CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio – High ranking for Heights Libraries: Heights Libraries again received the highest possible rating in Library Journal‘s Public Library Service Index. This means that it received a five-star rating, an annual rating that is only given to the best American libraries.

The just released Star Library report is based on 2019 statistics, so it does not reflect the impact COVID-19 has had on public libraries since spring 2020.

Heights Libraries have achieved a five-star designation in 11 of the 14 years that have Library Journal published his note. In case you were wondering, Heights Libraries received a four star rating in two of the years and was not rated a year. Library Journal is a specialist journal that reports news on the world of libraries, with an emphasis on public libraries. It has a national circulation of 100,000 copies.

Libraries are categorized by annual expenditure and scored on criteria such as movement of physical objects, visits, program participation, use of public computers, WiFi sessions, and circulation of electronic media, such as e-books. .

Heights Libraries’ circulation was 32.3 prints per capita in its service area of ​​57,867 residents. This figure is up from the previous record of 30.33, which means that approximately 32 items were distributed for every resident of the Cleveland Heights-University Heights service area. Per capita visits averaged 12.35, program participation averaged 0.97 (vs. 0.89), and public computer usage was 3.89. WiFi sessions were at 5.88 (up from 2.37) and eMedia broadcast was 3.52, an increase from the previous 2.56.

“These numbers reflect our best year ever, statistically speaking,” Nancy Levin, director of Heights Libraries, said in a statement. “In 2019, we had our highest circulation in our history, just over 2 million items loaned or downloaded. This summit will make next year’s COVID-influenced statistics a shock, so for now we are only taking advantage of this bright spot in a very difficult year. “

“But even now,” Levin added, “with the COVID restrictions, members of our community are still borrowing items, attending virtual and social-distance programs, taking advantage of reopened study rooms and seats, getting l help over the phone and in person with things like reference questions, technical questions, and printing services. The need people have of us has not changed – on the contrary, they need us more than ever before. we. “

The entire state of Ohio has done well, in general, compared to the rest of the nation. Ohio was just behind New York State in terms of the number of libraries receiving stars, 34 versus 27, respectively.

It’s also worth mentioning that the Cuyahoga County Public Library has also been awarded the prestigious five-star rating for its 13th consecutive year. The Beachwood Library is an issue of CCPL.

Lost Stories of Looted Works of Art: In what seems like a pretty interesting program, Park Synagogue invites you to take a virtual tour of “Afterlives: Recovering the Lost Stories of Looted Art,” as presented by the Jewish Museum in New York, at 1 p.m. on January 5. . , via Zoom.

The exhibit tells the superimposed stories of objects that survived after being stolen by the Nazis in WWII. It tells about their post-war rescue and their life after the war in museums and private collections. The exhibition includes masterpieces by Bonnard, Cézanne, Chagall, Matisse, Picasso, Pissarro and many other renowned artists.

Valuable pieces of Judaica and books are on display, along with rarely seen photos and archival documents that link the objects to history. The program is free and open to the community.

To participate, you will need to pre-register before January 3 in order to receive the Zoom link. You can register on parksynagogue.org, or by contacting Ellen Petler at [email protected] or 216-371-2244, ext. 122. The program is sponsored by the Park Senior Adult group.

Jewish Book Festival, second chapter: The Mandel Jewish Community Center will be holding the second chapter of its 22nd annual Cleveland Jewish Book Festival from January 5 through February 6.

Included will be fiction and non-fiction writers and an in-person event featuring Cantonese magician and Joshua Adam Jay. In all, there will be eight authors plus, on Local Author’s Day, five writers with connections to Cleveland.

The festival annually features books that highlight Jewish life, historical fiction, Israeli literature, memoirs and more. Authors share the stories behind their books in presentations accompanied by lively question-and-answer sessions. Most of the sessions are free and presented virtually.

Families are invited to attend an in-person event on January 8 at Mandel JCC, 26001 S. Woodland Road in Beachwood, featuring Joshua Adam Jay, who has performed on stage in over 100 countries. Jay is the headliner of Hollywood’s Magic Castle and is a former sleight of hand World Champion. Jay has appeared on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and The Late Show with James Corden.

