St. Charles Public Library notes

The St. Charles Public Library, 1 S. Sixth Ave., offers a variety of programs and events. Registration for youth programs is now being taken in person at the ASK ME Desk, online, or via the phone.

Adults

Winter issue out: The winter issue of "Discover Your Library," the library's news and program guide which contains programs for all ages, is now available online at www.stcharleslibrary.org and at the library.

Writers Group: St. Charles Writers Group meets on the second and fourth Saturday of every month beginning at 9:15 a.m. On Jan. 10, listen to guest speaker novelist J.A. Konrath talk about publishing and on Jan. 24, the group will discuss the art of turning summary into scene. Moderator Richard Holinger leads the group that is designed for both fledgling and experienced writers. Each workshop begins with a short presentation or a group discussion and follows with critiques of each other's work. Workshops are for those 18 or older. For further information, call Merilee Curtis at (630) 584-0076, ext. 240.

Sunday Afternoon Concerts: The series continues at 2 p.m. on the second and fourth Sunday of the month. The Jan. 11 concert features ragtime with pianist Dan Williams. The Jan. 25 classical concert features pianist Robert Vanderschaaf and cellist Matthew Agnew. The classical concert is sponsored by the St. Charles Public Library Foundation with a gift from the St. Charles Art and Music Festival Fund.

Chili dinner: Join the Friends of the Library for a Chili Dinner at 6 p.m. Monday, Jan. 12. Guests are invited to come and learn more about this volunteer group.

Book discussion groups: The First Tuesday Book Discussion Groups meets Jan. 13. The 10 a.m. group will discuss "Museum of the Missing: A History of Art Theft" by Simon Houpt and the 7 p.m. group will discuss "The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors. and the Collision of Two Cultures" by Anne Fadiman.

Lyric Opera: The opera, "Tristan und Isolde" by Richard Wagner will be discussed at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 13 by a member of the Lyric Opera Lecture Corps. You will hear the story, learn about the composer, and listen to musical highlights. The Lyric Opera of Chicago is performing the work, which debuted in Munich in 1865, starting Jan. 27 through Feb. 28 with soprano Deborah Voigt and tenor Clifton Forbis. Stop by any of the Tri-City libraries for a brochure listing future dates and locations.

Exam Cram: The library will be open late. Stop by, study, bring a friend or bring two for "Exam Cram 2009" from 5 to 10 p.m. Monday, Jan. 19, Tuesday, Jan. 20, and Wednesday, Jan. 21. There will be pizza at 7 p.m. with snacks and drinks all night. Reference help will be available, and Wi-Fi for your laptop. (The food is provided by the Friends of the Library.)

Youth

The winter issue of "Discover Your Library," the library's news and program guide, is available online, at the library, and should have been delivered to your mailbox. Winter program registration will begin on Saturday, Jan. 10.

Read-Aloud Book Club: Register today for the Family Read-Aloud Book Club. Record time spent as a family reading aloud and receive rewards. You will receive your family book log and more details at registration.

Used book sale: The Children's Used Book Sale will be from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 10. Stop by for some great bargains on children's materials and register your children for fabulous winter programs-all on the same day.

Story Time: Multi-Age Story Time resumes on Tuesday, Jan. 13 and Wednesday, Jan. 14 at 9:30 a.m. Just show your St. Charles Library card at the door. Grandparents, now you can bring your grandchildren who reside outside of the library district and grandchildren can bring their grandparents who reside outside of the library district.

Age specific Story Times will be beginning again on the third full week of January. On Mondays, there is story time for infants at 9:30 a.m., for 1-year-olds at 10:30 a.m., and for 3- to 5-year-olds at 7 p.m.

On Tuesdays, there is Story Time for 2-year-olds story at 9:30 a.m., for 3- and 4-year-olds at 10:30 a.m., and for 4- and 5-year-olds at 1:30 p.m.

On Wednesdays, there is Story Time for 3- and 4-year-olds at 9:30 a.m. and for 2-year-olds at 10:30 a.m. On Thursdays, there is Story Time for 1-year-olds at 10:30 a.m.

On display: For the month of January, model train memorabilia from the Midwest Division of the Train Collectors Association will be on display in the lower level display case. Their hands-on modular train layout will be on display at the library on Saturday, Jan. 31 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and on Sunday, Feb. 1 from noon to 4:30 p.m.

Gaming: Students in third to eighth grade can come to the library for Gaming from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 20 to play video games on the big screen. Use the Library's Wii remotes or bring your own. Board games will also be available.

Book Magic: For kindergartners, the Tuesday, Jan. 20 Book Magic story time will be at 4:15 p.m. The theme will be something there has been quite a few of this winter, "Snowy Days!"

Kid's Corner: For first- and second-grade students, the Monday Jan. 26 Kid's Corner story time will be at 4:15 p.m. Fun will be had with the very fitting theme of "Brr! Think Summer."

Scout workshops: Did you know that the library offers workshops for Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts? On Tuesday, Jan. 27, a Citizenship workshop will be held for the Webelo Boy Scouts at 4:15 p.m. On Thursday, Jan. 29, a Model Citizen workshop will take place for the Juniors Girl Scouts at 4:15 p.m. Troup leaders need to register for all of the children that they will be bringing.

Ready to Read: On Tuesday, Jan. 27 from 7-8 p.m. the Every Child Ready to Read Workshop will be presented to parents and grandparents of children, infant to 5 years old. This workshop will help you make the best use of the time that you spend reading and interacting with your child.

Family Story Time: On Wednesday, Jan. 28 at 7 p.m., Family Story Time will be all about cuddling up! Registration for this program is for families with children who are infants through first-grade students. Wear your PJs, bring your favorite stuffed toy, and be prepared to have some fun.

Gaming: On Friday, Jan. 30, sixth- to eighth-grade students can drop by to play some video games at Gaming on the big screen at 4 p.m. Use the Library's Wii remotes or bring your own. Board games will also be available.