Books needed! FLF needs your gently used books in order to keep restocking the Little Blue Book in the lobby, which gets so many books into people’s homes and provides income for FLF to support our branch. Please email us here if you have books to contribute.
The January FLF meeting focused on ideas for the work of FLF in the new year. See the meeting notes here. Please join us at our next meeting on Friday, February 24, 3:30–4:45 p.m. We’d love to have your ideas and energy!
Library News
A Disaster Resource Center has been opened by the County in the Community Room at the Felton Library to assist storm survivors. Open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., the site will offer guidance from County agencies such as Environmental Health, Human Services, and Planning; the California Office of Emergency Service (CalOES); and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). For more information, visit the Disaster Recovery Resources page for storm events.
Library events at the Felton Branch in February are listed here.
Community-Led Learning Events
Travel Sketching. Wednesday, February 22 and March 1, 10:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. Explore the joy of expressive sketching using a wide nib calligraphy pen and water brush to develop images with rich lines and subtle tonal values. Sketches are a wonderful addition to your travel journal—come learn skills to enhance your adventures. Materials provided; no previous experience necessary. Sign up for just one class or join us for both days. Register here.
Volunteer instructor Carolyn Fitz is a local resident with many years of experience leading classes in Sketching, Calligraphy, and Sumie painting at Cabrillo College and the Yosemite Conservancy Art Program.
Managing SLV Water Resources: Challenges and Opportunities. Wednesday, February 22, 7:00–8:15 p.m. Volunteer presenter Gail Mahood is a retired professor of geology at Stanford University who serves on the Board of Directors of the SLV Water District. She also represents the District on the Santa Margarita Groundwater Agency. This presentation will be offered in person and on Zoom. Register here.
Our Community Reads Events
Events related to themes of Mary Coin, including photography, the depression, and migrant farmworkers, will be offered throughout the county in person and/or via Zoom. See the complete listings for all OCR programs here. Thanks to the Friends of the Aptos Library and other FSCPL chapters for sponsoring these rich opportunities.
The Depression, the Dust Bowl, and Dorothea. Saturday, February 25, 2:30–4 p.m. Felton Library Community Room. During the 1930s, music painted a vivid picture of a nation in crisis. Felton’s own Patti Maxine and Alison Steele of Sugar by the Pound will play songs of the era. The music will be followed by the short documentary “Dorothea Lange, An American Odyssey,” a portrait of the photographer portrayed as Vera Dare in Mary Coin, best known for her work documenting and humanizing the plight of migrants and farm workers in the 1930s. Refreshments will be served. Sponsored by Felton LIbrary Friends. Register here.
Art in the Library
Raf Streidley’s gorgeous turned wood creations fill the library display case. Raf says, “I get extreme enjoyment in transforming raw wood into an object that is beautiful and useful. My approach is rather intuitive and often the end result is different than what I had originally envisioned. My preference is to use local sustainably harvested wood such as chprees, black acacia, and redwood.” See more of Raf’s work here. Thanks to the FLF Art Curation Team.
Library Staff
Laura Blasingame has joined the stellar team at our Felton Branch as a full time Library Assistant II. She started working for SCPL during the summer of 2021 as a Library Aide. Laura says, “As a Felton resident, I am especially excited for the opportunity to serve our unique community. I am due to graduate from SJSU’s Master of Library and Information Science program in May and hope to be with SCPL for years to come! I am looking forward to meeting you all!” Please say hello to Laura when you come to the library.
Volunteer Spotlight
Stacy Monowitz volunteers as the Arts Coordinator on the Community-Led Learning Team. In addition, she created the GLOW project at the library and taught a printmaking series last fall. A Felton resident, Stacy has worked as a Spectra Artist, bringing art to classrooms throughout Santa Cruz County. As the Art Masterpiece program coordinator at SLVE, she enjoyed bridging generations through art. Currently an Experience Instructor at 1440 Multiversity in Scotts Valley, Stacy encourages a playful approach to creative exploration. She says, “Creativity brings joy and wonder to my life; sharing the magic of art deepens my personal practice and cultivates community connection."
Volunteer Opportunities
Saturday, March 4, 9–11 a.m. Join the monthly garden work party in the Felton Discovery Park to help keep the native plants thriving. For more information, email feltonlibraryfriends@gmail.com.
A library is not a luxury but one of the necessities of life. — Henry Ward Beecher
