Whitefish Community Library

1,000 Books before Kindergarten is a reading challenge that promotes reading and literacy to our youngest patrons. It fosters a love for reading while laying a strong foundation for lifelong learning.

1,000 Books Before Kindergarten is free and available for children who haven’t started Kindergarten yet, and no library card is necessary. Read books with your child and tally them, and soon they’ll be adding their own leaves to the 1,000 Books tree in the Library’s Childrens’ area.

Pick up a packet to get started at the Circulation desk.

As Dr. Seuss once said, “You’re never too old, too wacky, to wild, to pick up a book and read to a child.”

Whitefish Community Library will be closed Monday, January 19 in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The Library will reopen Tueaday, January 20, at 10 a.m. ”...I have also decided to stick with love…hate is too great of a burden to bear.” - Martin Luther King, Jr. from a speech August 16, 1967.

A Vision Board is a collage created to reflect your personal goals, dreams, and intentions for the future. It allows aspirations that have been slipping through your mind to become visual, offering a new perspective. Vision Boards can be used as an organizational tool, or as a fun collection of your favorite things.

Join us in the Community Room on Tuesday, January 13 at 5:30 – 8 pm to craft your personal Vision Board for 2026. We’ll begin with a reflective exercise and proceed to creating. There will be plenty of materials at hand, and feel free to bring magazines or word cutouts of your own.

Facilitated by Barbara Schiffman. Collage image created by lizlovespink

Join Karen Nesbitt on Tuesday January 13 at 10:00AM in the Whitefish Library Community Room to see if Tai Chi is for you. Registration for a FREE 6-week course for adults will happen after this introductory class. Participation is limited so be sure to register. The 6-week class will be Tuesday mornings from 10:00-11:30AM beginning January 20 until February 24.

ONE BOOK MONTANA was recently relaunched by Humanities Montana with the book Becoming Little Shell A Landless Indian’s Journey Home” by Frenchtown author Chris La Tray.

Events related to One Book Montana are continuing through the new year. At Whitefish, we will have two discussions of Becoming Little Shell :

Monday, January 26 at 5 – 6:30 pm, and

Tuesday, February 17 at 1 – 2:30 pm.

PLEASE SIGN UP

The Whitefish Library Association has generously purchased copies of the book for us to give away when you come in to the Library to sign up for a book discussion (first 20 people, 1 copy per person). We hope that people will return the book after they read it so we can hand it off to another reader.

Sign up starts Monday, December 29 at Whitefish Community Library. The Flathead Valley will also be treated to another visit by Chris La Tray. He will be at the FVCC Library on the evening of Feb. 23 from 6 to 8 pm. This event is free and open to the public.

December 22-27 will see a different schedule at the Library.

We’ll be open our regular hours all week with the exception of Wednesday and Thursday, Dec. 24 & 25, when the Library will be closed.

We’ll reopen on Friday, the 26th at 11 am until 5 pm, and be open Saturday too (12-5).

Story Circle on Friday is cancelled due to the busy holiday week. After School at the Library and Switch It Up are on hiatus until school recommences in January.

From our staff to you: we wish you a safe and peaceful holiday season.

Ready to pretend? How about some hot chocolate at the new shop in the Children’s area? Props provided assist our youngest patrons to build vocabulary and practice communicating while they pretend to prepare and sell at their own Hot Chocolate stand. Pre-math skills are developed counting and exchanging play money and deciding how many marshmallows to put on top. There’s even practice on a vintage telephone! (Which end is the speaker?)

Watch for new dramatic play scenarios as Miss Gina will change the theme regularly.