6 Winter 2020 Applegater
— Ruch Library —
— Applegate Library —
Beethoven live at the Ruch Library
BY THALIA TRUESDELL
Beethoven live at Ruch Library! On
December 12 Ruch Library will become
a concert hall for live Beethoven music,
celebrating Ludwig’s 250th birthday!
Talented members of the Applegate Valley
community perform between 11:00
am and 4:00 pm, in 15- or 20-minute
blocks. Each performer will be in the
Community Room, and the audience will
be appreciating the music in the library
and foyer, through open doors.
We will have a program available at
the library after December 1, listing each
performer and the piece she or he will
be playing. We are expecting 15 or more
musicians, all ages, and from all walks of
life. The instruments they will be playing
include cellos, violins, piano, voice,
saxophones, accordion (!), and zither, to
name a few. We hope you will join us for
part of this community concert.
December 1 there will be a limited
number of kits available for making a Take
& Make Photo Ball Ornament. This is a
paper sphere made from eight two-inch
circles (included). You can glue your
cropped photos into each of the eight
circles. There are also directions for making
a 3-D, diamond-shaped ornament using
only photographs. This is a great way to
make an heirloom ornament.
Every day should be a holiday! Help us
celebrate some zany occasions every (open)
day in December, January, and February.
The calendar is full of goofy-to-serious
potential celebrations, and we will have
a fun way to honor each one.  You will
not want to miss National Feed the Birds
Day, Squirrel Appreciation Day, a Seed
Swap, and much, much more. Get your
holiday calendar at Ruch Library after
December 1 and plan each of your library
visits to coincide with a different fun and
educational festivity.
This year Jackson County Library
Services is doing Rogue Reads, a community
Leinfelder joins library board
BY THALIA TRUESDELL
reading program from December 1
to February 28. We have selected books by
author Jacqueline Woodson, who will do a
virtual author talk on February 21 at 4:00
pm. The titles include Red at the Bone for
adults, If You Come Softly for teens, Brown
Girl Dreaming for middle-graders, and The
Day You Begin for our youngest readers.
We’ve ordered more copies of each book
for the collection in an effort to get as many
people reading the same books in Jackson
County as possible. There will be programs
for all ages that focus on these titles and
their themes throughout the winter
months. Patrons will also be able to earn
points towards prizes through Beanstack,
a reading challenge app, by reading these
and other books and participating in
programs. Our goals are (1) to promote
literacy and intergenerational book-
centered discussion, (2) to foster a sense
of community by bringing people together
through literature, and (3) to engage
Jackson County residents in dialogue
and bring the community together by
promoting tolerance and understanding
about differing points of view. 
The Friends of Ruch Library are
getting books into the community via
Little Free Libraries (now at McKee
Bridge, China Gulch, and Ruch School,
with three more in the making). There is
also a new bookcase at the Ruch Country
Store with many titles in both paperback
and hardcover. The Friends hope to open
the Book Barn for First Saturday sales.
Watch the reader-board by Ramsey Realty
for updated information.  Until further
notice, we are not accepting donations at
the library or the Book Barn.
We hope to see you soon at the library!
Thalia Truesdell, Ruch Library
Branch Manager
Jackson County Library
services, jcls.org
541-899-7438, ttruesdell@jcls.org
Congratulations to Applegater
Gerrie Leinfelder, the newest member of
the Jackson County Library Foundation
(JCLF) board.
Gerrie started volunteering in her high
school library and then worked in a public
library in NYC. She has been a volunteer
in Ruch and Medford libraries for more
than 20 years.
“It’s no surprise that I continue to
find joy in bookstacks,” she said. “I am so
pleased to serve with JCLF in joint efforts
to support libraries in our diverse district.
Our county encompasses quite a variety
of lifestyles and economics with a wide
spectrum of interests and skills. I believe
tapping into those talented individual
resources helps form community and,
through community, helps build empathy
and open-mindedness.”
JCLF manages contributions from
individuals, businesses, and foundations
to build community support for Jackson
County Library Services in its efforts
to learn, grow, and connect with the
community.
