Bemis Library Adult Programs – Jan. 2022
Explore Colorado for FREE using a Bemis Culture Pass!
Bemis Public Library cardholders can visit several metro-Denver cultural attractions for free with a Bemis Culture Pass. Click here bemis.marmot.org. to reserve tickets with your library card. Currently, Bemis offers passes to Butterfly Pavilion, Denver Botanic Gardens, Museo de las Americas Art Museum and Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum. Culture Pass benefits vary by destination. Each library cardholder is eligible for two Culture Passes per month. Limit one pass per institution, per library card at a time. Please note: Some museums are requiring additional reservations. Check your booking confirmation carefully for details.
Bemis Hosting Free Housing Navigation Services
Arapahoe County Housing Resource Navigation Services is offering free drop-in assistance at Bemis Public Library every Monday from 1–4:30 p.m. Housing Resource Navigators will help the public with applying for housing, rental or mortgage and utility assistance. Services are on a first-come-first-served basis.
Adult/General Programs
Senior Social Club—Thursdays in January 9:30–11:30 a.m.
Please join us for our weekly chat in Sophie’s Place at the front of the library.
Beginner Genealogy Workshop – Monday, January 10, 1:00-2:30 pm
Want to research your ancestors but don’t know where to start? This basic workshop will provide participants with resources and valuable local connections to begin doing genealogy research. Workshop topics include where to find records, how and when to document sources, building a family tree with software, using online resources, and an introduction to the Bemis genealogical collection. Registration is required. Fee for the class is $35/individual or $45/family. Cash or check fee payments are due on or before January 7. Make checks payable to Columbine Genealogical and Historical Society or CGHS. The fee includes a resource notebook, mentor program, links to six additional Zoom genealogical education classes, nine in-person/Zoom presentations and a one-year CGHS membership.
Registration is required. Please call the library at 303-795-3961 or click here to register.
Budgeting and Saving with Canvas Credit Union—Tuesday, January 11, 5:30 p.m.
Tell your money where to go instead of wondering where it went. Nearly half of Americans are stressed about money and don’t have funds for emergencies. Turning to credit cards or high-interest loans in dire times just increases the price tag. Don’t let surprises sting your finances. Pick up the tools and resources at this seminar to get started mastering your money goals, setting spending plans, tracking expenses, and affording life. Hybrid in-person/virtual: attendees may come to the library or attend via Zoom.
Registration is required. Please call the library at (303) 795-3961 or click here to register.
Art Workshop with the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art—Thursday, January 13, 2 p.m.
Join BMoCA Educator Melinda Laz for a second hands-on workshop about BMoCA’s current exhibition, Incredible Lightness, and create a piece of art inspired by the show.
This retrospective of the work of sculptor Jerry Wingren spans forty-five years of his work, and examines his continuing fascination with making incredibly dense, heavy materials appear light and weightless. The exhibition includes works in stone, steel, and wood.
Registration is required. Registered participants will be provided with art supplies to create their own project. Please call the library at (303) 795-3961 or click here to register.
Mundo Mistico: Mexico—Friday, January 14, 9:30 a.m.
This creative and engaging class invites us to learn about Spanish language and culture through the unique lens of different countries. Each month, we will explore one of the 20 countries worldwide that claim Spanish as the official language. Each session will introduce vocabulary and gentle language practice, and also explore the culture, art, and heritage of each country. Hybrid in-person/virtual: attendees may come to the library or attend via Zoom.
Registration is required. Please call the library at (303) 795-3961 or click here to register.
Board Games @ Bemis—Friday January 14, 5–7 p.m.
Drop in after-hours for board games. Pizza and snacks will be served. Open to all ages, no registration required.
A Bright New Year craft—Saturday, January 22, 2–3:30 p.m.
In the dark winter months, nothing says ‘cozy’ quite like candlelight. With a crockpot, some old crayons, mismatched teacups, and bits of sparkle, we’ll create lovely candles to share the warmth.
Registration is required. Please call the library at (303) 795-3961 or click here to register.
Afghanistan with Active Minds—Monday, January 24, 2 p.m.
In October of 2001, the U.S. led a coalition invasion of Afghanistan seeking to oust the ruling Taliban and find Al Qaeda leaders, including Osama bin Laden in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. Join Active Minds for a look at the story of Afghanistan, both before and since 9/11. We also will look forward at the recent withdrawal of U.S. troops, and what the future holds for this war-torn country.
For more information on this topic, visit the course outline:
https://activeminds.com/topics/Afghanistan.html
Concert: Close N Counter – Saturday, January 29, 2 p.m.
Enjoy the easy listening melodies of this local guitar duo consisting of Gordon Close and Richard Blanchard. Close has been playing guitar professionally since the age of 16. He’s been a guitarist for Bobby Darren, Stevie Wonder and the Accents. Blanchard started young on classical piano and guitar and has performed with various folk groups and the Denver Mandolin Orchestra. He arranges for Close N Counter as well and adds a special touch of mellowness to Close N Counter’s sound and feel.
Bemis Book Clubs
Join one of our fantastic groups to discuss thought provoking books – and sometimes just life in general. The Senior Book Group meets on the first Wednesday of the month. Books & Beer Nonfiction Book Club meets at Jackass Hill Brewery on the second Wednesday of the month. The Evening Fiction Book Club meets on the third Wednesday of the month.
