It’s back to the books for students, but September also offers many additional activities for learners of all ages

(Posted by Anne-Allegra Bennett)

Eugene Public Library locations

Downtown: 100 West 10^th Ave

Bethel Branch: 1990 Echo Hollow Road

Sheldon Branch: 1566 Coburg Road

Information: 541-682-5450 or eugene-or.gov/library

Free admission to all events

Art exhibits

Sarah Strand: Student Show — Second-floor Magazines and Newspapers Room, downtown location, through October. Show includes drawings and paintings by adult students of Sarah Strand’s classes at Campbell Community Center, where Strand has taught for more than 10 years. Her students range from young parents to retirees, and the still life subjects they portray often include common objects such as rolls of toilet paper, plastic cups, chunks of wood and kitchen utensils that give artists a new view of artistic subjects.

Children’s Center — First floor, downtown location. Displays by Eugene ArteLatino, Little French School, and Upper Willamette Soil and Water Conservation District.

Young children’s storytimes, downtown library

Toddler Storytime — 10:15 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. on Tuesdays.

Pajama Storytime — 6:30 p.m. on Tuesdays.

Preschool Storytime — 10:15 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. on Wednesdays.

Music & Movement Storytime — 10:15 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. on Thursdays.

Baby Storytime — 10:15 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. on Fridays.

Children’s storytime, Bethel and Sheldon branches

Family Storytime — 10:15 a.m. on Fridays.

Additional classes and events

Family STEAM — 4:00 p.m. on Wednesdays in September, Sheldon branch; 4:00 p.m. on Thursdays in September, Bethel branch. Hands-on fun for children and parents feature STEAM activities that explore science, technology, engineering, art, and math.

Kids: LEGO Lab — 10:15 a.m. on Saturdays in September, Bethel and Sheldon branches. Kids build, play, and explore with the Eugene Public Library’s large and varied LEGO block collection. For ages 5-12 years.

Tweens: Dungeons & Dragons — 4:00 p.m. on Wednesdays in September, downtown. Tweens: learn to play D&D with this four week mini-campaign. Call 541-682-8316 to sign up for the four-session series.

Teen Team: Volunteer at the Downtown Library — Apply at the Teen Desk starting September 1 at the downtown library. Required orientation will be at 4:15 p.m. on Tuesday, September 24. Volunteer to help Eugene Public Library staff prepare items for check out, set up craft projects for kids’ programs, create displays, clean and organize books, and more. For ages 13-18 years.

One-on-One Job Hunt Help — 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 5 and Thursday, September 19, downtown library. Pre-register for individual 30-minute appointments at 541-682-5450. Employment counselors help job hunters find employment opportunities; complete applications; write online and traditional resumes; learn and practice interview techniques; or explore new career directions. This service is a partnership of the Eugene Public Library, Goodwill Industries of Lane and South Coast Counties, and United Way of Lane County.

Kids: Book Buddies — 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 5, downtown. A new book group for ages 7-9 years. This month’s book is Time Jumpers: Fast Forward to the Future by Wendy Mass. Pre-register and pick up the book at the Downtown Library’s Children’s Center. Information at 541-682-8316.

I Never Died Before: A Survival Guide to Aging and Beyond — 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 5, downtown. Join Anne Maggs, author of I Never Died Before: A Survival Guide to Aging and Beyond, to explore how to age with courage. An “educational novel,” the book’s characters are two elderly women who write advice columns on aging. This provides a framework for exercises and information on topics such as making proactive housing decisions, weighing the risks and benefits of proposed medical treatments, filling out advance directives, writing final letters to loved ones, and funeral planning. In 2010, Maggs shared an award for instructional innovation by writing educational novels to introduce students to business and entrepreneurship. In 2015, she retired from teaching at Northwest Christian University and began to research what to expect as she aged. Using the innovative approach that worked well in the classroom, she wrote her book as a story accompanied by journal exercises and based on the belief that aging is a natural process, not a medical emergency.

Teens: Make Waffles — 3:30 p.m. on Friday, September 6, downtown. Learn how to make waffles. Measure and mix batter, use a waffle press, then top with berries, syrup, or whipped cream. Dairy-free and gluten-free options will be available.

