Upper Sandusky Community Library As we begin the new year, I would like to thank all of our library friends for your support throughout the past year. I am looking forward to the good things we will do together in 2026. Winter Reading Club! Summer Reading Club! The Americans and the Holocaust Exhibit! Not to mention story times, after school programs, book clubs, Lunch Bunch and Craft Party, Taste of the States, and so much more. Most of all I enjoy meeting all of you over the circulation desk and sharing not only our book stories, but our life stories as well. Happy New Year! January Events 1st: Closed Happy New Year! 5th: Hibernation Nation Starts 12th: Taste of the States 15th: Craft Party 17th: Halfway Hoorah 19th: CLOSED Martin Luthor King, Jr. Day 20th: Common Readers 26th: Middle School Book Club 26th: Lunch Bunch 28th: Inglorious Bookworms 31st: Puzzle contest Connect with us! www.usclibrary.org or uscl@seolibraries.org Mon.- Thurs. 9:00 a.m.- 8:00 p.m. Fri. 9:00 a.m.- 6:00 p.m. Sat. 9:00 a.m.- 1:00 p.m. JANUARY 2026 COVER TO COVER Hibernation Nation Arrives Winter was made for reading and USCL is here to make this the best reading season yet with the Hibernation Nation, this year’s adult winter reading program. This fun program begins January 5th and runs through February 14th. Any adult is welcome to participate by simply signing up at our front desk. Then, each time you check out books you will be given a scratch-off card that will give you a chance at exciting reader-friendly prizes. These cards will then be used to draw a name each Friday to be a Weekly Prize winner of items such as heated throws or a Reader Gift Box. So, be sure to sign up because winter is for reading at USCL! From the Director Kathleen Whitt Halfway Hoorah It’s time for a challenge check-in with your fellow 100 Book Club members! On Saturday, January 17 at 10:00 a.m., start your morning right with the Halfway Hoorah where you will talk about books you’ve read, eat donuts, enjoy hot drinks, and play some fun, bookish games. We’ll also have a Free Book Store that you can peruse and take home something new to add to your shelf. At USCL, we know that reading is its own reward...but food, friends and prizes are pretty great, too! th
Join Cheryl on Monday, January 26th at noon in USCL's large meeting room for a cozy Lunch Bunch gathering. Whether it’s a new health goal or wanting to be warm on the inside, January’s theme of Soup, Salad, or Bread has you covered. Be sure to bring your recipe to share with your friends! It’s back! Cheryl invites all jigsaw puzzle enthusiasts to participate in 2026's Jigsaw Puzzle Contest on Saturday, January 31st at 10:00 a.m. in USCL’s large meeting room. This year, ten teams of two will compete to see who can complete a 500-piece puzzle in the quickest amount of time. The winning team will be awarded a $25 gift card! Participants can register online or at the front desk beginning January 20th. One member of the team must be an adult. Participants are welcome to bring their own drinks or snacks. Get Glowing Lunch Bunch Winter Sausage Soup Taste of the States 1 (14.5 once) can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes, broken up 2 cups beef broth ½ cup salsa 1 tsp. dried oregano 12 onces bulk-style pork sausage, spicy or mild, as you prefer 2 tsp. olive oil 1 cup frozen whole-kernal corn 1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh cilantro Combine the tomatoes, broth, salsa and oregano in a soup pot. Bring to boil over medium heat, and then reduce the heat to low. Shape the sausage into small patties, about 1 inch. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat and add the sausage. Cook until no longer pink in the center, 10-12 minutes. Drain on a paper towel. Add the corn to the soup, cook for 3-4 minutes, and then add the sausage. Continue to simmer until everything is heated through. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve hot. Puzzle Contest If your resolution is to bring more joy--and hot glue-- into your life, be sure to attend Craft Party on January 15 at 6:00 p.m. in USCL’s large meeting room. th This month, Rachel will show you how to use mason jars, socks, and fairy lights to create a snowy, glowy snowman to light up your winter nights. All materials are provided for you to create this project so all you have to do is sign up online, by phone, or in person beginning January 5th. Start your new year with crafts, snacks, and new friends at USCL! Patti and Tony are back with fresh, new ideas and adventures for all our foodie patrons! This year, travel around the good, old USA and discover favorite recipes and flavors from some of our fifty states. In January, visit the state of Wyoming and get a taste of Bison Chili and satisfy your sweet tooth with crunchy Cowboy cookies. This popular program fills up quickly so be sure to register starting January 5 by phone, in person, th or online.
