Absolute beginners can learn computing terms and basics during this session. Turn on a computer, open, close and move from one window to another. Then work on essential skills, such as keyboarding and using a mouse.

This meeting is open to the public.

Kids ages 5 to 95, join this hands-on workshop focused on wheels.

Gurus from the Greenfield Lego User Education group will guide participants in building projects. Be ready to show off your creation.

Space is limited! Parents must accompany elementary-age children. Please register all in your family who will attend.

Beginning and experienced crafters give and take advice on each other's work. Bring supplies for a project to this library-sponsored program.

Susan Goodart, a certified personal trainer/fitness counselor, will conduct a five-week yoga course for experienced adult students. (No class on January 28.)

Pay a one-time fee of $25 for the entire series at the first class. (Seniors ages 60 and up may take the class for free.)

Yoga increases strength, stamina, and flexibility and has been credited with improving mental health. Those attending may use a chair or the floor depending on their abilities. Bring a mat or towel and a small pillow, and wear loose-fitting clothes.

People with health issues should speak to their physicians before beginning any exercise.

Goodart will hold another course beginning February 18.

Susan Goodart, a certified personal trainer/fitness counselor, starts a five-week yoga courses for beginners on Saturdays from 2:00 to 2:45 p.m. (No class on January 28.)

Students pay a one-time fee of $25 for the entire series at the first class. (Seniors ages 60 and up may take the class for free.)

Yoga increases strength, stamina, and flexibility and has been credited with improving mental health. Those attending may use a chair or the floor depending on their abilities. Bring a mat or towel and a small pillow, and wear loose-fitting clothes.

People with health issues should speak to their physicians before beginning any exercise.

Goodart will hold another course beginning February 18.

Please drop off your gently used books, DVDs, and music CDs at the side delivery entrance (northeast corner) of the library in Greenfield between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. A volunteer will assist when someone rings the bell. Please request your tax receipt at the same time.

Because of limited space, donations can only be made on specified dates.

Look for bargain books and other media for sale on shelves near the Greenfield entrance, to the left. Average hardback prices are $1.75 and DVDs are $2.00. The branch in New Palestine also has sale items on a marked cart.

Proceeds from sales by the Friends of the Hancock County Public Library, a non-profit volunteer group, fund programs and special equipment.

Keep memories of people and experiences alive. Join the “Hancock County ‘As I Recall’ Storytelling Guild."

Tell stories for pleasure while learning techniques that will engage listeners during monthly sessions with Hancock County’s local storytelling group. Meetings are informal and open to anyone interested in finding out more.

The guild is co-sponsored by the Hancock County Public Library and Storytelling Arts of Indiana.

Families, make lovely crafts for sweethearts and friends in New Palestine. Register ahead and then drop in between 4:00 and 6:00 p.m. for a Valentine craft session with all supplies provided.

Families, make lovely crafts for sweethearts and friends. Register ahead, and then drop in between 4:00 and 6:00 p.m. for a valentine craft session with all supplies provided, including a sweet treat.

This is the last day to log titles for the winter reading club.

Claire Mercer critiques CHOCOLATE CHOLCOLATE: THE TRUE STORY OF TWO SISTERS, TONS OF TREATS, AND THE LITTLE CHOCOLATE SHOP THAT COULD, by Frances and Ginger Park.

Hear the life story of two sisters, daughters of Korean immigrants, who grew up to become writers and opened a luxurious chocolate boutique a few blocks from the White House. A BOOKLIST review says their true account resembles a novel with eccentric customers and corrupt contractors who will make readers laugh out loud on almost every page.

The Park sisters, authors of several books, have been interviewed on National Public Radio, Good Morning America, CNN and the Diane Rehm Show.

Participants are not required to read the featured selection in advance.

Anne Patchett’s novel, STATE OF WONDER, is the featured selection. The group meets at the library's Sugar Creek Branch in New Palestine.

Dr. Marina Singh, a research scientist with a Minnesota pharmaceutical company, is sent to Brazil to track down her former mentor, Dr. Annick Swenson, who seems to have all but disappeared in the Amazon while working on a drug that makes women fertile into their seventies. Not only does no one know where Dr. Swenson is; but the last person who was sent to find her, Marina's research partner Anders Eckman, died before he could complete his mission.

Participants are encouraged to read the selection in advance. To get a copy of the book, request an inter-library loan at 462-5141, ext. 240. Books are due on the date determined by the lending library.

Sometimes the hardest thing about writing is getting started. Find both encouragement and advice during “Writers Helping Writers."

Members who attend this informal monthly meeting give each other constructive feedback with the help of Sara Buchwald, a professional writer experienced in advertising, video, and speech text.