First Friday Concert: UO Community Music Institute — 6:00 p.m. on Friday, September 6, downtown. Students of the University of Oregon Community Music Institute, ages 4-18 years, offer a family-friendly concert of folk songs, fiddle tunes, classical repertoire, and string chamber music on violin, viola, and cello, performed in groups and solo.

Teens: Nintendo Switch Party — 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 7, Sheldon branch; 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 21, Bethel branch. Drop in to play Mario Kart, Mario Party, and Super Smash Bros. with Nintendo Switch.

LEGO® Mini-Golf — 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 7, downtown. Design, build, and play with a LEGO® Mini-Golf course. For ages 6-12 years.

Creative Coding with Processing — 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, September 8, downtown. Learn about Processing, a programming language and development environment. Processing is a great way for beginners to learn the basics of writing computer code. It can be used as a tool for visualizing data as well as creating interactive art. Adults, teens, and children with basic computer skills are welcome to this hands-on introduction. Library card required.

Preschool STEAM — 10:15 a.m. on Monday, September 9, Bethel branch. Hands-on exploring, learning, and fun for ages 3-5 years. STEAM activities feature science, technology, engineering, art, and math.

Back-to-School Book Sale — Noon to 6:00 p.m. on Monday, September 9, downtown. Teachers, parents, and home schoolers choose from a wide selection of gently used educational materials for grades K-8, including books, teacher resources, CDs, and DVDs. Most items are just $1.00. The sale is a fundraiser by the volunteer Friends of Eugene Public Library to support Eugene Public Library programs. Cash, checks, and VISA/MC accepted for purchases.

Try It: Virtual Reality — Drop in between 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Mondays, September 9 and September 23, Sheldon branch; Wednesdays, September 11 and September 25, Bethel branch. Experience virtual reality (VR) with Oculus Go. For adults and teens.

Teens: Welcome to Dungeons and Dragons — 3:00 p.m. or 4:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, September 11 and September 25, downtown. Create your character, learn how to play, and then jump into this tabletop gaming adventure. Space is limited spaces, so each teen may participate in only one session each day.

Tweens: Library Squad — 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 12, downtown. Ages 9-12 years volunteer to work on special projects, meet new friends, and help make the library even better. Call 541-682-8316 to sign up.

Advanced Selling: Psychology and the Buyer — 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 12, downtown. Gary Smith talks about how to establish good relationships and use communication for successful personal selling. The presentation goes beyond basic sales skills to a discussion of psychology and behavioral economics, providing participants with specific and actionable changes to make to achieve better sales. Smith, who has more than 30 years of successful small-business management experience, is the lead faculty member in charge of the Small Business Management Program at Lane Community College. The workshop is presented by Eugene Public Library in partnership with SCORE: Counselors to America’s Small Business.

Unlock-the-Box: Titanic S.O.S. — Sign up for sessions at 4:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. on Friday, September 13, Bethel branch; 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 17, Bethel branch; 4:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. on Friday, September 20, Sheldon branch; 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 24, Sheldon branch. All ages work as a team to solve puzzles and make it out alive before the Titanic sinks. Pre-register by calling 541-682-5450.

Kids: Play Nintendo Switch — 3:00 p.m. on Friday, September 13, downtown. Kids ages 6-12 years play multiplayer Switch games.

MakeCode Arcade Workshop — 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, September 14 and Sunday, September 15, downtown. Make games with MakeCode, starting with a basic arcade game, then adding special twists, new mechanics, art, power-ups, levels, and more. Bring a personal laptop or use one of the library’s. For adults, teens, and kids ages 10 years and up.

Arroz con Leche y Buñuelos — 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 14, downtown. The all-ages bilingual get-together offers two favorite sweet treats from Latin America: arroz con leche and buñuelos.

Yarn & Thread — Drop in 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 14, Sheldon branch. Get together to knit, crochet, embroider, cross stitch, or hand sew — and share tips and ideas. Bring a current project or try something new with the library’s needles, hooks, hoops, loom, and more.

