by Kim Rinaldi, Senior Branch Manager

Hello Friends! Season is in full swing at the Key West Library and I have so much to tell you! I will ask that you visit our website at www.keyslibraries.org for information on our events in February – which are abundant and awesome! No time for that? Simply signup for our e-newsletter and have all the events delivered right to your inbox every month. But there is so much more going on this month in addition to authors, concerts, movies, book club, story time, etc, etc, etc.

We will be celebrating Valentine’s Day all month long with a unique display. For our hopeless romantics we are featuring books that overuse words like “besotted,” “bewitched,” and “betrothed.” And for our hopelessly cynical, you will relish books with words like “bitter,” “betrayal,” and “bitch” in the title. Whatever your mood this year, you will find something fitting to read this Valentine’s Day on our display board.

You may have noticed that librarians love to make book suggestions. Well, we have a new service called “What Should I Read Next?” Simply pick up a form during your next visit and answer a few questions about your reading interests and a librarian will hand-select a few titles for you to check out next. It’s a great way to discover new authors in your favorite genre and fulfill your resolution to read more in ‘24.

If your resolution is to help your community, why not save a life by donating blood? The library will host a blood drive on February 10 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the auditorium. Nurses from One Blood (the folks who operate the Big Red Bus) will be on-site and appreciate your donation.

Another way to help your community this year is by participating in the annual Diaper Drive. The Florida Keys Healthy Start Coalition will be collecting new unopened boxes of baby diapers in all sizes throughout February to be distributed to Keys families in need. Look for the donation box by the front entrance of the library and please consider donating.

With the new year, comes the ever-dreaded tax season once again. To make your life easier, we have 1040s and instruction booklets available free of charge at the library, while supplies last. Librarians can also assist you with printing schedules and other tax forms from the IRS website. In addition, the United Way is again holding their VITA program this year for those who qualify. Volunteer Tax Preparers will be on hand every Wednesday at the GATO Building on Simonton Street to help you file your taxes. More information about this program is available at the library.

We welcomed two new staff members this year. Emily and Riona run our Children’s Library and are already off to a great start! They have partnered with the Fort Kent Library in Maine, which sits at the opposite end of US 1, to start a pen pal program between the kids of Key West and the kids in Fort Kent. The program, Lignum Vitae, is open to all children who wish to learn about life in Maine and share their personal experiences, both unique and similar. We hope the program sparks life-long friendships and an interest in the dying art of penmanship and letter writing.

I could go on and on, but you will just have to stop in to see more! And while you are visiting your little pink library in paradise, be sure to check out a board game or a puzzle for those rainy afternoons when porch sitting is preferable to a Duval stroll. See you all soon!