Columns | Kane County Chronicle

@Your Batavia Public Library: Hassle-free holiday shopping is easy at the library!

The sight of holiday decorations and special deals – out weeks before Halloween – fills some of us with excitement.

The holidays soon will be here. This year, though, has been marked by much higher prices at grocery stores and gas pumps, potentially putting a crimp in those holiday shopping plans based on one’s finances. That’s where the Batavia Public Library comes in with options to make it easier to check family, friends and acquaintances off your holiday shopping list.

Gifts carry special meaning when made by our hands to show they come from our hearts. Yet learning from top artists and designers how to crochet, bake, paint and create jewelry can be a pricy endeavor. So the library is partnering with Creativebug to bring such classes directly to patrons for free.

Beginning Tuesday, Nov. 1, residents with Batavia Public Library cards will be able to access thousands of video classes to learn how to make gift items such as custom herbal tea blends, bath soaks and body scrubs, natural perfumes, homemade candles and clothing. Watch the videos on your own time and create crafts and artistic projects for far less than one could buy in the store or online.

One of the coolest gift options is to create a present on the library’s 3D printer. 3D printing is incredibly popular, and the presents you can print are astonishing.

How cool would it be to create an articulated dragon for your grandson? A host of collectibles can be printed, too, including Minecraft characters, Dungeons & Dragons models or War Hammer tokens.

Functional gifts include laptop stands, cellphone holders or stackable battery holders. For those retro-chic cat lovers, create a geodesic dome cat house bed, with some assembly required.

If you want to give an out-of-this-world gift, NASA freely shares some of the space agency’s 3D resources. Download a model and personalize it for a truly one-of-a-kind present, such as a NASA insignia or miniatures of the Curiosity Rover or Apollo Lunar Module.

Library card holders may visit bataviapubliclibrary.org/3d-printing and scroll through the options. Select a file, along with a filament color, and submit your print job. It costs $1 per file and 10 cents per gram of filament used. Allow up to two weeks for your project to print, depending on 3D printer bookings.

For those on your list who would love to unwrap a box of books, Friends of the Batavia Public Library have several opportunities to purchase books and other materials at deeply discounted prices.

Friends of the Batavia Public Library will host monthly Book Sales on Saturday, Nov. 12, and Saturday, Dec. 10, in the FriendSpace on the lower level of the library. Both sales are from 9:15 a.m. to 1 p.m.. Gift-quality books are featured both months.

The Friends also will host a Vintage Book Sale from 9:15 a.m. to 1 p.m. Dec. 10 in the Founders Room at the library.

These sales offer the opportunity to shop while giving back to a local, nonprofit organization.

Flyleaf Bakery Cafe gift cards are a delicious option. They make excellent presents for teachers, coaches, tutors and your neighbors and coworkers. Plus, you can feel good knowing you’re supporting a local, woman-owned small business.

Stop by the library at 10 S. Batavia Ave. so we can help make this holiday season a little brighter for you and your family.

Kristen Zambo is the promotional services manager at the Batavia Public Library.