5 ways Mentor Library can help you keep your New Year’s Resolution

Want to lose weight? Decrease stress? Mentor Library can help you with that and much more.

Depending on what think-piece article you’re reading, anywhere between 88 and 92 percent of New Year’s Resolutions don’t survive the year.

But you can shift the odds in your favor with help from your local library.

We at Mentor Public Library are ready to help you lose weight, save money, find a better job or attain whatever goal you have set for yourself in 2015.

1. Lose weight & be healthier

This is the most popular resolution, so let’s start here.

If you want to lose weight or just generally be more fit, we have books on eating better, cookbooks with healthy recipes and exercise DVDs you can borrow.

We also have a special weekly program for seniors who are trying to find a fun way to get moving.

Starting Monday, Jan. 4, Awaken Yoga is offering a free introduction to chair yoga at our Main Branch. Yoga is a great way to relieve stress, build strength and (when paired with a healthy diet) lose weight. You can register for it here.

For those looking for something a little more challenging, you can get a free intro to the health benefits of boxing on Tuesday, Jan. 26, at Title Boxing Club in Mentor. An instructor will teach the basics of boxing. Boxing gloves will be provided but comfortable clothes are a must. Be prepared for a workout.

2. Learn something new

There are hundreds of thousands of ways to learn something new. Literally every item in our collection could potentially teach you something you didn’t already know.

Beyond that, you can check out Gale Courses for hundreds of online classes. They offer classes on everything from music to technology to accounting, many of which are taught by college professors. And they’re all free with your library card.

We also have programs at our library on everything from the Civil War to local history to Auschwitz survivor Primo Levi.

3. Save money and get your finances in order

We have more than 200,000 books, movies and CDs in our collection, and that’s not even counting our digital services that let you read eBooks and stream music, movies and audiobooks anywhere and at anytime. (And that includes several books on how to best manage your money.)

Every time you borrow something from us, that’s money you saved. That can add up to a lot of savings over the span of a year.

Also, if you want to know more about your finances, you can come to a free program about understanding your credit score on Feb. 25 at our Main Branch.

4. Find a better career

On Jan. 29, we're hosting a job fair with several local employment agencies from noon to 4 p.m. at our Main Branch.

Come by and bring your resume. It could be your first step toward your new career.

5. Spend more time with your family

We offer a menagerie of story times for families, and they’re starting a new session on Jan. 5.

But there are a lot of ways to use library resources to spend more time with your family. Borrow a stack of DVDs and start a family movie night.

And, while our story times are a lot of fun, there’s no substitute for reading to your child.

So we hope to see you soon. Whatever your resolution is, I’m sure we have a book, video or program that can help. Don’t be shy. Just come up to the reference desk and ask for recommendations!