Mclalwain will talk about what is happening in the Edmonds arts community. Festivities begin at 1 p.m. with a coffee social, and the meeting begins at 1:30 p.m.  in the Library’s upstairs Plaza Room, 650 Main St. Everyone is welcome.

To learn more about the Friends, visit www.edmondsfriends.org.

Your books and other donations are accepted in the drop box located in the library foyer. Donations are tax- deductible to the extent of the law.

Please note, magazine donations are limited to magazines published this year and last year. The group can’t accept textbooks, encyclopedias, Reader’s Digest condensed books, or computer books more than 10 years old.

If you are unable to deliver your donation to the library or have an unusual item, or need assistance or more information, call Darla Lane at 425-697-3844.

The show will feature more than 15 local vendors, artists and home-based businesses. Unique items include jewelry, chocolates, home furnishings, food/cooking, handbags, skincare, makeup, candles, and arts and crafts.

For more information, email TheSweetLife4Me@gmail.com or visit the Edmonds Gift Show Facebook page.

Historical Society Vice President Jack Hall and Mayor Mike Cooper cut the 100th birthday ribbon Thursday.

One hundred years ago, on Feb. 17, 1911, a new library opened in Edmonds on 118 5th Ave. N. The building was funded through the foundation of self-made millionaire Andrew Carnegie, who believed that libraries should be available to everyone. The brick and stone building, which is now on the National Register of Historic Buildings, served as a library on the upper floor, and as City Hall on the bottom floor.

The Edmonds Library has since relocated to a larger building on Main Street, and the Carnegie library building now serves as home to the Edmonds Historical Museum. So on Thursday night, the Edmond-South Snohomish County Historical Society commemorated the building’ 100th birthday with a ribbon cutting, featuring Society Vice President Jack Hall and Edmonds Mayor Mike Cooper doing the honors.

After the ceremony, Cooper delivered a brief speech thanking Historical Society members “for taking care of this marvelous treasure,” followed by a celebration with sparkling cider and cake.

The Carnegie Building's birthday cake, which was created by the Edmonds Bakery.

Work by Rob Brandt on display at the Edmonds Library.

Now at the Edmonds Library, the Edmonds Arts Commission present “Imagine That – Figments and Flights of Fancy” by Rob Brandt. The artist says he is especially interested in “quality of light.” Subject matter is less important to him than a complex interplay of color and shape and the juxtaposition of symbolic elements.

The exhibit at the Edmonds Library, 650 Main St., runs now through March 15. Library hours are Monday-Thursday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday 10 am-6 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday 1-5 p.m.

Yes, that card can be used to check out the latest novel or a family video, but it also opens the door to a variety of services — many of them online, and all free of charge.

Let’s start with the databases that can be accessed from Sno-Isle Libraries — which Edmonds is a member of –  just by entering your library card number.

“Say you are out shopping for a new laptop or a car, and you’d like to see what Consumer Reports has to say about it,” Kaplan said. “You don’t have to pay for it because the library has a subscription.”

Or perhaps you have been diagnosed with glaucoma, and want to read about the latest treatment options. Your library card number allows you to do your own research — from the comfort of your home — using MEDLINE or several other medical- or health-related databases.

Students from elementary age through college can use the library system’s free tutoring database, HelpNow, which provides live homework help, skills building, practice tests and a writing lab for all ages. The database also assists with GED, U.S. Citizenship and resume writing. One-on-one tutoring is available from 1-10 p.m. daily, although questions can be submitted 24/7.

Small business owners can find a wealth of resources online as well, Kaplan said, including BusinessDecision, a reporting and mapping service that combines consumer household, market segmentation and demographic data with GIS mapping technology.

Chances are, if you want to know more about nearly any subject — professional or personal — the Sno-Isle Library has a database for that. There is genealogy information if you are researching your family tree, or the Automobile Repair Reference Center for vehicles from 1945 to the present. Not to mention access to national subscription-based publications like the Wall Street Journal. You can even learn a language online, Kaplan said.

And visiting the library has its advantages, too. For starters, library card holders are allowed to print out up to 70 pages of computer information per week, free of charge. “You don’t have to use up your ink and toner,” she said. This is especially helpful for job hunters who may be printing out resumes and cover letters. And those looking for work can take advantage of another library service — free use of a laptop for a day, as long as it’s kept in the library.

“These are remarkable assets available to anyone who has a library card,” Kaplan said.

You can sign up for your library card online and it will be mailed to your home address, or you can stop by the nearest Sno-Isle library, complete an application and receive your card the same day.

Recess Monkey, three Seattle school teachers who have made a national name for themselves on the kid-friendly music scene, perform before delighted families at the Edmonds Library Saturday afternoon.

Photo/My Edmonds News

Last Saturday, Edmonds Children’s Librarian Edith Farrar presided over the sign-in table, where children receive a paw print stamp on a note card for every Reading with Rover visit. (Once they acquire five stamps, they receive a T-shirt). Farrar said the program has many benefits — not only does it encourage children to visit and use the library, it helps shy or struggling readers gain more confidence. The dogs and their handlers are trained through the Delta Society, a national organization dedicated to incorporating therapy, service and companion animals into people’s lives.

1. Start your afternoon at the Frogs Amphibian Center at Edmonds Landing (300 Admiral Way, Ste. 104 on the waterfront), where the Just Frogs, Toads Too Foundation hosts a fundraising event about frogs and toads, including a prize for the best Green Costume. Runs from 2-8 pm.; suggested donation, $2 per person.

2. Head over to the Edmonds Library (650 Main St.) at 4 p.m. for Halloween stories and activities. Free. All ages welcome.

3. Make your way to the Edmonds Museum (118 5th Ave. N.) for a child-friendly haunted museum (suitable for small children). Runs from 4-7 p.m. Admission $1 at the door.

4. Enjoy trick-or-treating from 5-7 p.m. with participating merchants in downtown Edmonds. Free Halloween costume photos hosted by Coldwell Banker Bain at 108 5th Ave. S.

Remember to take photos, and send them to My Edmonds News (teresawippel@comcast.net) — we’ll publish them here on Sunday!

“This year, instead of using plastic bags for our close-out sale, we gave each shopper reusable bags donated by Fred Meyer, Albertsons, TOP, PCC, QFC and Trader Joe’s,” said Judith Works, who coordinated this year’s event. “The shopper could fill as many as they wished for $2 and keep the bag.”

Works said the money will be used to fund library programs for children, teens and adults, and also assist with furniture purchases and other library needs.  In addition, Friends of the Edmonds Library sponsors a scholarship for a graduate student to the University of Washington’s School of Information.