You have been patient, but I know you can’t wait another minute longer to learn who has been named 2004 Library Patron of the Year. The time has come to reveal the winner of this coveted tribute. The individual who has been deemed worthy of the 2004 honor is Jocelyn Alschlager! Ms. Alschlager is a long-time resident of Rock County. Currently, she is attending college. During a weekend visit to Luverne, she single-handedly, and with no regard for her own personal safety, saved the library from certain disaster. With her uncanny powers of observation and ability to leap tall buildings in a single bound, Jocelyn thwarted the efforts of an unnamed perpetrator who intended to cause harm to the library. She was bold and she was brave (which is more than I say for her mother). Jocelyn will be awarded the secret prize revealed only to the esteemed group of Library Patrons of the Year. There is an additional bonus even more valuable than the secret prize: the librarians will like you. As you may know, gaining the affection of a librarian can be tricky and sometimes difficult. It must be earned and can be extremely beneficial in life. So congratulations, Jocelyn, for a job well done. Previous winners of the prestigious Library Patron of the Year are Karen Martens, Harold Forsberg and Jeremy Stoltenberg. Other news at the library: Its time to sign up for the "Melt Away the Hours With a Good Book" adult winter reading program. You have until March 31 to read 12 books. Then you get a prize. The reading program is open to ages 16 and up. The more people who sign up for "Melt Away the Hours" the better chance we have of winning the $500 cash prize for purchasing new books. You can call in and register or sign up the next time you stop in at the library. We are going to begin a brand new year with a brand new book by one of our favorite authors, Barbara Taylor Bradford, "Unexpected Blessings." Evan, Tessa, Linnet, and India: four remarkable women, three generations of Hartes, and one indomitable family whose loyalty binds them together and whose enemies want to tear them apart.Evan Hughes is trying to integrate into the powerful Harte family. She is caught between her estranged parents, her new family, and her new love. But a dangerous enemy hovers in the background.Tessa Longden, Evan's cousin, is battling her husband for custody of their daughter, Adele. When Adele suddenly goes missing, Tessa is forced to seek help from her half-sister, Linnet, a woman who has been her rival all their lives. Linnet, the most brilliant businesswoman of the four great-granddaughters, is desperately trying to show that she is the natural heir to her mother, Paula. But her glittering future at the helm of the vast Harte Empire means many sacrifices, perhaps even the loss of her sister's fragile trust.And India Standish, the traditionalist in the family, falls in love with a famous British artist from a working-class background. Madly in love, India is determined to marry him, no matter what her family thinks.As conflict and danger swirl around the Harte women, someone is pulling the strings to make sure none of them finds happiness. Who among them will rise to the challenges as only a true Harte can do?This latest dramatic story in the ongoing saga of an extraordinary family dynasty is full of love, passion, jealousy, and ambition.