‘Catch a Glimpse of the Eclipse’ program at the library

IRON MOUNTAIN -- The Dickinson County Library is preparing for the annular solar eclipse with a "Catch a Glimpse of the Eclipse" program for all ages from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday at the Dickinson County Library in Iron Mountain.

According to NASA, an annular eclipse occurs on earth when the sun, the moon, and earth line up, either fully or partially. Dickinson County residents will be able to see a partial eclipse Saturday.

During an annular eclipse, it is never safe to look directly at the sun without wearing specialized eye protection designed for solar viewing.

Dickinson County Library will give out 400 specialized eye protection glasses during the program for patrons to use for the October eclipse. The glasses can also be used for the total eclipse on April 8, 2024. The library was able to obtain these glasses through The Solar Eclipse Activities for Libraries, or SEAL, program.

"The Solar Eclipse activities for Libraries program is part of the STAR Library Network, which shares hands-on STEM-based learning for libraries and their communities throughout the nation," said Emily Cummings, local history/programming coordinator at the Dickinson County Library. "Through SEAL, the Space Institute used funding from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation to send over 5 million solar glasses, various activity ideas and information to more than 12,000 library locations across the country."

"It's always exciting to partner with Downtown Iron Mountain," said Megan Buck, Dickinson County Library director. "This program allowed us to order several hundred pairs of glasses to give away."

Along with providing glasses at the library, the public can also visit Iron Mountain City Hall to pick up a pair of glasses or visit the Iron Mountain Farmers Market on Saturday and find Sara Wentzel for a pair of glasses.

The Dickinson County Library helps the community find its story. Founded in 1967, the library has three sites in Dickinson County: the main location in Iron Mountain, the Solomonson Branch in Norway and the North Dickinson Branch in the North Dickinson County School building in Felch Township.

For more information on upcoming programs, go to the library's website at www.dcl-lib.org or call 906-774-1218.