On Friday Sept. 30 San Jose Public Library is joining with San Jose State University, the Mayor's Office, San Jose Unified School District, the Santa Clara County Office of Education and many other schools and community organizations to promote College Day San Jose, a day to to celebrate, inspire and promote college aspirations throughout San José by having everyone, everywhere, share their “Education Journey.”  View the stories of Francisco Jimenez, Madison Nguyen and others.

Many libraries will feature maps where you can identify the college you attended.  Library staff are encouraged to wear school t-shirts, sweatshirts or other attire.  Most of all, whether you set foot in a library that day or not, we want to encourage you to take time during that day to share your college experience with others: children, co-workers, and friends. 

• Why you did or did not go to college
• Where you went and why you chose that school
• The best and most challenging parts of your education journey
• If you could do it over again, would you make any different choices about your education?
• If you could give one piece of advice to a student about college, what would it be?

Every person's educational journey is unique to them.  Take this opportunity to share your story!

Do you enjoy reading and discussing what you read?  If the answer is yes, the Edenvale Book Club is the club for you! Come to the fireplace area of the Edenvale Branch Library on Wednesday October 5, 2011 at 6:00 pm. This month, the Edenvale Book Club will discuss Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler. Everyone is welcome.

This book is available in a variety print formats:

Hardback

Paperback

Large Print

Korean Fiction

Join us as we get into the mood for Halloween! Robyn Of Kids Creative Adventures will be at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library on Saturday, October 1 at 3:00PM teaching kids how to create their own Halloween cartoons. We will furnish all the supplies, children will bring their fantastic imaginations and creativity. Who knows what ghoulish things will be created? This workshop is limited to the first 25 children. If you can't make it to the workshop San Jose Public Library has many books on cartooning on many different subjects; here are just a few you might enjoy:

• Learn to Draw Tinkerbell by Disney Storybook Artists
• Transformers Animated: How to Draw by Sadie Chesterfield
• Heroes! : Draw Your Own Superheroes, Gadget Geeks & Other Do-gooders by Jay Stephens

Gus just moved to a new town.  Due to his skating skills, he was able to survive, make new friends, and show them new skating tricks. DK Publishing House did it again by presenting pictures on every page depicting important moves, tricks, techniques, and safety measures for a skater. A non-skater as well as a skater can learn so much from every page in the book as well as the glossary in the back of it. Terms of the trade were very well presented so that a person new to skating would not feel lost or bored.

Skate! by Amy Junor can be found in San Jose Public Library Catalog.

Another book on skating, The Skate Boarding Field Manual by Ryan Stutt also shows basic skating tricks (thirty-three of them).

There will be split sessions/demos between Skateboarding and BMX, according to LCRSP (Lake Cunningham Regional Skate Park) on Sat. Oct. 01, 2011, in the District 8's festival "Day In The Park".  Check it out at www.sjparks.org/skateboard/news.asp.

Explore San José History on a Walk with Your Smartphone
San José Public Library Releases Unique Smartphone-Enabled Guided Walking Tours that Connect Users to the City’s History

San José, Calif.– San José Public Library (SJPL) has developed a free new Smartphone enabled self-guided walking tour to give residents and tourists alike an interactive way to explore downtown San José and learn about the City’s history. The tour, called Scan Jose, was developed on a web application (app) made compatible for Smartphones. It showcases historic images from the collections of the San José Public Library’s California Room and the Sourisseau Academy for State and Local History.

Scan Jose directs walkers to a variety of downtown landmarks. At each stop, historic photos and information related to an event that once occurred at that location will appear on the web app. The images used in the web app date back as far as the mid 1800s.

"We are very excited to introduce Scan Jose to the public, as it places some of the rarest pieces of SJPL’s history collection right into users’ hands. Plus, it offers a fun and free new way for residents and visitors to get active, connect with technology, and explore the rich history of our city all at once," said SJPL Director Jane Light.

Users can choose from three distinct tour options including; a walk around Plaza de Cesar Chavez, a stroll down Santa Clara Street, or a trip through some of downtown San José’s most historic tragedies and calamities.

To access Scan Jose, search for scanjose.org on a Smartphone or tablet computer web browser. All of the stops on the tours can also be viewed in 3D with the Layar augmented reality browser. To do this, visit the iTunes app store or the Android Marketplace, download the Layar app, and search for Scan Jose.