This is a library-sponsored program.

WorkOne can help those in transition improve job qualifications, explore a different profession, find a new career or hire an employee. Hear about the many services WorkOne offers during an orientation session at the library.

An experienced WorkOne career coach will be on hand to answer questions.

In conjunction with the Central Indiana Regional Workforce Board, WorkOne is a partner agency of the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, established to ensure employment success.

A new 5-week series begins for adult students (including seniors) who are already familiar with yoga. Susan Goodart, a certified personal trainer/fitness counselor, teaches the classes. Yoga increases strength, stamina, and flexibility and has been credited with improving mental health.


Students pay a one-time fee of $25 for the entire series at the first class. Seniors ages 60-plus may take the classes for free.

Those attending may use a chair or the floor depending on their abilities. Bring a mat or towel and a small pillow, and wear loose-fitting clothes. People with health issues should speak to their physicians before beginning any exercise.

A new 5-week series begins for adult students (including seniors) who have never attended a yoga class. Susan Goodart, a certified personal trainer/fitness counselor, teaches the series. Yoga increases strength, stamina, and flexibility and has been credited with improving mental health.


Students pay a one-time fee of $25 for the entire series at the first class. Seniors ages 60-plus may take the classes for free.

Those attending may use a chair or the floor depending on their abilities. Bring a mat or towel and a small pillow, and wear loose-fitting clothes. People with health issues should speak to their physicians before beginning any exercise.

Do you find yourself rifling through piles of paper and looking in folders to find your family history data? Join Reference Librarian Diana Hoy and library volunteer Beverly Bancroft as they explore two popular family tree software programs designed to help organize your research efforts: Personal Ancestry File (PAF), free from LDS ; and Family Tree Maker, a commercial software.

The Indianapolis Opera Ensemble presents a performance for adults and students (grade 6 & up). Hear a showcase of gorgeous arias, lively duets, popular scenes and Broadway standards that appeal to aficionados and novices alike.

The ensemble brings fully staged opera with sets, costumes and professional artists.

This free event is co-sponsored by the Friends of the Hancock County Public Library.

Create computer spreadsheets that can make tasks more efficient at work and help track money and investments at home. Learn the absolute basics in this class with Jesse Keljo.

Beginning and experienced crafters give and take advice on each other's work. Bring supplies for a project to this library-sponsored program.

Ask questions of one of the county’s foremost experts on the past. Joe Skvarenina, Hancock County’s official historian, will be available for informal conversations on local history from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Skvarenina is the author of several books on area history and has amassed a considerable memorabilia collection housed at the library.

No registration is necessary. Come to the local history and genealogy room.

Join the second week in a 5-week series for adult students (including seniors) who are already familiar with yoga. Susan Goodart, a certified personal trainer/fitness counselor, teaches the classes. Yoga increases strength, stamina, and flexibility and has been credited with improving mental health.


Students paid a one-time fee of $25 for the entire series at the first class. Seniors ages 60-plus may take the classes for free.

Those attending may use a chair or the floor depending on their abilities. Bring a mat or towel and a small pillow, and wear loose-fitting clothes. People with health issues should speak to their physicians before beginning any exercise.

Join the second class in a 5-week series for adult students (including seniors) who have never attended a yoga class. Susan Goodart, a certified personal trainer/fitness counselor, teaches the series. Yoga increases strength, stamina, and flexibility and has been credited with improving mental health.


Students paid a one-time fee of $25 for the entire series at the first class. Seniors ages 60-plus may take the classes for free.

Those attending may use a chair or the floor depending on their abilities. Bring a mat or towel and a small pillow, and wear loose-fitting clothes. People with health issues should speak to their physicians before beginning any exercise.

Make the most of Internet search engines by learning how they work during this class with Reference Librarian Joy Summers. Try out several popular systems designed to find information on the Internet.

Join the third week in a 5-week series for adult students (including seniors) who are already familiar with yoga. Susan Goodart, a certified personal trainer/fitness counselor, teaches the classes. Yoga increases strength, stamina, and flexibility and has been credited with improving mental health.


Students paid a one-time fee of $25 for the entire series at the first class. Seniors ages 60-plus may take the classes for free.

Those attending may use a chair or the floor depending on their abilities. Bring a mat or towel and a small pillow, and wear loose-fitting clothes. People with health issues should speak to their physicians before beginning any exercise.

Join the third class in a 5-week series for adult students (including seniors) who have never attended a yoga class. Susan Goodart, a certified personal trainer/fitness counselor, teaches the series. Yoga increases strength, stamina, and flexibility and has been credited with improving mental health.


Students paid a one-time fee of $25 for the entire series at the first class. Seniors ages 60-plus may take the classes for free.