Everyone is welcome to join Krystal and the Common Readers Book Club on January 20th at 6:30 p.m. as they discuss this month's featured book, The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Harnett. Copies of this month’s books are available at the front desk and Libby. Share your thoughts about Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle and the Horror genre Wednesday, January 28th at 6:00 p.m. at Don Tomasso’s Restaurant. Copies of this month’s book are available at the front desk and Libby. Please register online if you plant to attend. Common Readers InGlorious Bookworms Keeping You Warm What’s better than getting a notice that the book you’ve been waiting to read has finally come in? Not having to get out of your car and into the cold to pick it up! USCL is pleased to offer Click and Collect to all our patrons. Here’s how it works: Download the SEO app. Open your app to see if your holds are available. If your holds are in, you will see the Click and Collect option. Select this option. Select “I am on my way” and choose your arrival time. You will receive a message telling you where to park. Our staff will bring your items to your car! This service is available from 10:00 a.m. until 30 minutes before close. Can’t download the app? You can also call 419-294-1345 to request curbside service. The USCL is inviting middle and high school teachers, as well as home school parents, to an information session about the Americans and the Holocaust traveling exhibit. There will be two sessions: Thursday, Jan. 29 or Monday, Feb. 1. Both sessions will take place at 6:00 p.m. in the library’s large meeting room, though teachers only need to attend one. Educators will learn what the Americans and the Holocaust traveling exhibit is, how they can register for the professional development day,and when they can start planning tours for their students. They will also be provided with educator toolkits designed by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Registration is requested and can be done online at https://www.usclibrary.org/content/americansand-holocaust. An Invitation to Teachers In Memory... Donna Crawford by Betty Phillips and Family Technical Difficulties? Try our TechConnect hour on Tuesdays from 11:00 a.m. to noon. With Appreciation... USCL would like to thank Wal-Mart and the Spark Good Program for their generous grant of $1000. These funds will allow us to bring more programs and purchase more resources for the community that we love to serve!
Pick up a Coded Tales sheet at the front desk to begin this month's Coded Storywalk and discover Snow! Snow! Snow! by Lee Harper and meet three animal friends who wake up to discover that a big storm the night before has made the world a winter wonderland—perfect for sledding! As you walk from business to business reading pages of this month's book, be sure to write down the code letter written beside the book pages at each stop. When you finish the story, you will have spelled out a special message that you can bring back to the library's front desk to receive a prize! Reading is a walk in the park with Storywalk at Stepping Stones Park! This month enjoy A Fox Found A Box by Ged Adamson. A little fox is digging for food when --OUCH! What is that?--the fox finds a box! When the fox brings the box home to his animal friends--and turns a funny-looking knob--the box starts to sing, and music fills the forest. But what happens when the music stops? Find out out how the animals of the forest make their own symphony in this heartwarming tale. What would you do if you created an app that pairs users based on common interests, but a glitch threatened to expose everyone's secrets? If you’re in 5th-8th grade, Miss Lisa invites you to Middle School Book Club to discuss this question and more on January 26th from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the table outside of her office in the children’s section. Just stop by the front desk to pick up your copy. There’s no sign-up so just show up! Storytime isn’t just for your little brother and sister anymore! Try Middle School Storytime. If you’re interested in reading or acting, Miss Lisa invites middle school students to interact with books in a new way through Reader’s Theater, which allows you to become part of the story! Meetings take place in the children’s section by Miss Lisa’s office at 3:00 p.m. on every Monday that school is in session. Preschool (ages 3-6): Monday 11:00 a.m. Monday 11:00 a.m. Tiny Tots (ages 0-3): Monday 10:00 a.m., Tuesday 5:30 p.m., and Wednesday 11:00 a.m. Monday 10:00 a.m., Tuesday 5:30 p.m., and Wednesday 11:00 a.m. Storytime with Miss Jill Every Thursday that school is in session, kids of all ages are invited to attend That Thursday Thing. Each week, the children and youth departments team up to host games and activities that encourage kids to interact in positive and creative ways with each other and our staff. It's an hour they won't want to miss! That Thursday Thing Be Part of the Story Coded Storywalk A Walk in the Park Middle School Book Club
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