Yoga update

Friday morning (tomorrow) yoga will meet in the library Resource Room at 10:30 for relaxation exercises and a discussion of the instructor's recent experience at Gampo Abbey Buddhist monastery in Nova Scotia.


There will be a walking meditation Sunday November 1st at the river. Please reply to patriciagagne@comcast.net if you are interested in participating and want more information.

Nonfiction for Horror Fans

These recommendations from BookRiot might just be creepier than fiction! Click the link for more -

        

Tax Prep Volunteers Needed

If you or someone you know is interested in serving as a Tax Aide Volunteer February 1-April 1, 2016 at the Ocee Library, please contact AARP directly to complete their volunteer program ( http://www.aarp.org/giving-back/). Volunteers must complete training in a self-study format and then participate in a mandatory 4 day class in third week of January.

Silly, spooky...

or downright frightening - you'll find it at the library! The following are a few
Halloween selections available at Ocee.

           

            

Change

Make a Difference Day

On the fourth Saturday in October, millions of volunteers around the world unite in a common mission to improve the lives of others. Celebrate the power of people to make a difference.

You can make a difference any day at Ocee. Did you know that Ocee has the largest number of checks out in the AFPL system? Add a little extra time to our library visits and help shelve books. Maybe you have a craft, skill, or knowledge to share as a program? Perhaps you can tutor? Click the Volunteer tab above for more information.

Walking Meditation

Since the meeting room is unavailable, the Sunday afternoon yoga instructor would like to offer a walking meditation on 1 November! Please email patriciagagne@comcast.net

if you're interested in this special opportunity.

Important Ocee Programming Note!

The meeting room at Ocee is currently being used for voting. While some programs can be moved, unfortunately, some programs must be cancelled. Before you make the drive, you may care to phone the library at (770) 360-8897 to confirm whether your program is scheduled - or not.

Sunday & Friday Yoga

Since the meeting room is being used for voting, there will be no Sunday class until 8 November.

The Yoga for Life class will meet in the small community room (near the children's section) October 23 and October 30 until after the election. The instructor says, "I plan to share my experiences at the Bhuddist monastery in Nova Scotia at the class this Friday so come if you are interested!"

Teen Advisory Board

The TAB meeting is this Thursday 15 October at 5:30 pm in the Resource Room.

Early Voting at Ocee

Beginning Monday 19 October, early voting will take place at Ocee library. The meeting room will not be available from 16 October - 3 November. Please contact Ocee library (770-360-8897 ) regarding library program schedules for this time period.

Survey

All residents who are interested in telling the county how they truly feel about its services are asked to complete the survey at http://survey.fultoncountyga.gov.

The survey takes approximately five minutes to complete.

Ocee closed Monday

The Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System will be closed on Monday, October 12 for Staff Development Day.

Game On!

Teen Game Night

Thursday 15 October at 5:30 pm. – 7:30 pm.

A night for teens to get together and play video games. Teens will compete with each other - and the librarians!  Refreshments provided. Ages 13-18.

Prevent Eyestrain

Here's some helpful information from YourSightMatters as we move into cooler days (ie:'reading weather').

Eyestrain is not harmful to the eyes and often goes away once your eyes are rested. However, sometimes eye strain can be a sign of an undiagnosed eye condition. These are the most common symptoms of eyestrain:

• Blurred or double vision
• Watery eyes
• Dry eyes
• Soreness, tiredness, burning or itching
• Headache
• Increased sensitivity to light
• Difficulty focusing

You should make an appointment with your eye doctor if you have persistent double vision, experience pain or have a noticeable change in your vision.


How can you prevent putting excess strain on your eyes as you feast on a good book? Here are a few tips to help:

1. When reading, have a light source behind you so that light is being directed onto the page. If you are reading at a desk, use a lamp with a shade. The shade will prevent the light from shining into your eyes.
2. If you have reduced vision, use a brighter light source.
3. Consider a large-print book if words appear too small on the page.
4. Take regular breaks. Follow the 20-20-20 rule: Every 20 minutes, look away from your book and look at an object 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds. Walk around for a while and give your eyes a rest.
5. Blink often to moisten your eyes. Dry eye can result when staring at an object for too long.
6. Use artificial tears to add moisture to the eyes.

World Sight Day

World Sight Day (WSD) is an annual day of awareness held on the second Thursday of October, to focus global attention on blindness and vision impairment. World Sight Day 2015 is on 8 October 2015.

For those who have difficulty reading due to visual impairment, AFPLS has a large print book collection and audio books.


