Library events & programs & book sales

Friends Annual Meeting

Historical "Edutainer," Darrel Draper to portray J. Sterling Morton, founder of Arbor Day

Hastings City Auditorium, Thursday, April 8 | 6 pm Mixer (Cash bar available.) | 6:30 pm Dinner $20 | 7:30 pm Friends business meeting | 8 pm Program

Open to the public, no charge to attend 8 pm program.

Advanced dinner tickets are $20 and available at Hastings Public Library through March 31. Buy your tickets early, limited seating is available.

A fifth generation Nebraskan, retired Navy officer and University of Nebraska at Omaha graduate, Darrel Draper, will be the featured speaker for Friends Annual Meeting. Draper, who calls himself a “historical edutainer,” uses his talents as a storyteller and actor to educate and entertain.

His portrayal of J. Sterling Morton traces the life of the founder of Arbor Day from his birth in upstate New York to his rise to power and fame in Nebraska.

The program is funded by Friends of the Hastings Public Library and the Nebraska Humanities Council, a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Library Programs

Preschool Story Hour & Toddler Time

Preschool Story Hour
Wednesdays, 10 am or 1 pm | January 6 – April 28
For children ages 3–6. Children are encouraged to select books to check out and then are read or told stories for approximately 30 minutes. Advance registration is requested.
Toddler Time
Thursdays, 10:30 am | January 14 & 28, February 11 & 25, March 11 & 25, April 8 & 22
A special story time for children younger than 3. Each child must be accompanied by a lap! Join us for stories, songs and finger-plays followed by play time. No advance registration is required.

Morning Glories book discussion group

Anyone interested in books and reading is welcome! Please come even if you haven't read the book. All meetings are at 10:00 am on the 2nd floor of the library. Invite a friend—new participants are always welcome.

• Current schedule

• Thursday, March 25, 2010
• Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman | Fiction
• When Richard Mayhew stops one day to help a girl he finds bleeding on a London sidewalk, his life is forever altered, for he finds himself propelled into an alternate reality that exists in a subterranean labyrinth of sewer canals and abandoned subway stations. He has fallen through the cracks of reality and has landed somewhere different, somewhere that is Neverwhere. (Summary from library catalog.)

Friends' book sales

Now Open ... "The Friendshop"

Friendshop hours: Monday–Friday 10–6 | Saturdays 10–4

Friends have an exciting new way to support the library year-round. . . an in-house used bookstore.

In addition to some new merchandise, the shop will have for sale a variety of used books in dozens of categories.

A mini version of Friends’ summer sale, the store will draw from donations from the public to fill its shelves. For more about the Friendshop and other Friends' news read the September/October 2009 issue of Library Link. [PDF]

Friends' online book store is up and running

Friends sells books which may have collectible value on Amazon.com's Marketplace, making them available to buyers throughout the country. View the current inventory available for purchase: www.amazon.com/shops/hastingsfriends.

2009 Friends' annual book sale: "Major League Book Sale"

This year marked the 26th annual used book sale for the Friends of the Hastings Public Library.

Thanks to the 150 volunteers and book sale customers who helped make this year's book sale a success. The sale raised $21,329.55 and all remaining books were donated to local charities. Check back later for information on the 2010 book sale. More...

Related links

In the News / What's new (New library services and press releases.)

HPL adds two new computers in the children’s room. The new computers are Early Literacy Stations (ELS), all-in-one computers loaded with more than sixty English and Spanish educational software titles for kids ages 2-10. Read the current issue of the Hastings Public Library Link [PDF] for more about the new computers and the latest HPL news.

Hours and holiday closings More details...