Ukulele Classes in May & June

The Tampa Bay Ukulele Society will be hosting two beginner/advanced beginner workshops for adults and teens  in the upcoming weeks.

The first will be a Beginner Class on Tuesday, May 17th from 6:30 to 7:45 followed on Tuesday, June 14th by an Advanced Beginner Class from 6:30 to 7:45.

In the beginner workshop you will learn about different sizes of ukulele as well as how to hold, tune, strum & play a few chords. You'll learn to play two songs & receive information on where to go for further lessons.

If you have a ukulele, please bring it! TBUS will also have a limited number available to use during the workshops.

No registration is needed, but if you like you can pre-register at http://www.meetup.com/tampabayukes/

You can keep up with the TBUS on their website or Facebook page.

New Catalog System

Library Cooperative Moving to New Online Catalog and Checkout System

The Pinellas County Public Libraries are pleased to announce their change to a new online catalog effective Thursday, March 24, 2016. The new online catalog and checkout system, supported by SirsiDynix, will continue to provide many familiar features and will offer new options for member libraries.

This transition will take place from March 21 through March 24. Over these few days, access to the catalog and patron account information will be interrupted. Patrons will need their library cards in order to check out materials. Library staff will be unable to check in materials, place or fill holds, accept payments or renew materials.

Access to some of the libraries’ databases and electronic resources may also be interrupted during this period.

Loan periods for materials normally due during this period will automatically be extended, so patrons will be able to enjoy materials for a little longer than usual while library staff get up and running on the new system.

Links to the new catalog will be available on March 25; patrons who have saved a link to the current catalog on their personal devices will need to delete the old link and update it. Library patrons will keep their current library cards and passwords.  Patrons will be able to search the catalog, place requests, and enjoy full account access.

Please remember, the Oldsmar Library will be closed on March 25 as we train staff on using this new system.

If you have any questions regarding the transition to the new system, please contact the Library.

Oldsmar Book Display

Books & DVDS  about  Oldsmar, Pinellas County, the Tampa Bay area and Florida are available for check-out with your PPLC library card. The display is located in the Reference/Adult Services area of the library.

Find more books in our Florida Collection - located in non-fiction FL 001.9 - FL 976 and online from the Library's  History link  

Reference books are also available for use in the library only - please ask at the Reference help desk

Living to be 100

As part of our People's Centennial, Dr. Michael Turner of Conforti Chiropractic is presenting a series of monthly programs to help you live to reach your own centennial!

All programs will be in TECO Hall from 6:30 pm to 8 pm, and no registration is needed.  Here's a schedule:

• Thursday, March 10 - Topic:Nutrition
• Thursday, April 7 - Topic: Fitness
• Thursday, May 5 - Topic: Living to be 100

We hope you enjoy this series of programs to help you increase your health & longevity!

Familiar Faces in New Places at the Library

The start of the new year was also the start of a new direction for Library Director Roberta Weber, whose retirement began on January first. Children’s Librarian Susan Hurley, who began working at the Oldsmar Library in 2004 as a Library Assistant in Circulation, is now the new Library Director. 

Taking over in the Children’s Department is Anthony Casale, who has worked in the Circulation Department for the past two years, and was a volunteer at the library before that. Both are eagerly looking forward to their new roles and responsibilities at the library. 

All of us at the library hope 2016 is starting off well for everyone, and we look forward to all of the exciting changes and new programs we are having this year at the Oldsmar Library!

Oldsmar Centennial Programs

2016 brings us a celebration of Oldsmar's Centennial, and the Library has several programs planned to help kick off the yearlong celebration!  All programs will be in TECO Hall, no registration required.

• Thursday, January 21, 6:00 pm,  Chris Kahl - “A Musical Journey Through Florida”
  Join us for an evening of original folk songs about Florida & its history.  Read more about Chris & his work at www.chriskahl.com

• Thursday, February 11, 6:30 pm,  James A. Schnur, Special Collections Librarian, USF-St. Petersburg -  Pinellas County History. Learn more about local history from a native & lifelong Pinellas County resident and Past President of the Pinellas Historical Society.

• Thursday, February 18, 6:30 pm Lou Lawrence, retired auto executive - Automobile History. The history of the American automobile has always been intertwined with Oldsmar's history

• Thursday, February 25, 6:30 pm Jeff Klinkenberg, author and retired reporter for the Tampa Bay Times - Florida Culture  Come learn more about Florida culture from someone who has written about it for four decades!
  Our Books & Brews book club will be doing a tie-in book discussion of his recent work Alligators in B Flat on Feb. 2 at 6 pm at the Oldsmar Tap House.  Read more about Jeff and sample some of his essays on his website.

• Thursday, March 3, 6:30 pm Rick Smith  - "Patrick Smith’s Florida Is A Land Remembered” Join the son of Patrick Smith, author of A Land Remembered, for a multi-media celebration of Florida history and his father's beloved book.
  A Land Remembered will be the book discussed at the March 1 Books & Brews book club, and you can read more about the presentation on Rick's website.

New Monthly Programs

 

We have two new monthly programs beginning in January!

The first new offering is a Wii Gaming Program for teens & adults (13+ please).  We'll be setting up our new Wii in TECO Hall after the library closes on the first Friday of the month and playing multi-player games on the big screen.  Come join us for Super Smash Bros, Mario Kart (and more) and snacks! 

The premier program will actually be a second Friday due to New Year's, so mark your calendar for Friday, January 8 from 5-8 pm. No registration needed, and you'll be able to enter from the outside door of TECO Hall if you arrive after the library closes at 5 pm.

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We're also starting a monthly Fiber Arts Program! The plan is to focus on quilting, cross stitch, knitting and crocheting, but if you're interested in any fiber arts feel free to come to our first meeting on Saturday, January 23 at 1:00 pm in the Rotary Literacy/Conference Room.

Bring a project to work on and/or to show the group, and we'll discuss what we'd like to explore at future meetings.  No registration needed, but please call 813-749-1185 with any questions.