The book festival will begin at noon on January 5 with “The Sisters of Auschwitz: The True Story of the Resistance of Two Jewish Sisters in the Heart of Nazi Territory”, with author Roxane van Iperen. This virtual event is free.

The festival’s authors’ books are available through Mac’s Backs-Books on Coventry, 1820 Coevntry Road in Cleveland Heights.

For more information on the Book Festival and to purchase tickets for the January 8 magic show, visit mandeljcc.org/bookfest.

It’s MLK Essay Time: Greater Cleveland students can win $ 1,575 in scholarships by entering the 32nd Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Essay Contest, sponsored by East View United Church of Christ, Shaker Heights.

This year’s topic is: What challenges did you face during the COVID pandemic as a student, and how did you overcome them?

Students can compete in one of three divisions. Students in grades 9 to 12 can earn $ 500 for a first place essay and $ 250 for second place for a 350 to 500 word essay. Seventh and eighth graders can win a first place prize of $ 300 and a second place prize of $ 150 for a 200 to 350 word essay. Students in grades four to six can earn $ 125 for first place and $ 75 for second place for writing a 100-200 word essay.

The prizes for third place are $ 100 for the secondary division, $ 50 for college and $ 25 for elementary.

Essays will be judged on originality, sharpness, punctuation, spelling and grammar. Each essay must be signed by the teacher and the student’s parent or legal guardian. Last year’s first place winners are not eligible to participate. The competition is open to students who live or attend school in Cuyahoga County.

Youth can submit their essays to: MLK Essay Contest, East View Church, 15615 Chagrin Blvd., Shaker Heights, Ohio 44120. Deadline is 7:00 PM January 11th. The winners will be informed by telephone. Participants must include their phone number as well as the name and year of the school.

The winners will be announced to the public in a virtual King’s Day celebration, which will be held from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. on January 17. You can watch the celebration on East View Church’s Facebook page and YouTube channel. For more information, call East View Church at 216-921-7673.

Where can we find food for New Years Eve? : If you are hoping to make plans for dining out on New Years Eve, we can help. Of course Omicron is here and some of us may not want to dine inside restaurants, but local restaurants are working to fix that by planning to serve take out.

The Cleveland Independents Group has put together a list of where you can buy food on December 31st. You can consult this list and discover gift ideas and events for the holidays, here.

Helping Alzheimer’s caregivers: The Cleveland Area Alzheimer’s Association will be offering two virtual education programs this month to help caregivers with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia take better care of their loved ones.

From noon to 1 p.m. on December 14, a program entitled “Understanding and Responding to Dementia-Related Behaviors” will take place. The program explores the ways in which people with dementia use behavior to communicate their needs and their language decreases. This program teaches participants how to decode behavioral messages, identify common behavioral triggers, and learn strategies to help intervene in some of the more common behavioral challenges associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

“Conversations on Dementia” will be held from 6 pm to 7 pm on December 15th. This program will offer advice on how to approach the difficult conversations that arise when someone first shows signs of dementia and changes in behavior. Participants will learn ice-breaking ways with family members while discussing issues such as going to the doctor for diagnosis or treatment, deciding when to stop driving, and making legal and financial plans for future care. .

Both programs are free and open to the public. Participants can enroll in one or both programs. Pre-registration is required. To register, call 800-272-3900 or email [email protected] After registering, you will be provided with the link to join the webinar.

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive, fatal brain disease that kills nerve cells and brain tissue, affecting an individual’s ability to remember, think, plan, speak, and walk. More than six million Americans suffer from the disease.

Mandel Jewish School auctions: Mandel Jewish School will be holding an auction at 7 p.m. on January 29 at B’nai Jeshurun ​​Congregation, 27501 Fairmount Blvd. to Pepper Pike.

The event will include hors d’oeuvres, dinner and an open bar. Food laws will be respected. Entertainment will be provided by the Cleveland Keys dueling pianos.

Tickets are limited due to COVID restrictions. Vaccines are compulsory. For RSVP visit here.

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