Senior Book Group (hybrid in-person/online): Wednesday, January 5, 1 p.m.
American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins
Lydia Quixano Perez lives in the Mexican city of Acapulco. She runs a bookstore. She has a son, Luca, the love of her life, and a wonderful husband who is a journalist. And while there are cracks beginning to show in Acapulco because of the drug cartels, her life is by and large, comfortable.
Even though she knows they’ll never sell, Lydia stocks some of her all-time favorite books in her store. And then one day a man enters the shop to browse and comes up to the register with a few books he would like to buy-two of them her favorites. Javier is erudite. He is charming. And unbeknownst to Lydia, he is the jefe, on the newest drug cartel that has gruesomely taken over the city. When Lydia’s husbands tell-all profile of Javier is published, none of their lives will ever be the same.
Forced to flee, Lydia and eight-year-old Luca soon find themselves miles and worlds away from their comfortable middle-class existence. Instantly transformed into migrants, Lydia and Luca ride la bestia-trains that make their way north toward the United States, which is the only place Javier’s reach doesn’t extend. As they join the countless people trying to reach el norte, Lydia soon sees that everyone is running from something. But what exactly are they running to?
Hybrid in-person/virtual: attendees may come to the library or attend via Zoom.
Click here to join the discussion, or dial 1 (301) 715-8592 and enter Meeting ID 938 6994 0700 when prompted.
Books & Beer Nonfiction Book Club (at Jackass Hill Brewery): Wednesday, January 12, 6 p.m.
Zero: The biography of a dangerous idea by Charles Seife
The Babylonians invented it, the Greeks banned it, the Hindus worshipped it, and the Church used it to fend off heretics. Today, zero lies at the heart of one of the biggest scientific controversies of all time, the quest for the theory of everything. Zero follows the number from its birth as an Eastern philosophical concept to its struggle for acceptance in Europe and its apotheosis as the mystery of the black hole. Elegant, witty, and utterly fascinating, the story takes us from Aristotle to superstring theory by way of Pythagoras, Descartes, the Kabbalists, and Einstein. It is a compelling look at the strangest number in the universe, and one of the greatest paradoxes of human thought.
Group meets at Jackass Hill Brewery: 2409 Main St, Littleton, CO 80120
Evening Book Club (hybrid in-person/online): Wednesday, January 19, 5:30 p.m.
The Good Lord Bird by James MacBride
Henry Shackleford is a young slave living in the Kansas Territory in 1856 – a battleground between anti- and pro-slavery forces – when legendary abolitionist John Brown arrives. When an argument between Brown and Henry’s master turns violent, Henry is forced to leave town, along with Brown, who believes Henry to be a girl and his good-luck charm. Over the ensuing months, Henry—whom Brown nicknames Little Onion—conceals his true identity to stay alive. Eventually Brown sweeps him into the historic raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859—one of the great catalysts for the Civil War.
Hybrid in-person/virtual: attendees may come to the library or attend via Zoom.
Click here to join the discussion
Tech Programs
Pinterest- January 20, 11:30 AM
Learn the basics of Pinterest. Pinterest is both a social media platform and a digital bulletin board. Keep track of inspiration for cooking, organization, fashion, art, and more. In this class, you will learn how to create an account, connect with friends that use Pinterest, and how to organize your ideas.
Registration is required. Please call the library at (303) 795-3961 or click here to register.
DIY: Pom Poms- January 11, 3:30 PM
Learn to use 3D printed pom-pom makers to make your own pom-poms. These pom-poms can be used to decorate clothing or accessories, or they can be a work of art all on their own
Registration is required. Please call the library at (303) 795-3961 or click here to register.
In Person One-on-One Tech Help, Various Dates & Times*
Sign up for a 45-minute individualized tech appointment with a librarian. Get help with anything from accessing eBooks and digital resources, assistance with internet connectivity, video chatting and more.
Registration is required. Please call the library at (303) 795-3961 or click here to register.
TheStudio@Bemis: One-on-Ones, Various Dates & Times*
Sign up for an individualized appointment with a librarian to learn more about any resources in TheStudio@Bemis, our new makerspace. Get training on how to use our Cricut Makers or sewing machines safely and independently.
Registration is required. Please call the library at (303) 795-3961 or click here to register.
TheStudio@Bemis: Open Lab
January 4 & 18, 4–6 p.m.
Drop in to TheStudio to learn more about the space and its resources. Activities for the whole family will be provided. Feel free to bring a creative project or idea you’ve been working on or ask about past library craft workshops. Connect with other makers and get inspired for your next project. Drop in, no registration required.
TheStudio@Bemis: Stitch Circle
January 13 & 27, 11:30-12:30
Calling all knitters, crocheters, and embroiderers. Join TheStudio’s Stitch Circle. Bring in projects you’ve been working on or come to learn the basics of knitting or crocheting. This will be an opportunity to meet and learn from other makers in the community. Drop in, no registration required.
Happy New Year! I happened upon your website; Bravo to Bemis! Your programs sound wonderful!
I am a resident of Highlands Ranch in possession of a Douglas County library card; am I able to also obtain a Littleton library card and participate in the Bemis Library programs?
Thank you for your reply!