NEW SMYRNA BEACH — For many residents, the library offers a reliable place for some quiet studying or working, or simply a chance to catch up on reading.
But this month, the New Smyrna Beach Regional Library, at 1001 S. Dixie Freeway, is hosting several free programs and classes on a variety of activities, which include dancing, yoga, knitting and crocheting, and even an origami class.
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“We offer a wide range of programming to nourish a person’s mind, body and soul,” said Volusia Southeast Regional Librarian Jane Weimer. “We connect people by engaging and introducing them to others with similar interests and hope to open their minds to new possibilities, both educational and cultural.”
Also among the activities provided this month will be genealogy assistance for residents who want to research their family history. Behind this effort is library volunteer and New Smyrna Beach resident Carolyn Carlisle, who has been helping people find their roots for over 20 years.
“It’s the perfect place,” Carlisle said of the library. “We have a large selection of books — we have a whole section of just genealogy-related books, as well as subscriptions to Ancestry, Fold 3.”
Residents also have access to the Heritage Quest and America’s Historical Newspapers databases.
The Genealogy Society, Carlisle said, has had a volunteer at the city library even before she started volunteering around 2002. She joined the society in 1997.
“The (resources) are so much more available now,” she said.
Carlisle got involved in genealogy when she wanted to find out more about her father’s family, as she didn’t have much contact with them growing up.
“He would tell stories (about his family) and some of them were a little outlandish,” Carlisle said. “I got to investigate the stories he would tell and see how true they were. There is a grain of truth in everybody’s family tales.”
“Sometime (the stories) are more true than we think they are,” Carlisle added.
One story Carlisle discovered while researching her family’s history was about her father’s seventh great-grandfather coming to Montreal, Canada, in 1653 to help build on the French settlement at the time.
“He would have been so proud of that,” Carlisle said. “It was just so exciting to find it.”
Carlisle’s mother was the youngest of 10 siblings, and her grandparents had died long before she was born. Finding out more about them gave her “a better sense of who I was and who they were,” she said.
“The connection to the past is just fabulous,” Carlisle said.
Carlisle has already helped four people who came by the library Jan. 3 looking for genealogy assistance. She will be at the library every Monday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. this month.
For residents who are looking for meditation skills, they will have the chance to learn about Qigong (pronounced chee-gong), a Chinese mediation practice that “supports relaxation, pain relief, increased ease in falling asleep,” and offers other benefits, according to Qigong instructor Ann Minoff.
“Qigong is the practice of gentle physical movements combined with focus and visualization,” said Minoff, who will teach three Qigong classes at the library. “These movements can be done standing, sitting, and even lying down. Even 10 minutes a day can make a difference.”
Minoff has a background in chiropractic and has been teaching Qigong since 2008.
“I enjoy sharing Qigong because it is so beneficial with no downside,” Minoff said. “During the one-hour class, (residents) will learn simple movements and visualizations that will bring them ease and a greater sense of well-being.”
The classes will take place Wednesdays, Jan. 12, 19 and 26, at 5:30 p.m.
Other activities at the library this month include ballroom dancing lessons from NSB Dance Club members on Mondays at 5:30 p.m., and chair yoga classes (a gentle form of yoga that uses a chair for seated poses and support — designed for seniors and the mobility impaired) led by Seat of the Soul Chair Yoga staff on Mondays from Jan. 10 to Feb. 14 at 9:30 a.m.
There will also be one-time activities, such as a knit and crochet session on Jan. 13 at 10 a.m., as well as a jewelry-making session on Jan. 20 at 10 a.m.
The only program that requires registration is the origami class on Tuesday, Jan. 11 at 2 p.m. Residents wishing to participate can register by calling 386-424-2910, or by visiting volusialibrary.evanced.info/signup/List.
“The library is a huge source of continuing educational opportunities where citizens get the chance to engage in entertainment ranging from movies, concerts and lectures, to enrichment classes which include computer classes and crafting to opportunities to enhance skills or learn new skills,” Weimer said.
“The staff hope that everyone will take advantage of the world of possibilities available at their local library.”
