WOODS HOLE PUBLIC LIBRARY: Announces with regret that their eagerly awaited “Fabric and Fiber Sale” will not be held this year. However, the library is accepting donations of especially nice items, planning to hold them until the next sale, after the COVID crisis is passed. In previous years the whole lower level of the library has been involved with the sale on Super Bowl Sunday, with one room devoted to yarn and the other to the fabric. Here, avid sewers and knitters have found fantastic and beautiful bargains. And in their eagerness, they have crowded into the space, searching for new treasures, hence, the Board’s decision that this event is impossible to hold and still guarantee social distancing. Realizing that many people have spent considerable time during the quarantine cleaning out their stockpiles of fabric and fiber, the library wishes to help them in their discarding mission. Although there is not a lot of storage space, the library would hate to miss the opportunity of helping people pass these items on, while simultaneously helping the library’s fund-raising effort. Anyone who wishes to donate their fabric and fiber to the library may do so anytime the library is open.  The Librarians and Board are grateful to all donors. The library is continually thinking of new ways to engage community members, especially during this time of COVID. Most of the ideas involve people working on their own, either at home or outside, and “coming together” in online ways. The library is calling attention to the natural world and pairing it with human creativity in many of the projects. Just last week, the library instituted a “Question of the Week”, aimed particularly at children, who can come to the library lower level porch, find the question on a chalkboard, figure out the answer, write it on the piece of paper provided, and place it into the adjacent Answer Box. Each week a new animal-themed riddle will be posted by the book drop. Most recently, the library has started a “Scavenger Hunt,” aimed at all ages. People will find the list on the lower door and may take a copy and go forth in search of all items on the list. Most but not all the items on the list are in the natural world. To answer the search, people must either draw or photograph the object as proof that they have found them. The library is hoping to encourage people to explore, look carefully, and create a beautiful compendium of drawings or photographs. When people have completed their list they should share it with the librarians either by stopping by at the pick-up window or emailing it to whpl_mail@clamsnet.org. Those who find everything on the list will be entered into a drawing for a Woods Hole Public Library t-shirt. Each month, January through March, there will be a new list of items to find both indoors and outdoors. People should know that if they have a question about something they find, or just want to learn more about animals, nature, crafts, or anything else that comes to mind, the librarians are happy to help find the perfect book! In a move to encourage communication in another way than online, the library is also embarking on a new community-building project this winter: “Woods Hole Words.” The librarians have created community journals on a variety of topics for patrons to check out from the library, add their words or artwork, and then return to the library, where the journal will sit in quarantine, then return to the library collection to be checked out by someone else. Topics include books, movies, TV shows, recipes and kitchen lore, nature, and life stories. During this time when we cannot safely gather to share our stories, thoughts, and questions, these journals will not only give people a chance to collaborate and share, but they will also serve to mark this unique moment in time. Once the journals are filled, the library will add them to the permanent collection for all to read and enjoy. Community members of all ages are encouraged to stop by the library and check out a journal. While each journal is organized around a topic, the librarians encourage journal writers to be as creative as they want to be. an epic tale about an adventure of the past. The library hopes this project will help bring our community together in one small way. For more information, call the library at (508) 548-8961, or email whpl_mail@clamsnet.org, or visit the website woodsholepubliclibrary.org. The library is constantly devising new ways to help their public through the isolation of the pandemic. Every month a new group of projects and activities has been offered. Starting March first, in the first online version of the library’s popular “Cookbook Club,” the library is inviting the public to enjoy an armchair trip and some excellent food in a virtual gustatory trip to India. The library will provide a packet containing a selection of traditional Indian spices as well as an assortment of recipes. It is hoped that people will not be limited to those recipes but will check out titles from the abundance of wonderful cookbooks available at our local libraries and through the CLAMS system.  Of course, librarians are always happy to help and advise. Since armchair travel and eating is even more enjoyable when done together, the library will have a Zoom meeting in the early spring for people to share the results of their culinary adventures. Potential participants should call (508) 548-8961 or email the library at whpl_mail@clamsnet.org to register. Numbers are limited. Spice and recipe packets will be available to registrants at the library’s pick-up window beginning March 1, Monday-Saturday from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.