New Year's Holiday Hours

The Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System will be closed Sunday and Monday. We reopen on Tuesday 3 January 2017.

Worrier Pose

Turn your 'worrier pose' in to a Warrior Pose! 

Patricia Gagne's yoga classes will resume 14 January!

Energy Yoga - Wednesdays at 10:15 am and Sundays at 4:30 pm.

Happy Holidays!

Holiday Closings

The Atlanta Fulton Public Library System will be closed Friday 23 December through Monday 26 December. The library will reopen on Monday 27 December.

Visit afpls.org to check your account, stream movies, download ebooks, audio books, and magazines while the library is closed!

On Break

Read Brightly and Imagination Soup have have coloring pages and activities to keep the kids busy over the holiday break! Several are based on favorite book characters.

Library Browser

A Texas Councilman had Browser, the library cat, fired earlier this year. Browser was rescued as a kitten from a local shelter to provide pest control for the library.

Browser got a reprieve following a world-wide backlash. Councilman Clements eventually ran out of his 9-lives after he was defeated by a landslide in November’s election.

Mayor White says, “Browser is still employed and will be as long as he wishes to continue his duties as mascot and reading helper for the children at the library”.

Johns Creek Arts Center Sale

Support Ocee's community partner and our local artists!

http://johnscreekarts.org/makers-market-holiday-sale-2016

Unbridled Passion

Godspeed, John Glenn

American hero John Glenn passed today at age 95. Glenn has the distinction of being the 1st American to orbit Earth in 1962. He's the oldest person in space when he joined a Space Shuttle mission in 1998 at the age of 77. Additionally, Glenn is a highly decorated war veteran, serving both in WWII and Korea. For 24 years, he represented Ohio in the Senate.

We have an infinite amount to learn from both nature and from each other.

Time Travel

Today is "Pretend to be a Time Traveler Day". If you're not into the role playing aspect of the day, a book is the next best way to time travel - any day of the year!

What the Dickens?

Sloths, cocktails, butter, 2 octopi, whittling, single ladies, rocket girls, the Milky Way (not the candy bar), and Dickens - MentalFloss offers 50 books for everyone on your holiday gift list. Bet you'll find a book or two for yourself as well -

      

Holiday Art Program

Wednesday, December 14.  6:00 p.m.

Join us for a creative holiday art program with Johns Creek Art Center. Grades 2 to 5 only. No younger siblings please. Limit first 20 students. This is a free program but pre-registration is required. Register@www.johnscreekarts.org or 770 623 8448.

What Do You Think?

Fulton County residents and stakeholders are invited to give input during an upcoming series of public hearings to receive feedback and suggestions on the 2017 General Fund and South Fulton Tax District Fund budgets.

Monday, December 5 at 6:30 pm
East Roswell Library - 2301 Holcomb Bridge Rd
Roswell, GA 30076
Vice Chairman - Liz Hausmann

Letters About Literature Contest

The deadlines for the 2017 Letters About Literature student writing competition are fast approaching! Georgia students have always performed well in the competition.  Guidelines for submission and Teaching Guide can be found here.  If you're a Georgia student in grades 4-12 and read for class, a book club, or simply on your own, you're encouraged to Read, Be Inspired, and Write Back!

Free Concert!

alphachorus.wordpress.com

Malled

Rather than spending the Thanksgiving weekend at the mall, Upworthy offers 77 great alternatives. Here are some of our favorites:

• Donate to a charity
• A book, a blanket, a cuppa, and a window
• Write letters - actual letters
• Check out the latest books at Kirkus Reviews.
• If you must shop, support local businesses (the Mom & Pop kind) or look for socially responsible gifts
• Take a hike, visit a park

December Holiday Festivities

Johns Creek's annual Dreidel and Christmas tree lighting ceremony will kick off at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 29 at Newtown Park, and will feature Santa Claus, his reindeer, and Christmas carols by elementary school choruses.

Alpharetta Tree Lighting takes place December 3 from 5 – 9 pm in Downtown Alpharetta. Tree Lighting at 7. There'll be holiday performances, food trucks, a snow playground, and more!

End of semester help

CAST Free Math Tutoring         .
Sundays: December 4 & 11.  2-4 pm
Tutors will provide math instruction  for children in grades K-12th. Please bring an assignment or a topic you are struggling with.  Students will be seen on a first come first served basis. Registration is not required.  Dates may be subject to change or cancellation.

Tech Help: Databases
Saturday, December 10.  1-2:30 pm.
Need to research a stock? Want to learn about genealogy? Learn “hands-on” how to use the various business, consumer, and literature digital resources the library offers. Adults & students of all experience levels are welcome.  First-come, first-served. Laptop users welcome.  Dates may be subject to change or cancellation.

Most Wonderful Time of the Year?

The holidays are happy times, but they can be just as stressful. Come to Ocee and relax your mind and body this season.

Yoga & Meditation
Mondays; December 5, 12. 11:00 am-12:00 pm. 
Beginning yoga and meditation techniques for beginners.  Adults only. 

Yoga for Life
Fridays; December 2, 9, 16. 10:30-11:30 am. 
Lessons in using yogic techniques to deal with life issues.  Includes group discussion and incorporates relaxation exercises, reflective reading, and meditation in addressing real life issues.  Wear comfortable clothing. Adults only.

"Anthem"

Ring the bells that still can ring 
Forget your perfect offering 
There is a crack in everything
That’s how the light gets in. 

Leonard Cohen 1932-2016

Holiday Hours

Ocee and all other Atlanta Fulton libraries will close at 6 pm Wednesday 23 November for the Thanksgiving holiday. They will remain closed until Saturday. 

