In the coming weeks, you may see staff attaching stickers and scanning items in our collections. We're converting to an RFID (radio-frequency identification) system, which will make it easier to find items on the shelves, and check items in and out. Later in the process, you may encounter equipment installations or see evidence of physical changes in progress to accommodate the new equipment. Please pardon our dust! The efforts to improve your library experience continue.

The library services that have been in place since June are still available: curbside pick-up, coming into the library to browse, check out materials, and/or use a computer for an hour, and self-service holds. Extra cleaning, safe distancing measures and quarantining are standard procedures. The downloadable collections (ebooks, downloadable audio books, movies and magazines) and online resources such as Ancestry Library Edition, Value Line and Learning Express, are always available. And the variety of virtual programs continues to grow. Now is a good time to share information about the online library card application with friends and family. Help them discover the benefits of accessing free materials and services from their Leon County Public Library.

As you’ll see in this issue, there is a lot happening at the libraries. We look forward to seeing you online, curbside and inside!

All library locations will be closed on the following days:

• Wednesday, November 11th in observance of                       Veterans Day
• Thursday, November 26th and Friday, November 27th       in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday
• Friday, December 25th in observance of Christmas Day
• Friday, January 1st in observance of New Years Day

Please note that all libraries close at 6 p.m. on these dates:  Wednesday, November 25; Thursday, December 24; and Thursday, December 31.

Free Reusable Masks for the Public at all Library Locations

In coordination with the Florida Department of Health (FDOH) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), free reusable cloth masks are available for a limited time at all County library locations. Masks are available via curbside pickup and inside.

This initiative complements Leon County Government's ongoing efforts to distribute cloth face masks at faith-based organizations in southern Leon County, at the Bragg testing site, and at FDOH’s mobile testing sites throughout the community. To date, we have given away over 325,000 cloth masks to the public.

Visit the Leon County Emergency Information Portal for up-to-date information on COVID-19, local resources, services, closures and sign up for County news and alerts. 

You can also download the Leon County Citizens Connect App for notifications on emergency management messages or services changes. 

The Citizens Connect app is available in the Apple Store and Google Play Store. 

Get a Flu Vaccine Today

Homework Hub 

Does your K-8th student need help working on a tough homework assignment or have questions about a lesson?

Homework Hub is a free program pairing students with tutors in a one-on-one environment. Our volunteer tutors are ready to help you with math, English, social studies and science!

Visit our website for more info and to make an appointment: www.LeonCountyLibrary.org/HomeworkHub

Check out Author Alerts, a service that notifies you when your favorite author's new materials are added to our collection! 

Notifications of new arrivals are sent straight to your email. 

To sign up, click here.

The LeRoy Collins Leon County Public Library is committed to
serving and supporting our diverse community.
Our Librarians have compiled a list of resources for all ages celebrating diversity, and supporting education on matters of social injustice and racial equality.

Visit our website to access these resources.

Discover new worlds with our free digital library apps: 

• Read e-magazines with Flipster and RBdigital
• Stream movies with Kanopy
• Read e-books and e-audiobooks with Libby by OverDrive

Research your family history with Ancestry Library Edition. Search the US Federal Census as well as immigration, vital, military, court, church, and ethnic records. Explore city directories, the Social Security Death Index, and more. Please note that the content in the Library Edition of this resource may differ from the personal subscription edition.

Due to COVID-19, this resource is available from home through December 31, 2020.

Choose from more than 300 practice tests and courses, including GED, SAT, ACT and GRE.

National Novel Writing Month Workshops

Always dreamed of writing a novel? Celebrate National Novel Writing Month each week with advice from local authors on a range of topics to help you reach your goal. After each workshop, chat with other locals for feedback, editing, or inspiration.

Mondays in November:

6:30 - 7:30: Author Workshop 

7:30 - 8:00: Community Meet-ups

November 2: Getting Started with Suzan Kurdak and Faith Eidse from the Tallahassee Writer's Association 

*Please bring a blank postcard for the writing prompt portion. 

