In this issue:

Thanksgiving holiday hours

Friends of EPL Holiday Book Sale

Save the date for the 6th annual Tee Time at the Library

Support the 2025 annual fund campaign

Nov. 10: Free CPR training

New monthly 'Sewing Machine Fun'

Dec. 4: A Charlie Brown Christmas concert with Patrick Kerssen

Dec. 11: Moravian Stars folding workshop

ART@EPL: Meet Michelle Rieder

September private-funding update

Events: Bulb swap, AI for everyone, dinosaurs & more

Just added: 207 items

New on Libby: 38 ebooks/audiobooks and 98 magazine titles

Noirvember on Kanopy & Graphic Novels for Kids on hoopla

Take the Greater LV Arts + Culture survey

Support the library's 2025 annual fund campaign

Did you know? Public funding covers only about 70% of the library’s budget. The other 30% depends on generous donors like you—people who ensure shelves stay full, story times and other events continue, and our doors remain open to everyone.

Your support sustains the programs and services that enrich our community.

Download this year’s Annual Fund letter from our Director and Board of Trustees here, pick up a copy at the library, or go here to contribute.

Thank you for helping the library flourish—today and for generations to come.

Nov. 10: Free CPR Training

Join Jeffrey Baker, retired RN and American Heart Association CPR instructor, to learn how to save a life! Jeff will cover adult, child, and infant cardiopulmonary resuscitation, as well as choking relief. He will also demonstrate how to use an AED (automatic electronic defibrillator).

Please note that this is not a CPR certification course.

Registration is required. Sign up at emmauspl.org/calendar.

Dec. 4: A Charlie Brown Christmas interactive concert
with Patrick Kerssen

He wowed us in September with his Sound of Music program, and now he's back with another interactive concert sure to get you into the holiday spirit.

Join local pianist Patrick Kerssen for A Charlie Brown Christmas, featuring the music of famed jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi, on Thursday, Dec. 4. 

All ages. Registration is required and opens Nov. 7.

Sign up at emmauspl.org/calendar.

New monthly sewing machine fun

Want to learn how to sew or feel more comfortable using a sewing machine? Join Lisa Marten for a two-hour session to learn the basics of machine sewing and working with a rotary cutter, as well as make a quilted placemat, drawstring bag or tote (all materials provided). Please bring your own machine if you have one; one will be available for your use if you don't. 

Monthly sessions will be held on the second Tuesday and are open to adults, teens, and children in 4th grade and up. There's a limit of 2 people per session. 

Registration is required.

Sign up at emmauspl.org/calendar.

Dec. 11: Moravian Stars folding workshop

They're back! Our friends Sarah and Melissa from the Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center at Kutztown University are visiting us again next month to lead a session on German Paper Star ornaments.

This workshop for adults will include a guided paper star folding followed by the wax-dipping and stringing of the stars. Take home your handmade ornament to hang on your tree, gift to a loved one, or simply decorate around the house!

Registration opens on Nov. 17. Sarah's and Melissa's July workshop on barn stars filled up quickly and was a big hit, so you'll want to set a reminder to sign up at emmauspl.org/calendar.

ART@EPL: Meet Michelle Rieder

Your next visit to the library just got brighter! There's a new art exhibit on display in the children's wing featuring the colorful work of Michelle Rieder. The exhibit will run through mid-December.

Go here to learn more about Michelle, stop in to enjoy her work, and contact Sue Skoras of the Lehigh Art Alliance if you're interested in taking home some of the art on display. Sales from art exhibits help support the library.

September private-funding update

The private-funding thermometer rose by $2,586 in September, bringing the total for the year to $92,778, or 60.2 percent of the goal.

Fundraising--including the first of the contributions to the annual fund--added $865, with general donations, including the donation box, adding almost $500.

Sales in the Friends' Book Nook added nearly $750, with 'library services' revenue of roughly $500 for printing/copying, lost/damaged books, and room rentals making up the rest.

With three months to go, the gap stands at $61,402. Check back next month for October results.

Fall is the time when 2026 budget discussions and decisions take place in the municipalities we serve, and continued funding is never guaranteed. Please contact your local council members (see links below) and urge them to allocate adequate funding for the library in next year’s budget so we may continue to serve you, your family, and the community:

Emmaus 
Macungie 
Upper Milford (Board of Supervisors)

You can also support the library by contributing to the annual fund, shopping at the Friends' Holiday Book Sale on Dec. 5, and honoring a loved one by dedicating a gift book in their name.

Thank you for your loyal support!

EVENTS: Bulb swap, AI for everyone, dinosaurs & more

Please note: Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, Books & Barks will meet on the third Thursday in November (11/20) and December (12/18).

Click below for details and visit our new online calendar (powered by Local Hop) for lots more great events coming this summer!

Also check out these December events:

(Dec. 2) Daytime Book Group: Sat. Night at the Lakeside Supper Club

(Dec. 6) Old-Fashioned Christmas

(Dec. 9) Evening Book Group: Black Swan Green

(Dec. 12) STEM Storytime: Inventors (registration required)

(Dec. 20) Dr. Stuffy Toy Repair Workshop

Just added: 207 items

See/download our latest additions for Oct. 16-31 (97 items) and Oct. 1-15 (110 items) Click on a cover in the PDF documents for details or to reserve items from your account online for quick pickup at the desk.

New on Libby

Over on Libby, 32 new ebooks and 6 new audiobooks have been added--as well as 98 new magazine titles and the latest issues of your favorites--all available with your card number and 4-digit PIN.

You'll also find great guides to help kids and teens discover ebooks, audiobooks and authors they'll love.

Need help with Libby?

Check out their help page or book time with library staff for one-on-one help.

Take the Greater LV Arts + Culture Survey

The Lehigh Valley is home to more than 200 arts and cultural organizations that contribute to the vibrancy of the region—but none of them can exist without the patrons who support them. 

That’s why we're helping spread the word about the Greater Lehigh Valley Arts + Culture Patron Survey. This short, anonymous survey helps local arts organizations understand what audiences value and how to better serve them.

Whether you attend events regularly or just once in a while, your feedback matters. Go here or click below to take part.

Thank you for reading and supporting the library. Watch for the next regular issue of BELONG on (or about) December 1.

© 2025 Emmaus Public Library | www.emmauspl.org | 610-965-9284