last Thing He Told Me," Laura Dave, as she chats with us online about her newest book, "The Night We Lost Him." 

"The Night We Lost Him" focuses on estranged siblings who discover their father has been keeping a secret for over fifty years, one that may have been fatal...

Register at Libraryc.org/DareLibrary to attend the live event, send your questions in advance or go back and watch a program later. 

This new feature was made possible thanks to funding provided by the Dare County Library Foundation. 

The Dare County Library offers great two knitting and crochet groups that meet monthly. These are free, in-person events that are open to all skill levels. No registration is necessary; just show up! 

Kill Devil Hills Library:
Knit Knights
First and Third Tuesday of each month
Tuesday, December 3, 2024 and Tuesday, December 17, 2024 from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. 

Hatteras Library:
Yarn Storming
Second Friday of each month
Friday, December 13, 2024 from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.

The Dare County Extension Master Gardeners Winter Speakers Bureau Series resumes in January. Mark your calendars for these upcoming dates, all on Wednesdays! Click each link to register to attend either
in-person or virtually via Zoom.

January 15: Plants that Survive & Thrive on the Outer Banks 2025

January 29: House Plants - Gardening in the Great INDOORS (New)

February 12: No Mow Lawns (New)

March 5: Drought Tolerant Plants

March 12: Traditional vs. Organic Vegetable Gardening (New)

March 26: Gardening with Deer (Updated)

The programs will be held at the Kill Devil Hills Library meeting room and virtually via Zoom from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. Registration is required.  

Click the links below for calendars to see Storytime themes and special events, such as the Manteo Library's Hooked on Books programs and the Kill Devil Hills Library's Hooked on Books Book Club. 

For more information, please contact our children's librarians: 

Kill Devil Hills Library:
Donna Roark: 252-441-4331, Donna.Roark@DareNC.gov

Manteo Library and Hatteras Library:
Tammy Batschelet: 252-473-2372, Tammy.Batschelet@DareNC.gov

When:
Monday, December 9, 2024 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Where:
Kill Devil Hills Library, 400 Mustian Street, Kill Devil Hills, NC

Join Miss Donna and Santa for a jolly good time! Take a family picture with Santa and give him your letter, then craft and decorate a cookie with Miss Donna. This is a free, all ages event. We "ho-ho-hope" to see you there!

When:
Tuesday, December 10, 2024 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Where:
Manteo Library, 700 Highway 64, Manteo, NC

Join us for fun for families, including cookie decorating, visits with Santa, stories and fun things to create all at the Manteo Library! Bring your camera and the family and celebrate Christmas with the Manteo Library! 

When:
Thursday, December 19, 2024 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Where:
Hatteras Library, 57689 N.C. Highway 12, Hatteras, NC

Fun for the whole family! There will be snow, pizza, cookie decorating, Santa and a model train. Create unique "potions" (children's drinks) and fun treats for a magical family experience.

While schools are out of session or you are out of town this holiday season, keep your kids, grandkids, teens and more entertained with our online reading and streaming options.

hoopla Digital: Streaming eBooks, audiobooks, TV, movies, music and comics set to "Kids Mode." 

NCKids: eBooks and audiobooks for children through 4th grade, via the Libby app. 

NCKids Level Up: eBooks and audiobooks for kids in grades 5-12 via the Libby app. 

Library Speakers Consortium: Watch an author talk from children's authors Kate DiCamillo, Dan Santat, Max Brallier and more! 

Udemy: Learn a new language or try some programming classes. This platform is great for teens.

Give us a call for assistance in looking up your library card number and PIN, if you need them. Additionally, we can help with downloading apps and registering for these resources. 

When:
Mondays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 10:20 a.m. (Beginning January 13, 2025)

Where:
Kill Devil Hills Library

Who:
Lapsit Storytime is for babies to 23 months

Enjoy some fun and educational time with your little one at the new Lapsit Storytime at the Kill Devil Hills Library beginning January 13, 2025.

For babies up to 23 months and their caregivers, this 20-minute program will have you rhyming, singing, moving, and having lots of fun in the library!

