Children of all ages — adults, too — are invited to create an original design reflecting the winter months and then enter their artwork in Northland’s Winter Bookmark Contest.
Pick up an entry form at the Children and Teen Services or Ask A Librarian desk or download one from the Children and Teen page on the library’s website, beginning Jan. 2. The contest runs through Jan. 31.
Two winners will be chosen from each age category: 0 to 5, 6 to 9, 10 to 12, 13 to 17 and 18-plus.
• Cabin Fever, Northland Public Library’s adult winter reading challenge, starts Jan. 1 and runs through Feb. 28.
For every book read, you’ll have a chance to win a prize. Gift card winners will be chosen during the third full week of January and February, with a grand prize drawing at the end. To register, visit northlandlibrary.readsquared.com.
Category book lists will be available on Readsquared, printed at the Ask A Librarian desk, and linked on the main Northland website. For more information, contact the Ask A Librarian desk at 412-366-8100, ext. 113, or NorthlandAdults@northlandlibrary.org.
Programs for adults
• Great Courses: Writing and Civilization, 1:30 to 3 p.m. Tuesdays, Jan. 17-31.
Join staff members to watch lectures from the Great Courses class series “Writing and Civilization: From Ancient Worlds to Modernity.” Episodes trace the invention and evolution of “visible speech,” from its origins to its future in the digital age.
Registration is required for each week. Coffee and snacks will be provided.
• Composting 101, 7 p.m. Jan. 30 via Zoom. The Allegheny Land Trust will share how to create various types of composting bins, and what you can and cannot put inside them.
Registration is required. A Zoom link will be emailed the week before the program.
Programs for young people
• Homeschool Meetup: Photography Tips, 10 a.m. Jan. 3, with instruction from 4-H.
Lighting and composition will be discussed, as well as differences between film and digital photography. You do not need to bring your own camera but are welcome to do so at this program for students ages 9 to 15.
Space is limited. Please register each participant separately.
• Puffling Pals, Jan. 20, sessions at 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. or 1:30 p.m.
Craft a bookmark to take home and one to send to a library friend in Iceland. Registration is required for this program, for those in kindergarten through fifth grade.
Ongoing programs
• Cookbook Club, 6 to 8 p.m. the first Monday of each month. Home cooks of all skill levels explore dishes from various cookbooks. You may make a dish to share related to the month’s theme, which for Jan. 6 is “New Year, New (To You) Ingredient.”
Contact summersk@northlandlibrary.org with questions or to join the group’s email list.
• Movie matinee, 1:30 p.m. the third Wednesday of each month. Peek into the sights and culture of other lands through a travel or foreign film feature. No registration is required.
The Jan. 15 film is “Io Capitano,” directed by Matteo Garrone, the story of two cousins who want to immigrate from Senegal to Italy. What they find is a harrowing and brutal experience. What helps them is their indomitable spirit and empathy for all those along the way.
• Pokémon Club, 4 to 5 p.m. the first Tuesday of each month. A different activity is featured for each session, and trainers are welcome to bring their own cards and games from home to show off and share. No registration is required.
• Toddler Time, 10 a.m. or 11 a.m. Wednesdays, Jan. 15, 22, 29 and Feb. 5, 12.
Children ages 12 to 35 months with a caregiver are invited to join Ms. Abby for songs, rhymes and library fun to build important pre-reading and social skills. Register for one of the two available time slots in the five-week session.
• Library Tots, 10 a.m. Thursdays, Jan. 30 and Feb. 6, 13, 20, 27, for children ages 12 through 36 months.
Toddlers will build pre-reading skills and enjoy special time with their grownups. Register once to attend all five sessions.
For a full listing of events, activities and ongoing groups, and to register for programs, visit www.northlandlibrary.org.