Scan Jose was supported in part by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the State Librarian. For more information, contact the San José Public Library at (408) 808-2369 or visit scanjose.org.

Scan Jose Launch Event – September 10, 2011

SJPL will host a special group tour of Scan Jose to celebrate its launch on Saturday, September 10, 2011 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. This free event is open to the public and will meet in front of the San Jose Museum of Art in downtown San José. Participants will have the opportunity to test out one of the tours on a group walk and should bring their own personal Smartphone to fully enjoy the experience. Library staff will be present to help first time users navigate the web app. Contact SJPL at (408) 808-2369 for more information.

About San José Public Library

San José Public Library system (SJPL) is the largest public library system between San Francisco and Los Angeles on the West Coast of California, serving a culturally diverse population of approximately 946,000 in the nation’s 10th largest city. Recipient of the prestigious national Library of the Year award, SJPL is recognized across the country for its innovation and leadership in the field and is one of the busiest library systems nationwide, with an annual checkout rate of more than 13.5 million items through 19 currently operating locations. For more information, visit www.sjpl.org.

About the Sourisseau Academy for State and Local History

The Sourisseau Academy promotes local history through sponsoring research, educational programs, and publications. The Academy maintains an extensive photograph collection and historical ephemera relating primarily to the history of Santa Clara County and the central coast region of California. For more information, visit www.sourisseauacademy.org.

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Join us for the book lover’s event of the season! The Cambrian Friends of the Library Book Sale will be held on Saturday, October 1st from 10:00am- 4:00 pm at Cambrian Branch Library! Check out our huge assortment of gently used books, videos, DVDs and CDs. Our books have been meticulously organized by our Friends, making choosing books a breeze!

Most books --both children's and adults' -- are priced at 50 cents or $1, VHS tapes for $1, CDs for $2, and DVDs for $3. Premium, gift-worthy books and media are available on our SPECIALS tables. Starting at 3pm, books are sold by the bag for $5; we provide the bag (Specially-priced books and all media are NOT available at the bag sale).

All book sale proceeds benefit the branch library programs and services. Cash and checks are accepted. So come on in, have some fun, pick up some books and help support your community library!

Banned Books Week 2011 begins today!  Each year, the American Library Association and other nonprofit groups spend seven autumn days helping to ensure that everyone has the freedom to read what they want. 

At San Jose Public Library, we're celebrating Banned Books Week 2011 by displaying banned books and offering a quiz for teens. Please join us at King Library, Almaden, Cambrian, East Branch, Edenvale, Pearl Avenue, Santa Teresa, Vineland, or West Valley if you'd like to take the quiz for a chance to win prizes.

Here are the ten most challenged books of 2010.  Are any of your favorites on the list?

• And Tango Makes Three, Justin Richardson, 2005
• The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Sherman Alexie, 2007.  Also available as an audiobook on CD
• Brave New World, Aldous Huxley, 1932.  Also available as an audiobook on CD and a downloadable digital audiobook
• Crank, Ellen Hopkins, 2004
• The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins, 2008. Also available as an audiobook on CD and a downloadable digital audiobook
• Lush, Natasha Friend, 2006
• What My Mother Doesn't Know, Sonya Sones, 2001
• Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America, Barbara Ehrenreich, 2001. Also available as an audiobook on CD
• Revolutionary Voices: A Multicultural Queer Youth Anthology, edited by Amy Sonnie, 2000
• Twilight, Stephenie Meyer, 2005. Also available as an eBook, an audiobook on CD, a downloadable digital audiobook, and as a print book in Spanish, Vietnamese, Korean, Russian, Chinese, and English large print

Annabelle is the new kid at Birchwood Middle School, which is very different from her old all-girls elementary school.  Now, Annabelle has to figure out how to juxtapose being the new girl, being in a school with boys, being in a new family, and being a new dog/puppy owner!  She thinks boys are like wild animals!

Fortunately, Annabelle quickly makes some new friends and enjoys training her new puppy, Stripe.  However, the boys in her classroom make her quite miserable with their behavior.  Boys behave so differently from the girls at her old elementary school!  She needs to find some way to deal with their behavior because ignoring their bad behavior is not working.  What can she do?

Leslie Margolis has an immediately sympathetic character in Annabelle.  Kids will enjoy learning how Annabelle applies her lessons with Stripe to other problems in her life.  This is really a laugh-out-loud, book!  Boys are Dogs (AR 6.0, level 4.2) and Girls Acting Catty, (AR 5.0, Level 4.2) the sequel, are best read together. 

