Food for Fines scheduled March 17-22

Food for Fines runs March 17-22. If you have fines, next week is an excellent opportunity to pay off those fines by bringing in one can of food for every dollar owed. The library will waive your fines and you will be supporting the food shelf in their very important March Foodshare drive. The library cannot accept food for lost or damage fees. Please only bring in new cans or boxes of food. Please do not bring in past dated food. The food shelf cannot use them.
The library now has a DVD copy of the debate between Mike Ceresi, Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer and Al Franken on Feb. 11. If you were unable to attend the debate and want to hear what the DFL candidates for U.S. Senate have to say about the issues affecting us, please stop by and check out the DVD.
We continue to add new materials to the Vigilance Collection. The collection is housed along the north wall of the library and features a variety of books, CD books, and movies about a wide range of topics relating to the world today. We are attempting to provide you with information about politics, health, science, medicine and the environment. See what is available now and keep watching as we are regularly adding to the collection. Here are a few of the newest titles.
Chasing the Flame: Sergio Vieira De Mello and the Fight to Save the World by Samantha Power is a biography of a humanitarian, peacemaker and state builder with the United Nations. This is a powerful look at a perilous world whose ills are too big to ignore but also too complex to manage quickly or cheaply. Closing the Food Gap: Resetting the table in the land of plenty by Mark Winne, food activist and journalist, asks how we can make healthier foods available for everyone.
For those concerned about the apparent impasse in the government between conservatives and liberals, be sure to read The Second Civil War: How extreme partisanship has paralyzed Washington and polarized America by Ronald Brownstein. Written by a respected political commentator, this book examines the big picture of American politics.
Before you despair and claim the world is going to hell in a handbasket, read one or more of these titles about being part of the solution. The Great Neighborhood Book: a do-it-yourself guide to placemaking by Jay Walljasper. This book is a project for Public Spaces book that encourages people to start with their neighborhood when making changes. Building Powerful Community Organizations: a personal guide to creating groups that can solve problems and change the world by Michael Jacoby Brown is just that a guide to starting, maintaining and building community groups. Local Politics: a practical guide to governing at the grassroots by Terry Christensen and Tom Hogen-Esch is practical and deals with balance of power, bureaucracy, budgeting and more. Then get out and get involved in bettering your corner of the world.