Atlanta Center for the Visually Impaired serves some 5000 Georgians a year! They believe "Every person with vision loss should be able to live with independence and dignity." CVI is a fully accredited private facility providing rehabilitation services for the blind and visually impaired."

from International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness

• Approximately 285 million people worldwide live with low vision and blindness
• Of these, 39 million people are blind and 246 million have moderate or severe visual impairment
• 90% of blind people live in low-income countries
• Yet 80% of visual impairment is avoidable - i.e. readily treatable and/or preventable
• Restorations of sight, and blindness prevention strategies are among the most cost-effective interventions in health care
• The number of people blind from infectious causes has greatly reduced in the past 20 years
• An estimated 19 million children are visually impaired
• About 65 % of all people who are visually impaired are aged 50 and older, while this age group comprises only 20% of the world's population
• Increasing elderly populations in many countries mean that more people will be at risk of age-related visual impairment.

Impromptu Saturday

One of our Friends Toast Masters Club has a program coming up. This is a great opportunity to practice your public speaking and gain confidence. You'll meet nice people and have some fun, too. 

This workshop is focused on impromptu speaking from 11-Noon on Saturday 10 October at ALPHARETTA Branch 10 Park Plaza (next to the new city hall).

Molding little minds

Blogger mom, Amanda wonders 'in today’s world of smartphones and tablets, of on-demand information and bookstores large enough to get lost in, do local libraries still have a place? If we want to raise independent, creative and freethinking children, they most certainly do.'

• Libraries encourage independence
• Libraries help our kids learn to their strengths
• Libraries are the great equalizer, shared by the entire community.
• Libraries teach our children about the environment.

For the full article click here.

'Reading between the lines'

Reading between the lines: the benefits of reading for pleasure (Billington, 2015) indicated the positive impact regular reading for pleasure has on health and well being and how it reduces isolation. The key findings include:

• half of readers say that reading helps them sleep better;
• regular readers reported fewer feelings of stress and depression than non-readers, and stronger feelings of relaxation from reading than from watching TV or engaging with social media;
• reading creates a parallel world in which personal anxieties can recede, while also helping people to realize that the problems they experience are not theirs alone;
• a fifth of respondents said reading helped them to feel less lonely;
• readers have higher levels of self-esteem and a greater ability to cope with difficult situations.

Georgia Center for the Book

Tuesday, October 6, 2015 Kaitlin Roig-DeBellis Choosing Hope: Moving Forward from Life's Darkest Hours in conversation with Nicki Salcedo 7:00 p.m.   First Baptist Church of Decatur

'Kaitlin Roig-Debellis is the first-grade teacher at Sandy Hook Elementary School who saved her entire class of fifteen six- and-seven-year-olds from the tragic events that took place on December 14, 2012. Choosing Hope is a written witness to a tragedy that will never be forgotten. A gripping firsthand testament to the power of good over the power of destruction, this inspirational memoir is a story of courage, heroism, faith, and resilience--a celebration of all the people who make the choice to pass along their hope and positivity to young ones, be they parents, mentors, or teachers. There is no moving on, but there is always moving forward. And how we move forward is a choice.'

ACC Fall Concert

You may have heard ACC perform at Ocee library. Here's info on their latest offering. Visit  their website for a sampling of their sound.

4-10 October at Ocee

Energy Yoga

Sunday  October 4 at 4 pm. Open to ages 10 and up.  

CAST Math Tutoring

Sunday October 4 at2 pm.

Bring homework questions to receive help from a tutor! Ages 5-18.

Tai-Chi  for Relaxation

Monday October  5 at 10 am.

A great way to help you relax and keep fit! Beginners welcome!  

Yoga & Meditation

Monday October  5 at 11 am.

Beginning yoga and meditation techniques for beginners. Adults.

Ocee Reads Book Club

Monday October 5 at  2 pm. Adults.

Atlanta Junior Bridge

Mondays October 5 at 4 pm Ages 8-18.  

Story Time with Fulton County Water Works

Wednesday October 7 at 10:30 am. Ages 0-5.

Chess Club

Wednesday October 7 at 6:30 pm. Ages 5-13.  

Youth Reading Tutor

Thursday October 8 from 3-5:30 pm. Grades 1 to 6.  

CodeKids

Thursday October 8 at 6 pm. Ages 8-13.  

Food Science Fun

Friday October 9 at 2 pm. Ages 9-18. 

Come to Ocee to make and enjoy a sweet treat! 

Young Artists at Ocee

Saturday October 10 at 2 pm. Ages 7-14.

These classes are designed to teach the fundamentals of art. First come, first served. Limit 20.