Learn to Geocache — 4:00 p.m. on Monday, September 16, Bethel branch; 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 21, Sheldon branch. Geocaching is a treasure hunt adventure that can take participants all over the city, the state, or the planet. There are over 1300 geocaches in and around Eugene and millions worldwide. Learn how to search for and log these hidden treasures.

Tween Fandom: Wings of Fire — 4:00 p.m. on Monday, September 16, downtown. Sign up to celebrate “Wings of Fire” with games and crafts. For ages 9–12 years.

Windfall Reading Series: Andrea Scharf and Brie Huling — 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 17, downtown. The Windfall Reading Series begins a new season with writers Andrea Scharf and Brie Huling. Scharf writes short stories and nonfiction. Her first nonfiction book, “Saving Big Creek,” chronicles the battle to protect an undeveloped property on the Central Oregon Coast that is habitat for elk, Coho salmon, and the endangered Oregon Silverspot Butterfly. When plans to build a destination resort there were announced, the local community began a campaign that lasted almost forty years before the developer agreed to sell the property to The Nature Conservancy. “Saving Big Creek” takes a deep look at one place on the planet, the geological forces that shaped it, and the people who settled there, from those who migrated across the Bering Sea and down the coast to the  current residents with their differing and often contradictory ideas about what should happen on this land. Huling  is a poet and yoga teacher and also teaches at a local alternative high school, fusing language arts, yoga, meditation, and mindfulness practices.

Oaxaca Explored — 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 18, downtown. Mija Marie Andrade gives an illustrated talk featuring stories of her trips to Oaxaca City and neighboring villages. The presentation highlights local artisans, from weavers carrying on indigenous art forms to contemporary wood carvers and print makers. She also provides views of the city and its culture including architecture, museums, cuisine, indigenous ruins, and traditions and provides display of artisanal works at this event. Andrade is a Mexican American artist who travels to Mexico often to experience its many rich, deeply rooted, and vibrant cultures.

Bilingual Family Night: El Taller de Son Jarocho — 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, September 17, Sheldon branch; 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, September 24, Bethel branch. Make music and learn dances of Southern Veracruz, Mexico, at this bilingual Family Night.

Stuck in the Middle Book Club — 4:15 p.m. on Thursday, September 19, downtown. This month’s book is I Am Princess X by Cherie Priest. Pre-register and pick up the book at the Downtown Library’s Teen Center starting September 1. For ages 11-14 years.

Record Listening Party: Entertainment by Gang of Four —  6:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 19, downtown. Join the vinyl revival with loud music and lively conversation with Gang of Four’s original bassist, Dave Allen at a record listening party that celebrates the 40^th anniversary of the revolutionary post-punk album, Entertainment! that combines elements of funk, dub reggae, and dance music to reate “a unique style that both shreds and grooves.” The band’s neo-Marxist social critique comes through sharply in the lyrics with a message as relevant today as it was in 1979.

Teens: Ani-Manga Club — 4:00 p.m. on Friday, September 20, downtown. Get together to watch anime and enjoy snacks.

Bilingual Family Music Time — 10:15 a.m. on Friday, September 20, Sheldon branch; 10:15 a.m. on Friday, September 27, Bethel branch. Rich Glauber entertains young children with musical fun in Spanish and English.

Yarn & Thread — 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, September 21, downtown. Get together to knit, crochet, embroider, cross stitch, or hand sew — and share tips, and ideas. Bring your current project or try something new with the needles, hooks, hoops, loom, and more available to use in the library’s Maker Hub. For adults and teens. Library card required.

Kids: Try Sewing — 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 21, downtown. Kids: learn to hand-sew and embroider to make a keychain or zipper pull. For ages 6–12 years.

Poet Clem Starck —  2:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 22, downtown. Celebrated poet and Oregon Book Award winner Clemens Starck will read from his book, Cathedrals and Parking Lots: Collected Poems. He has been honored with an Oregon Book Award and the William Stafford Memorial Poetry Award. Cathedrals and Parking Lots contains a lifetime of poems based on actual experiences, from standing lookout on the bow of a freighter, to dismantling houses for a living, from building a freeway overpass to traveling to Russia to study the language. Starck’s book is the second in a series published by Empty Bowl, a small independent Pacific Northwest press.