***The Kill Devil Hills Library 2 year-old storytime will run from 10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. beginning January 13, 2024.***

The Kill Devil Hills Library's Hooked on Books Book Club has chosen the book for the club's January meeting, which will take place at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, January 15, 2025 in the Kill Devil Hills Library meeting room. The book club is open to all students in grades 3-12, and anyone is welcome to attend and pick up a copy of the book to read at the meeting. 

January 15, 2025 Meeting Book:
"The Secret Zoo" by Bryan Chick

A copy can be checked out at the January 15 meeting or at the front desk for those who are unable to attend the meeting. The group will have a month to read the book and return on Wednesday, February 19, 2025 for a trivia game!

"Air" by Monica Roe

"Air" by Monica Roe has been nominated by kids in North Carolina for the 2025 North Carolina Children’s Book Award. Kids who read at least three books from the list of nominees can vote on their favorite in March. Sorry, grownups, only kids are eligible to vote for this award, but anyone can read the excellent books on the nomination list!

"Air" tells the story of 12-year-old Em who is in 7th grade and uses a wheelchair to get around. She lives in rural South Carolina and she wants to do WCMX but needs the right wheelchair to participate. Em is on her way to achieving her goal, earning money through her online business making and selling customized book bags that can attach to a wheelchair or walker. After a wipeout on one of the school’s poorly designed ramps, it is decided that Em needs a full-time aide to help her. Instead of replacing the ramp, the school launches a public fundraiser to buy a new wheelchair for Em. How can Em show gratitude for her community but also make sure that the choices in her life are hers to make?

I wasn’t sure that I would enjoy this book when I first saw it, but Em’s courageous character grabbed my attention right from the beginning. The author is a pediatric physical therapist who really captures Em’s spirit and makes you think. It’s worth reading this book to find out how Em takes control and “stands” up for herself.

– Julie Stewart, Library Assistant

December Featured Title: "The Frozen River" by Ariel Lawhon

Maine, 1789: When the Kennebec River freezes, entombing a man in the ice, Martha Ballard is summoned to examine the body and determine cause of death. As a midwife and healer, she is privy to much of what goes on behind closed doors in Hallowell. Her diary is a record of every birth and death, crime and debacle that unfolds in the close-knit community. Months earlier, Martha documented the details of an alleged rape committed by two of the town's most respected gentlemen--one of whom has now been found dead in the ice. But when a local physician undermines her conclusion, declaring the death to be an accident, Martha is forced to investigate the shocking murder on her own.

Over the course of one winter, as the trial nears and whispers and prejudices mount, Martha doggedly pursues the truth. Her diary soon lands at the center of the scandal, implicating those she loves and compelling Martha to decide where her own loyalties lie.

Clever, layered and subversive, Ariel Lawhon's newest offering introduces an unsung heroine who refused to accept anything less than justice at a time when women were considered best seen and not heard. "The Frozen River" is a thrilling, tense and tender story about a remarkable woman who left an unparalleled legacy yet remains nearly forgotten to this day.

Join us for this free event, which is open to the public.

Speak with local nonprofits and agencies that focus on creating a healthy Outer Banks and other local resources. The Buxton Community Health Fair will include:

• The Dare County Sheriff’s Office will host a medication drop-off
• Saving Lives Task Force
• Beach Food Pantry will provide fresh foods
• Outer Banks Health will offer free flu vaccines (age 18-64) and A1C (blood sugar) on the Outer Banks Health Coach
• Dementia Friendly Coalition
• Community Care Clinic providing wellness screenings (cholesterol)
• Hatteras Library
• Children & Youth Partnership for Dare County
• Social Services Hatteras

When:
Wednesday, December 4, 2024 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Where:
Fessenden Center Annex
47017 Buxton Back Road, Buxton, NC 27920

Questions? Please call 252-449-4529.

Toys for Tots- Dare, Currituck and Camden counties is a unit of the Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Foundation. Through collection events, fundraising and donations, Toys for Tots collects and buys toys for newborns to children 16 years of age. 

A donation box is located at the front desk of the Kill Devil Hills Library from November 1, 2024 to December 7, 2024. Last year, Toys for Tots distributed 5,188 toys to 830 local children. 

Follow the organization on Facebook at Northeastern North Carolina Toys for Tots or on Instagram at @toysfortotsdarecurritucknc.