Library System closed

The Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System will be closed on 

Friday 11 November in honor of Veterans Day.

Why November? Why Tuesday?

"Between 1788 and 1845, states decided their own voting dates. Senate historian Don Ritchie told NPR that strategy resulted in chaos, a "crazy quilt of elections" held all across the country at different times to pick the electors—the white, male property owners who would cast their votes for president on the first Wednesday of December. In 1792, a law was passed mandating that state elections be held within a 34-day period before that day, so most elections took place in November. (Society was mostly agrarian; in November, the harvest was finished but winter hadn’t yet hit, making it the perfect time to vote.)

The glacial pace of presidential elections wasn’t a huge issue in the late 18th and early 19th centuries—communication was slow, so results took weeks to announce anyway—but with the advent of the railroad and telegraph, Congress decided it was time to standardize a date. Monday was out, because it would require people to travel to the polls by buggy on the Sunday Sabbath. Wednesday was also not an option, because it was market day, and farmers wouldn’t be able to make it to the polls. So it was decided that Tuesday would be the day that Americans would vote in elections, and in 1845, Congress passed a law that presidential elections would be held on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November."

Record Early Voting in Fulton

More than 2,180,000 votes have been cast in Georgia through advance and early voting, breaking the previous record of 2,129,316 in 2008. Georgia has more than 6.6 million registered voters.

Fulton County leads the state in ballots cast, with 233,571. That is 65,115 more than DeKalb, coming in second at 168,456. Gwinnett is third, with 144,679, followed by Cobb’s 138,737 and Forsyth’s 65,157.

Polls will be open on Election Day from 7 am to 7 pm. 

Your move!

Chess Club 
Wednesdays: November 9 and December 7. 6:00-7:30 pm.
Club members will learn strategies, game variations and perhaps have the opportunity to participate in a tournament. Ages 5 -13. Registration is not required. Dates may be subject to change or cancellation.

Tutoring

CAST Free Math Tutoring         
Sundays: November 6, November 13.  2:00-4:00 pm
Tutors will provide math instruction  for children in grades K-12th
Please bring an assignment or a topic you are struggling with.  Students will be seen on a first come  first served basis.  Registration is not required.  Dates may be subject to change or cancellation.

Earth Science Tutoring
Saturday, November 12. 1:00-2:30 pm
Please bring an assignment or a topic you are struggling with. Students will be seen on a first come first served basis. Dates may be subject to change or cancellation.

Tech Help

Tech Help Databases 

Saturday, Nov. 12, 1:00-2:00 pm

Get one-on-one help with any of the library’s digital services. Want to learn how to borrow eBooks or digital magazine? Want to research a stock using ReferenceUSA? How about tips for searching the catalog?

English 101 - ESL

English 101: Intermediate Grammar ESL 

Mondays, 1:00-2:00 pm

Improve your written English skills by learning about common grammar errors. This 4 week series will take place on Nov, 7, 14, 28 and Dec. 5. Space is limited. Call 770-360-8897 or to register for one or all four classes.

ESL Group
Wednesdays; November 9, 16, 23, 30.  4:00-6:00 pm.

Join our group to enhance your conversational English as a Second Language techniques for beginner to intermediate English speakers.  First come, first served.  No advanced registration is necessary. Free and open to the public. Ages 18 and up.  No textbooks needed.  Dates may be subject to change or cancellation.

Trapped in a Mine?

“One reads books in order to gain the privilege of living more than one life. People who don't read are trapped in a mine shaft, even if they think the sun is shining.” 

― Garrison Keillor

It's Illegal

Justin Timberlake took a selfie in the voting booth to encourage people to get out and vote. Unfortunately for JT this is illegal in Tennessee. It's also illegal in Georgia and many other states. 

There are signs outside the library that would make a great background for selfies!

Today is...

Whether you participate with a non-profit group, church, or on your own, it makes a difference - and it will make a difference in your life, too. Remember, every day brings  opportunities to make a positive contribution in your community!

If you have time or a talent to share at Ocee library, please click on the "Volunteering" page above or talk with a library staff member.

Please note!

We appreciate your book donations, but due to heavy voter turnout and safety concerns, we've had to remove the collection bin. Please wait until after the election to bring in your book donations. Thanks!

Monday

Early voting begins Monday 17 October (see 1 October post for schedule). The library will see an increase in traffic. Some voters may not be familiar with Ocee. Others may be distracted or in a hurry. Take extra care in the parking lot and please keep both eyes on your children.

Are You Addicted?

Recent studies found that 40% of us power up within 10 minutes of waking. More than that check their devices at least 25 times a day. The folks at Mentalfloss offer 7 ways to break your technology addiction. #6 explains why technology is so addictive. Think Las Vegas! We'd like add "read a book (the paper kind)" for #1, 4, and 7.

Scare Scale

KSL has a list of Halloween books for all ages - along with a "scare scale". Bustle and The Telegraph offer an adults' list. Search the AFPLS catalogue for book availability or ask library staff for their recommendations! 

Tense?

The Yoga for Life classes resume Fridays at 10:30 in the Resource Room!

If you need to de-stress but can't attend, please check out the library catalogue for yoga and meditation DVDs.

Labor of Love

'Dreamed up by Spanx founder Sara Blakely a few days before she gave birth to her son, The Belly Art Project is a movement inspired by motherly love, a creative way to capture and share a memorable moment leading up to baby’s big day. 100% of The Belly Art Project’s author proceeds benefit Every Mother Counts, which works to make pregnancy and childbirth safe for women everywhere.'