Teens: Black-Out Poetry — 3:00 p.m. on Monday, September 23, downtown. Create black-out poetry in honor of Banned Book Week, using existing printed pages of text and a marker and blacking out some words so that the remaining words can be read as a poem, and add art to intensify the effect.

Intro to the Internet — 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 24, downtown. Beginners get a user-friendly introduction to the Internet, including how to search successfully to find what you are looking for, how to fill out online forms, and tips for safe surfing. Basic computer skills required. Pre-register starting September 1 at 541-682-5450.

Banned Books Week Storytime and Crafts for Grown Ups — 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 24, downtown. Adults will listen to passages from favorite banned books, make themed tote bags and buttons, and learn which books made this year’s most frequently challenged list.

Play Giant Tsuro — Drop in 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 26 and Saturday, September 28, Sheldon branch; drop in 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Friday, September 27, Bethel branch to play a giant version of the popular table top game, Tsuro. Enter a free raffle to win the table top game. For ages 8 through adults.

Tween Scene — 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 26, downtown. Book lovers get together to talk, snack, and have fun based on this month’s book, The Magic Misfits by Neil Patrick Harris. For ages 9-12 years. Pre-register and pick up the book at the Downtown Library’s Children’s Center.

Teen Book Group — 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 26, downtown. Sign up for a Banned Books Week edition of Teen Book Group. Find out why this month’s book has been banned, hidden, and even set on fire. Pick up your copy of Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan at the Downtown Teen Desk.

Customer Service: A Key to Business Success — 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 26, downtown. Charles Blanchard teaches how effective customer service can help to ensure the success of a business. The workshop includes discussion, examples of excellent and poor customer service, and problem solving using realistic scenarios. Blanchard worked for Graybar Electric Company for 30 years as a customer service representative, a sales representative, and a customer service trainer, supervisor, and manager. This workshop is presented by Eugene Public Library in partnership with SCORE: Counselors to America’s Small Business.

Make a Lunch Bag — 3:00 p.m. on Friday, September 27, downtown. Tweens learn to use a sewing machine by making a reusable lunchbag. All materials provided. No experience needed. For ages 9–12 years. Sign up starting September 10 by calling 541-682-8316.

Teens: Make LED Bookmarks — 3:00 p.m. on Friday, September 27, downtown. Make LED light-up bookmarks in honor of Banned Books Week. As the American Library Association says, “Censorship leaves us in the dark, but reading banned books sparks a light.”

Jean Shinoda Bolen: Author, Psychiatrist, and Jungian Analyst — 3:00 p.m. on Friday, September 27, downtown. Famed author, psychiatrist, and Jungian analyst Jean Shinoda Bolen, M.D., will give a free talk titled, At the Crossroad with Hecate. She has written 13o books that have 85 foreign translations including The Tao of Psychology, Goddesses in Everywoman, and Gods in Everyman. She is a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and a Diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, a former clinical professor of psychiatry at Langley Porter Psychiatric Institute, University of California Medical Center and a past board member of the Ms. Foundation for Women, the International Transpersonal Association, and the C.G. Jung Institute of San Francisco. She is an NGO Permanent Representative of the Women’s World Summit Foundation(Geneva) to the UN. She has a private practice in Mill Valley, California. The free talk is co-sponsored by Eugene Public Library and Eugene Friends of Jung. Book will be available for sale and signing at the event, courtesy of J Michaels Books.

Banned Book Scavenger Hunt — Drop in 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 28, downtown. All ages work to solve the clues, learning about Banned Books Week and maybe even winning prizes.

Dog Tale Time — 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 28, Bethel and Sheldon branches. Kids have fun and build skills in short one-on-one sessions in which they read to trained dogs. Sign-up starts September 21, in person or by phone at 541-682-8316.

I Have a Library Card, Now What? — 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, September 29, downtown. Your library card is the key to an astonishing range of free services, resources, and activities you might not know about. Whether you don’t have a card yet, just got your card, or have had one for years, come learn about all that’s available to you.

Back to School Bingo — 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 29, downtown. Kids and families play bingo, win prizes, and learn about homework help and resources available free at your Library.