The time of the shushing librarian is gone. The Blackfoot Library is a vibrant and welcoming resource to the Blackfoot community and surrounding areas.

Story times:

Motion Monday Storytime is for kids ages 18-36 months old and goes from 10 a.m. to noon.

Themes for January are “Popcorn” on Jan. 5, “Snow” on Jan. 12 and “Penguins” on Jan. 26. The library will be closed on Jan. 19 for Martin Luther King Day.

Wiggly Wednesday Storytime is for kids 3-5 years old and goes from 10 a.m. to noon.

Themes for January are “Movies and Popcorn” on Jan. 7, “Snow” on Jan. 14, “Winter Clothes” on Jan. 21 and “Community Helpers” on Jan. 28.

Footloose Friday Storytime, meeting on the first Friday of the month, is cancelled for January. Likewise, the Lucy’s Ladies Book Club, which is every first Thursda,y is cancelled for January due to Holiday hours. The library also offers Book Club Kits that anyone can check out and hold their own book club.

Tech Tutoring on the third Tuesday will be on Jan. 20 from 5 to 6 p.m. Come and learn basic computer, phone, tablet and laptop skills; learn how to use Libby and IDEA; and solve your own cyber problems. No registration is required.

The library also offers the Interlibrary Loan program for finding books and more. that aren’t in the Blackfoot Library. They can borrow the book for you from other libraries. Talk with a librarian about how to do that.

The library can also help you use the Libby system for another way to enjoy books on your own electronic devices. Want to read a book on your tablet? They will help you get that started.

Other opportunities at the library are computers and copy machines for use, and a magazine and newspaper room for relaxed reading.

Now there is also a meeting room that is free for anyone to use for groups, which includes long tables and chairs to accommodate up to 25 people and a whiteboard. Refreshments are allowed as long as there aren’t any red drinks (those tend to stain the rug). If your group is a commercial enterprise, there is a charge for the room’s use.

As far as volunteer options are concerned, consider joining the Friends of the Blackfoot Public Library. It just takes a quick application and $1 to be a part of benefiting the library through their book sales and otherwise.

The Blackfoot Public Library, located at 129 N. Broadway, is open Monday to Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The library is closed on Saturdays and Sundays. The library will be closing early at 3 p.m. for New Year’s Eve and will reopen on Friday, Jan. 2.

You can contact the library by calling 208-785-8628 or emailing library@cityofblackfoot.org. Check out their web page at blackfootlibrary.org or on Facebook for more information.

Albert Einstein said, “The only thing that you absolutely have to know is the location of the library.”