November 9: Plot & Story Arc with Kate Kimball from TCC

November 16: Characterization with Adrian Fogelin

November 23: Editing with Andrew Skerritt from FAMU

November 30: Writers' Wrap-up: What's Next? with author Christine Zane Thomas

To register for the Zoom link, click here.

You will automatically receive the Zoom link for all meetings after registration.

Community Gingerbread House Competition

Sugar and spice and all things nice are in store for the LeRoy Collins Leon County Public Library’s Gingerbread House Competition!

Compete and taste the sweetness of victory.

Each winner in the adult, teen, child and People's Choice categories will receive a $50 Amazon gift card. Kits are welcome!

Submit your photo by Sunday, December 6th, here.

For a free Grab Bag complete with recipe, a gingerbread craft and more goodies, register here.

*Grab Bags and Submission will begin Tuesday, November 10th. 

For rules and more information, click here. 

*Winners will be announced Saturday, December 12th. 

Handling Holidays and Travel while on the Spectrum 

Thursday, November 5th at 6:30 p.m.

Join Crystal and Allison from FSU Center for Autism and Related Disabilities to talk about how to help our family and friends with autism spectrum disorder stay emotionally regulated during the holidays and cope with holiday and travel stress.

To join the Zoom meeting, click here.

Virtual Annie Get Your Glue Gun 

Join us on the 3rd Saturday at 1 p.m. of every month as we make crafts from upcycled household materials through Zoom. We'll share a step-by-step class followed by time to craft and chat.

On November 21st, we'll be teaching you how to make a Gingerbread House from scratch using all edible materials.

Click here to view the instructions and supply list. 

To register for the Zoom link, click here.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

History Book Club 

Join us for a virtual History Book Club as we discuss The Alice Network by Kate Quinn.

Friday, November 20th at 6:00 p.m.

To register for the Zoom link, click here.

Our Pop-Up Book Club, Mystery Book Club, History Book Club, Bucket List Book Club, Fiction/Non-Fiction Book Club and Young (Adult) at Heart Book Club have all gone virtual! 

Visit our calendar for times, dates and Zoom links. 

Teen Hangout: Jackbox Party 

Thursday, November 12 at 4:00 p.m.

Teens! Challenge your friends in this afternoon virtual hang-out! We will play Jackbox games and draw weird doodles, write the best inside joke, or answer hilarious trivia questions.

Login to Zoom and we will share the game codes. To play, each player needs a phone or other web-enabled device to use as their controller. Login to Zoom and we will share the game codes.

To register for the Zoom link, click here.

Viral Voices

Calling all Leon County students grades K-12 to share your stories about life during the pandemic.

Join Viral Voices: Sharing Your Pandemic Story and make your voice heard; we’re looking for your stories, poems, letters, photographs, artwork, spoken word, music and short videos.

Beginning November 9th, submissions will be accepted and will be displayed on the library's website and social media.

Visit http://www.leoncountyfl.gov/ViralVoices to become a part of history.

Science Nights with the National MagLab

Thursday, November 19th at 6:30 p.m.: Light

To join the Zoom webinar: click here.

**Please note, there will be no Science Night in December.

First Friday Fun with 4-H

Explore different topics the first Friday of every month at 4:00 p.m. with the UF/IFAS Extension 4-H Club!

For ages 5-18. 

November 6 at 4:00 p.m.: Nutrition

December 4 at 4:00 p.m.: Mindfulness

January 8, 2021 at 4:00 p.m.: Books

February 5 at 4:00 p.m.: Horticulture

March 5 at 4:00 p.m.: Music

April 2 at 4:00 p.m.: Poetry

Register for the Zoom link by emailing ispangler@ufl.edu

Adventure Bags are available for each months' topic and can be picked up at any library location. No registration required for the Adventure Bags. 

Virtual Familytimes, Babytimes and Sing Alongs!

