Guilderland Library Notes for Thursday, November 8, 2018

Are you a non-medical person interested in improving your family members’ or community members’ end-of-life experiences? Or perhaps you’re a health-care professional who wants to hone your skills in caring for the dying?

Then End-of-Life Doula Training, a four-hour session starting at the Guilderland Public Library on Tuesday, Nov. 13, at 6:30 p.m., is for you. This, and the concluding session on Tuesday, Nov. 20, at 6:30 p.m., will introduce you to the concept of end-of-life doulas.

You may know the term “doula” to represent someone who is trained to assist a woman during childbirth and who may provide emotional, physical, and spiritual support to the family after the baby is born.

An end-of-life doula uses very much the same philosophy. Even with the wonderful services of hospice care, time constraints and insurance restrictions can lead to gaps in care, support, and teaching for patients and their families. An end-of-life doula can help bridge that gap.  

The presenter, trainer Jennifer Hoit, has 10 years of experience in home-care nursing, and currently works for Eddy Senior Care PACE in Schenectady.

Please register for this class by calling 518-456-2400, ext. 3.

Try It Before You Buy It

This holiday season, are you thinking about gifting a Roku, Apple TV, or Amazon Fire Stick? How about Amazon Alexa, or a HDTV antenna?

Get some hands-on experience with these amazing gadgets at the Library during Try It Before You Buy It!  on Friday, Nov. 9, between 2 and 4 p.m. We’ll have gadgets from our collection set up for you to try, and staff will be on hand to answer simple questions.

Please note that this is not a formal presentation — rather, it’s a self-guided demonstration of gadgets with help from the library staff.

Cookbook Club

You like to cook? So do we!

And that’s why the next Cookbook Club gathering on Wednesday, Nov. 14, at 7 p.m. is centered on Cravings: Hungry for More, by Chrissy Teigen — will be chock full of yummy comfort foods!

The Cookbook Club gathers every month to sample dishes from a selection of books chosen by the Library staff. Come to the information desk to look through the current cookbook and choose your recipe(s). On meeting night, bring a sample of the dish you prepared for everyone to taste.

You’ll talk about the authors and their motivations (and maybe meet a few along the way!). You’ll learn about cuisines from different and cooking genres. After each meeting, someone gets to go home with a copy of the book of the month.

Register in person at the library’s adult information desk; no phone or online registrations, please.

Tai Chi and QiGong​ with Rich Goodhart

If you’re looking for a low-impact exercise that can strengthen and relax muscles and joints, come to the library on Thursday, Nov. 8, at 11 a.m., for the first of four Tai Chi and QiGong sessions, with Rich Goodhart.

QiGong, and its related form Tai Chi, is a form of gentle exercise that emphasizes deliberate, careful, almost dance-like movements. Developed more than 1,000 years ago in China, it helps improve muscle tone and has been found to be excellent for fall prevention.

Rich Goodhart is a certified Tai Chi/QiGong instructor, and has taught at both the Omega Institute and the Kripalu Center, in Lenox, Massachusetts.  

Space is limited. Participants are encouraged to attend all classes, as instruction is cumulative. The follow-on sessions are all on Thursdays at 11 a.m.: Nov. 15 and Dec. 13 and 27.

Please register by calling 518-456-2400, ext. 3; attend wearing comfortable clothing that permits freedom of movement.

Project Picture Book!

Read, imagine, and create at our new Picture Book Art Club that starts Friday, Nov. 9, at 3:30 p.m. You’ll read a story and use your imagination to create a masterpiece based on the book.

Dress for a mess! For kids in pre-kindergarten through second grade. Please register by calling 518-456-2400, ext. 4.

Film: “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”

“A balm of kindness and empathy in these troubled, divisive times” is how Entertainment Weekly’s reviewer Chris Nashawaty characterized “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” showing at the library on Saturday, Nov. 10, at 1 p.m.

This moving documentary takes a fittingly patient and honest look at the life and legacy of Fred Rogers, a television pioneer whose work has enriched generations. The 2018 film is rated PG-13 and runs for one hour and 34 minutes.

World War I film

Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018, is the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, the War to End All Wars. Join us — yes, we are open! — on Sunday, Nov. 11, at 2 p.m., for a screening of the Oscar-nominated, French-language drama, “A Very Long Engagement,” the story of a young woman's relentless search for her fiancé, who disappeared from the trenches of the Somme during World War I.

Veterans Day

The library will be closed Monday, Nov. 12, in observance of Veterans Day.

Better Books Sale

Gift-giving season approaches, and we have just received a load of almost-new books that are sure to go. So stop by the Better Books Sale on Saturday, Nov. 10, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. And get a jump on your holiday shopping.

Library board meets

The Guilderland Public Library’s Board of Trustees will hold its regularly scheduled monthly business meeting on Thursday, Nov. 15, at 7 p.m. The public is encouraged to attend. The meeting will be broadcast live on the library’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/Guilderland.Library.