Thalia Truesdell, Ruch Library
Branch Manager
Jackson County Library Services, jcls.org
541 899-7438, ttuesdell@jcls.org
The Applegate Branch Library
will offer the following Take & Make Kits,
containing hands-on crafts and activities
to make at home. Kits are available,
beginning on the dates listed, while
supplies last:
• Holiday Craft, starting December 11.
• Winter Craft, starting January 8.
• Valentine’s Day Craft, starting
February 2.
Please check out our winter event
calendar at jcls.org.
For additional information, please
contact Christine Grubb, Applegate
Branch Library Manager, at 541-846-7346
or cgrubb@jcls.org. The Applegate Branch
Library is at 18485 North Applegate Road,
Applegate.
Christine Grubb
Applegate Branch Library Manager
Jackson County Library Services
A new sign marks the Applegate library.
Gerrie Leinfelder
— Williams Library —
Services during COVID
All four library branches in Grants
Pass, Illinois Valley, Williams, and Wolf
Creek are offering multiple services
while buildings are restricted due to
health concerns.
Library staff finalized renovations
to support physical distancing and
increased foot traffic and to ensure
the safety of patrons, volunteers,
and staff during the pandemic. The
following services are available at all
four library branches:
Tuesday through Saturday: phone
support from 11 am-4 pm.
We d n e s d a y s : 3 0 - m i n u t e
c o m p u t e r a p p o i n t m e n t s b e t we e n
1-4 pm. Registration is required. To
register, patrons can contact their
preferred branch or email info@
josephinelibrary.org.
Thursdays and Fridays: Book drops
are open all day.
Fridays and Saturdays: Curbside
pick-up between noon-4 pm.
Fridays and Saturdays: Facilities
open to the public between 1-4 pm
during Grab & Go hours. Patrons will
have the opportunity to browse the
library and check out items in person
for 30-minute periods. Registration is
not required.
On Thursdays at the Grants Pass
and Illinois Valley branches, senior
Grab & Go hours are offered between
1–4 pm in-person for 30-minute
periods. Registration is not required.
During Grab & Go hours
restrooms and seating are unavailable.
Restrooms are unavailable during
computer appointment hours.
LearningExpress
You can access educational resources
for children, teens, and adults through
LearningExpress Library, available in
the library’s online reference library.
Students in grades 4–12 can practice
math, English language arts, and
social studies; prospective college
students can access ACT, SAT, and
AP practice tests; job seekers can get
step-by-step help creating a resume or
preparing for an occupational exam;
and everyone can benefit from video
tutorials and e-books on a variety
of topics.
This resource can be found
from the librar y homepage under
the catalog heading, in the online
reference library, or from this direct
link: josephinelibrary.org/catalog/
online-reference-library.
JosephineLINK
Through JosephineLINK,
community members can access up-
to-date information for hundreds of
community organizations. This easy-to-
use online community resource directory
is curated by local librarians and updated
regularly with the most current contact
information as well as hours, locations,
and website address. Browse by category
or search by keyword. This resource can
be found on our library homepage or at
josephinelibrary.org/josephine-link.
Online Learning Resources
The library offers many online learning
resources for kids, families, teens, and
tweens. These tools offer homework help,
useful skill-building, and other fun and
productive activities for children and teens.
In addition, early literacy activities, including
virtual storytime, parent resources, and
recommended reading, are also available.
These resources can be found
from the library’s homepage under
the Teens/Tweens (josephinelibrary.
org/teens-and-tweens) and Kids/
Family (josephinelibrary.org/kids-and-
family) headings.
Need more information?
Dro p by t h e Wi l l i a m s b r a n c h
of Josephine Community Librar y
Di s t r i c t ( i n f o @ j o s e p h i n e l i b r a r y.
o r g , w w w. j o s e p h i n e l i b r a r y. o r g )
a t 2 0 6 9 5 W i l l i a m s H i g h w a y,
Williams. Email branch manager
Jamie Menzel at jmenzel@
josephinelibrar y.org or call her at
541-846-7020.
Voices of the Applegate
Pause continues for Voices of the Applegate
We are sorry to say that, due to the pandemic, Voices of
the Applegate is still on hold. You can keep in touch with
us on Facebook (Voices of the Applegate).  If things change
during the next few months, we will certainly let you know. 
We hope you will all stay healthy and hopefully we’ll see you
after the new year.
Joan Peterson
541-846-6988