From virtual Familytimes to Storytimes to Sing & Sign Babytime, we have family entertainment for all ages six days a week through Zoom!  

To see our full schedule, click here

Virtual Teen Book Club

Teens! Join us for Virtual Teen Book Club through Zoom on the 1st Saturday of every month at 2:30 p.m.. 

November 7: We'll be discussing The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

December 5: We'll be discussing Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

January 2: We'll be discussing Educated by Tara Westover

To register for the Zoom link, click here.

You will only need to register once for all future Teen Book Club meetings. An email with the Zoom link will be sent automatically.  

Virtual Teen Advisory Board 

Join us every 1st and 3rd Thursday at 4:00 p.m. through Zoom. 

The Teen Advisory Board is an opportunity for teens to have a voice in the development of teen programs at the LeRoy Collins Leon County Public Library.

While earning volunteer service hours, members will plan and implement programming as a group, as well as market programs to local teens.

We're now offering Launchpads, a tablet with pre-loaded educational games, perfect for 3 to 5 year olds.
Games and exercises offered on these tablets will introduce early learning concepts from letters to numbers to colors.

No internet necessary!  Launchpads are rechargable, sturdy tablets designed for young children.

For more information and to place a hold, please visit our website.

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson 

In 1936, tucked deep into the woods of Troublesome Creek, Kentucky, blue-skinned nineteen-year-old Cussy Carter, the last living female of the rare Blue People ancestry, has just snuffed out her last courting candle, her last chance for 'respectability' and a marriage bed. The lonely young Appalachian woman joins the historical Pack Horse Library Project of Kentucky and becomes a librarian, riding across slippery creek beds and up treacherous mountains on her faithful mule to deliver books and other reading material to the impoverished hill people of Eastern Kentucky.

Along her dangerous route, Cussy, known to the mountain folk as Bluet, confronts those suspicious of her damselfly-blue skin and the government's new book program. She befriends hardscrabble and complex fellow Kentuckians and is fiercely determined to bring comfort and joy, instill literacy, and give those who have nothing a bookly respite.

The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin 

Five New Yorkers must come together in order to save their city from destruction in the first book of a stunning new series by Hugo award-winning and NYT bestselling author N. K. Jemisin. Every great city has a soul. Some are ancient as myths, and others are as new and destructive as children. New York? She's got six.

When a young man crosses the bridge into New York City, something changes. He doesn't remember who he is, where he's from, or even his own name. But he can feel the pulse of the city, can see its history, can access its magic. And he's not the only one. All across the boroughs, strange things are happening. Something is threatening to destroy the city and her six newborn avatars unless they can come together and stop it once and for all.

Mister Owita's Guide to Gardening by Carol Wall

A true story of a unique friendship between two people who had nothing - and ultimately everything - in common.

Carol Wall, a white woman living in a lily-white neighborhood in Middle America, was at a crossroads in her life. Her children were grown; she had successfully overcome illness; her beloved parents were getting older. One day she notices a dark-skinned African man tending her neighbor's yard. His name is Giles Owita. He bags groceries at the supermarket. He comes from Kenya. And he's very good at gardening.

Before long Giles is transforming not only Carol's yard, but her life. Though they are seemingly quite different, a caring bond grows between them. But they both hold long-buried secrets that, when revealed, will cement their friendship forever.

The Queen's Poisoner by Jeff Wheeler 

King Severn Argentine's fearsome reputation precedes him: usurper of the throne, killer of rightful heirs, ruthless punisher of traitors. Attempting to depose him, the Duke of Kiskaddon gambles... and loses.

Now the duke must atone by handing over his young son, Owen, as the king's hostage. And should his loyalty falter again, the boy will pay with his life

Ronan the Librarian by Tara Luebe & Becky Cattie

Ronan was a mighty barbarian. He invaded. He raided. And back home, he traded. He always found the greatest treasures.

Until one day, Ronan found something no barbarian wants: A BOOK.