Published: January 07, 2009 11:49 am      

Cooking to finances, library offers workshop variety

DUNCAN — To start off 2009, the Duncan Public Library is focusing on pocketbooks.

No, it’s not an arts and craft project nor is it a fundraiser. Instead, the library will have a short series of programs designed to help get patrons get their finances under control during the current economic atmosphere.

Library Director Ann Brown said, “I keep hearing about the financial storm. I know it hasn’t hit us really hard. But I thought it was good to be prepared.

“Better safe than sorry.”

The first program of the series, “Cooking on the Cheap,” focuses on healthy eating on a budget. This program will be at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 22 in the upstairs kitchen area.

Katherine Baltes, a nutrition education assistant with the Oklahoma State University Extension office, will be the guest speaker for the program. Baltes will talk about how people can cook healthful food without spending too much.

“It’s another way to help out patrons,” Brown said. “Cooking is a big part of our non-fiction section.

“You’ve just got to be careful. There are recipes with exotic ingredients or that are loaded with fat.”

She said by preparing their own meals, people can save money on healthier meals. Samples of some foods discussed will be available during the program.

It also helps them avoid the “fast-food trap,” which isn’t as inexpensive as it may seem, she said. Instead, the costs, along with the calories, add up.

Brown said people find themselves eating fast food because busy schedules leave them little time to cook.

“We get busy,” she said.

While the first program may help patrons cook healthy without spending too much money, the other programs will also take a look at finances.

February’s program will take a look at personal finance. The details of this program are still being worked out.

The March program will turn the focus on going green. The program will look at ways to conserve energy as a way to save money.

The program series will focus on improving individual finances, much like last year’s program series, “New Year, Better You,” focused on health and wellness.

Programs like this year’s financial programs are supported by many of the books available in the library. These books can make good supplements to the lessons in the programs.

“We want to help them find the things that will be most helpful,” Brown said.