Those attending may use a chair or the floor depending on their abilities. Bring a mat or towel and a small pillow, and wear loose-fitting clothes. People with health issues should speak to their physicians before beginning any exercise.

The Hancock County Public Library launches The BIG READ at the Creative Arts & Event Center, 2 W. Main St., in Greenfield.

The BIG READ is a month-long schedule of community events celebrating John Steinbeck's great American novel, The Grapes of Wrath. Most activities highlight the book’s 1930s culture and history.

The kick-off, free and open to the public, includes bluegrass music from Mike Butler and Slim Pickin' and a keynote address from Professor Robert G. Barrows, chair of the Department of History at IUPUI, who will discuss “The Great Depression in Indiana: Then and Now.” People attending can also pick up a free copy of the book.

On the ground floor as visitors enter, “The Artists Upstairs” will be painting large panels inspired by prose and imagery from The Grapes of Wrath. Watch them begin creating that night, and return to see the finished paintings on display the following week for “Second Friday,” when a blank canvas will be set up for visitors to add their own artistic interpretations of the book.

Catch all BIG READ events, which include concerts, drama, movies, discussions and dancing, at www.hcplibrary.org/bigread. After March 3, while they last, pick up a copy of The Grapes of Wrath at either Hancock County Public Library location or aboard the library’s Techmobile.

The BIG READ is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest.

Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) has a deadline of March 10. Staff from Vincennes University’s Learning Unlimited program will host a FAFSA night to answer questions on how to complete the form. Both parents and students are invited.

Singer-guitarist Tim Grimm performs as part of the library’s BIG READ month that celebrates John Steinbeck’s 1930s novel, THE GRAPES OF WRATH.

Grimm is an award-winning songwriter and actor on stage and screen. Critics most often compare his style with Johnny Cash, Woody Guthrie and Bruce Springsteen.

As the owner of a 62-acre farm in southern Indiana, the region where he grew up and now calls home, Grimm’s songs are rich with descriptive details that recognize the vanishing landscape of rural America and our national romance with the idea of the family farm.

Each of his past five albums reached the tops of the folk/American-roots charts. His recording, THE BACK FIELDS, was named Best Americana Album in Los Angeles’ Just Plain Folks Music Awards. Named 2000’s “Best Discovery in Roots/Americana Music” by the CHICAGO SUN TIMES and “Male Artist of the Year” by the Freeform American Roots DJs, his songs and performances have established him as a unique voice in Americana music.

Grimm appeared with Harrison Ford in the film CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER and co-starred for two seasons on the NBC drama REASONABLE DOUBTS.

His most recent projects include guest spots on television's CHICAGO CODE and DETROIT 187 and work on an upcoming film with director Ramin Bahrani, starring Dennis Quaid. He will appear in the Indiana Repertory Theater’s production of GOD OF CARNAGE through March 24.

This free concert is co-sponsored by the Friends of the Hancock County Public Library.

Roy Ballard will discuss farming techniques of the 1930s and how they compare with 2012. Ballard is the agriculture and natural resources educator with the Hancock County office of Purdue Extension.

Also, see slides of photographs taken by J. C. Allen who, in 1913, worked for Purdue University's College of Agriculture and spent nearly 70 years documenting twentieth century American farms.

This presentation is part of the Hancock County Public Library’s Big Read line-up of events celebrating John Steinbeck’s novel, THE GRAPES OF WRATH. The big read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest.

Join a book discussion on THE GRAPES OF WRATH, by John Steinbeck, at the Kenneth Butler Memorial Soup Kitchen, 202 E. Main St., in Greenfield. This event is part of the Hancock County Public Library’s BIG READ celebration.

As a bonus, Hancock County’s “As I Recall” Storytelling Guild will share tales from the era of the novel’s story, the 1930s.

Steinbeck’s iconic homeless family, the Joads, and their economic plight look familiar to many in Hancock County. People who attend the discussion are encouraged to bring canned goods to support the kitchen’s efforts to eliminate hunger in the community.

While supplies last, after March 3, books are available at both locations of the Hancock County Public Library and aboard the Techmobile.

The BIG READ is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest.

Learn to design and share dynamic presentations with an audience using Microsoft PowerPoint, a professional-looking computer slideshow. Kristine Gilbertson teaches this free beginners’ class.

Create slides themed around the library’s Big Read celebration, add and format text, insert a photo, and change the show’s color scheme.

To prepare, attendees should have general computer knowledge and be comfortable using a mouse. The library recommends taking Computers 101, first, or booking a librarian for one-on-one help.

Beginning and experienced crafters give and take advice on each other's work. Bring supplies for a project to this library-sponsored program.