Today is the first day back to school for students in Sequim. Whether you’re young or young at heart, the library supports opportunities for lifelong learning.
Children, tweens, young adults, grown-ups and retirees can all access an assortment of free library resources for learning, growing and nurturing curiosity about the world, whether you’re learning the ukulele or learning to read.
Early literacy skills are cultivated at library storytimes for young children. Weekly storytimes start on Tuesday, Sept. 18, at 6 p.m., the first of a five-week Evening Storytime series. Preschool and Wiggly Storytimes are offered at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday and Thursday mornings.
Books, magazines, DVDs and audio books are, of course, available for check-out. You might check out a telescope, birding kit, musical instrument (offered in partnership with Joyful Noise Music Center) or geocaching kit at the Sequim branch.
If you’re preparing for the Washington driver’s license written exam, you’ll find practice tests available for free through driving-tests.org available on the library’s Online Resources page at www.nols.org. Practice tests include driver’s license, motorcycle license and commercial diver’s license (CDL) exams.
Lynda.com has more than 6,000 online courses with more than 130,000 instructional videos geared toward business, technology and creative fields – even ukulele! Topics include: software development; design; business; web development; photography, and marketing.
With a NOLS library card, you can access all of these courses for free through www.nols.org.
Page-turning learning
Learning to read takes time and practice. The library offers a diverse collection of Early Reader books geared toward children learning to read and also offers an Adult Literacy Collection of books geared toward adults improving their skills.
Brush up on your Spanish, French, Arabic, Italian, German or Russian with a language learning program on audio CD, or explore the online language learning platform Duolingo to learn these languages and more.
DIY project ideas are endless. Here are a few books that will walk you through a project from start to finish: “Modern Macrame: 33 Stylish Projects for Your Handmade Home” by Emily Katz; “Stitch Camp: 18 Crafty Projects for Kids & Tweens” by Nicole Blum & Catherine Newman, or “Good Clean Fun: Misadventures in Sawdust at Offerman Woodshop” by Nick Offerman.
“The Kitchen Counter Cooking School: How a Few Simple Lessons Transformed Nine Culinary Novices Into Fearless Home Cooks” by Kathleen Flinn will build your confidence in the kitchen. And finally, with so many great things to learn, here’s a book that can help you find the time: “Off the Clock: Feel Less Busy While Getting More Done” by Laura Vanderkam.
Getting a library card is free and provides access to all of the library’s online resources, in addition to all the great things available for checkout!
To sign up, bring your ID and stop by the Sequim Library, 630 N. Sequim Ave., to talk to friendly library staff. For more information, visit www.nols.org or call 360-683-1161.
Emily Sly is Sequim Branch Library Manager for the North Olympic Library System.
