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Celebrate winter at the library during your winter school break!

Winter Crafternoon
Wednesday, February 19 at 2 PM
Create fun winter-themed crafts.
Take your creations home, but leave the mess behind.

Winter Lego Creations
Friday, February 21 at 2 PM
Use the library’s Lego collection and your imagination to create winter wonderland scenes with your friends.

Friday, February 14 at 4 PM

Single…? Taken…? Who cares, YOU’RE AWESOME!!

Join us to celebrate being “in love” with your date, your friends, or just yourself!

Games, crafts, prizes, and snacks.

Tuesday, February 4 at 7 PM

Come hear the Kalamazoo Brass lift the winter blues with New Orleans style Mardi Gras Music!

This event is FREE Thanks to the partial funding by the Music Performance Trust Fund.

Ginger Titus of Edward Jones
David “Fred” Kiel of Orton Tooman Hale McKown & Kiel, P.C.
Thursday, March 5 at 7 PM

Financial Adviser Ginger and Attorney Fred bring you a joint presentation on estate planning. There will be a basic overview of estate planning, including: account registration, beneficiary designation, will, trust, tax information, life insurance, and TOD (transfer on death).

Calling all donors! The library is hosting another blood drive.

Join us Monday, March 9 from 12 PM – 5:45 PM to donate.

The American Red Cross will be taking the lead at this blood drive by accepting donors in the Large Program Room.

Saturday, March 14 at 10 AM – Noon

Meet the Author, Leslie Helakoski!

Leslie Helakoski, award-winning children’s author and illustrator, says her books are for laughing, living, and learning. If you’ve read any of her books (including Big Chickens), you will have to agree.

“Woolbur” is the fun-filled story of a sheep that bleats to his own beat. We will begin our morning with a presentation by Leslie, and then be able to meet a live “Woolbur,” make a wooly craft, and have a snack that’s not baaaaaaaaaaa…..d

How to Start Your Business
George Fotis, Certified Business Consultant, Michigan Small Business Development Center
Thursday, March 26 at 7 PM

This seminar will help you assess your readiness for entrepreneurship, evaluate the viability of your business concept, understand the steps to starting a business, and take advantage of business planning tools.

https://otsegolibrary.org/3975-2/

This club meets on the 4th Monday of Month at 2 PM.

The library is partnering with the Arc of Allegan County, a non-profit organization supporting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. ALL adults are welcome to connect, create and explore some fun activities. There will be additional volunteers available to offer support to participants. If one-on-one support is needed, please bring a support person with you.

Craft Day

March 30 – Come get crafty with your friends!

Up and Coming Meetups
April 27 – STEAM Day – Explore some fun STEAM-focused stations.

The Otsego District Public Library (ODPL) is a vital, vibrant, well-run organization that serves as a valuable resource for the community. Every day, our patrons tell us how proud they are of ODPL. Our mission is to enrich the community by connecting people with information, each other, and the world. We do this through emphasizing customer service, offering creative programming, useful technology, and building a beautiful collection relevant to community needs. You know that because you are one of the library’s 16,303 awesome patrons. Our welcoming staff does an outstanding job, and our Friends of the Library volunteers donate over 1,500 volunteer hours per year to support the library efforts.

The library team truly strives to be fiscally responsible stewards of the public funds.

Highlights include:

• In 2016, ODPL saved the community $250,000 over a ten year span by refinancing the debt bonds, even though the library itself would see no additional funding or savings from this process to pay off the building at a better rate for the community.
• One of the library’s strengths is its rich program offerings: every year the library puts on fantastic programs, like our local business-sponsored Winter Early Literacy Fundraisers (Candyland, Jumanji, Wonderland, Wizard of Oz), Lyrics on the Lawn, Summer Reading Program and more. All of the library programs are planned using under 3% of the library’s operating budget.
• The library has added seven new income sources over the past seven years. We are always actively looking for ways to supplement the library’s income as well as cut costs on expenses.

ODPL is proud of the service and resources we provide the community and the library has been in good stride. This is our tenth year in our building. We have several specific requests for community support:

• Add 3^rd Grade Reading Booster Packs: A new collection of tutoring kits that parents and kids can checkout, designed for struggling readers, based of fluency, comprehension, vocabulary, and phonics.
• Replace Self-Checkout Machines and Tag-Readers: Our current machines are operating on an old system that is no longer supported.
• Replace Chairs for Computer Stations: Our current chairs are worn from a decade of use and in desperate need of replacement with a cleanable fabric.
• Add Concrete Pad & Fencing for Commercial Trash Bin: We need a receptacle are to house a commercial-size trash bin.
• Add Current Technology: The library would also love to ad increased technology offerings similar to the new features at other libraries, such as: Robotics, a Makerspace, 3D Printing, updated Teen Gaming, and Virtual Reality.

We have developed a wish list for smaller items as well. If you would like to gift the library anything this holiday season, find a link to our Amazon Wishlist on our website and Facebook Page.

There is so much the library could do with additional revenue from generous community donors.

We have set a goal of fundraising $26,500 from our community supporters. These projects are outside of our regular budget parameters. Please join with us; you will truly make a difference. Your support will help position us to continue to provide the quality library materials and facility you love and deserve.

Please consider adding the library to you list of annual giving so that we may preserve our vision to maintain the best library around!

A donation form is found below for your convenience. You can also make a donation in person at the library, over the phone via credit card, or through the PayPal DONATE button on our website. The library is a non-profit, so consult with your tax adviser because your donation is most likely tax deductible! We are happy to send you an acknowledgement receipt for your donation.

Any amount helps. If just 530 patrons gave $50 we would hit our goal. We have heard so many voice their support of the library, and we greatly thank you for your support.

“There’s no place like home!”

Andrea Estelle, Library Director 
Diane DeVries, Assistant Library Director  
Jacqueline Bennett, Board President 
Robin Rowe, Board Vice President 
Nancy Seibert, Board Secretary 
David Goodrich, Board Treasurer 
Laurie Andrus, Board Trustee 
Bart Seelye, Board Trustee

Now, if you are able, we ask for your help.
 Thank you for being a great library patron and for your support of your hometown library!

HOW TO DONATE

• Print the attached Donation Form – Make checks payable to Otsego District Public Library and bring in or mail to: 401 Dix Street, Otsego, MI 49078
• OR Call (269) 694-9690 to make a donation by credit card over the phone
• OR Use the “Donate to Your Library” – PayPal to donate online.