Years ago I ran the Bay to Breakers in San Francisco for the first time.  It was an interesting experience for a recently transplanted Minnesotan.  One of the reasons that I wanted to complete the race was that afterwards in Golden Gate park, in the area where you could pick up your race t-shirts, Smash Mouth was going to perform.   I have always liked their music, esepcially songs such as "Walking on the Sun" (1997) and "All Star" (1999).  They branched out into retro music performing such songs as that well-known Monkees tune "I'm a believer."   Imagine my surprise when I found out that they are a local band, originating here in San Jose in 1994.   Their music is even found on sound tracks for television shows like "Lizzie Mcguire" and movies like "How the Grinch stole Christmas," "Shrek," and "Austin Powers in Goldmember."   I even remember how pleased I was when I saw them in an episode of "Kim Possible."

If you would like to see them perform on Kim Possible, check out the video below.

Come visit us at the library and see the many types of media we offer.

Are you working on an in-depth historical research project? Take the War of 1812 for example; it is a topic that the HathiTrust can provide invaluable research material. The HathiTrust is a huge repository of free digitized content (books, periodicals, historic documents) from numerous research libraries including works digitized via the massive Google Books project. HathiTrust was founded in October 2008 by the thirteen universities of the Committee on Institutional Cooperation and the University of California. The partnership includes over 50 research libraries across the United States and Europe, and is based on a shared governance structure. As of September 2011, HathiTrust comprises over 9.6 million volumes, over 2.6 million (27%) of which are in the public domain. HathiTrust provides a number of discovery and access services, notably, full-text search across the entire repository. For those with inquiring minds, Hathi is the Hindi word for elephant, an animal famed for its long-term memory. (source: Wikipedia).

The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex is loosely structured as a personal essay written by eleven year old Gratuity Tucci for a school assignment. The Boovs conquer Planet Earth and declare that all Americans must relocate to Florida. Gratuity's mother is abducted by Boovs on Christmas Eve (or "Smekday" Eve since the Boov invasion). So Gratuity, also known as Tip, learns how to drive, packs up the Chevy, grabs her cat, and heads off to Florida to find her mother at the Happy Mouse Kingdom.  Along the way, she meets a Boov mechanic named J.Lo, who hitches a ride and agrees to help her and save the planet from disaster. J.Lo himself is on the run after mistakenly advertising the planet's whereabouts to yet another alien species. This is an extremely funny and creative sci-fi/road-trip story. Great black-and-white illustrations capture the characters' escapades and shed light on Boov history. Check out a review of this book by the New York Times

The Children's Room at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library will be having a special visitor at its Family Storytime on Wednesday, September 28 at 4:00PM.  Smokey Bear will be here teaching us all about fire prevention and fire safety. There will be stories, songs and it will be lots of fun for all ages

Many of us are old enough to remember Smokey's message, "Only YOU Can Prevent Forest Fires," but how many of us know his history. Smokey Bear was born on August 9, 1944 when the United States Forest Service and the Ad Council agreed that a fictional bear named Smokey would be the symbol for their joint effort to promote forest fire prevention. Then in 1950 a young bear cub was rescued from a forest fire and the firemen were so struck by the cub's bravery that they named him Smokey and he became the living symbol of the fictional Smokey Bear. If you're wondering where I learned about Smokey just visit www.smokeybear.com. This is the official Smokey Bear website and it has great information about him plus games, coloring sheets and other activities for young children.

But the best way to learn about Smokey and his message is to visit the King Library on September 28 at 4:00PM. Children who meet him for the first time will love him and those of us who have known him for a long time will enjoy seeing him again!

Heather Sellers’ book You Don’t Look Like Anyone I Know: A True Story of Family, Face Blindness and Forgiveness is a moving memoir of her life with prosopagnosia, or face blindness. This is a neurological condition where a person does not reliably recognize familiar faces. Growing up, Sellers thought she must be crazy when she couldn’t recognize people or places, and her parents made her feel like she was either stupid or careless. However, her childhood was so disrupted by her mother’s mental illness and her father’s alcoholism that she never stayed at one school long enough for her face blindness to be apparent to outsiders. As she got older she began to realize that something wasn’t right. She once hugged a stranger in a store, thinking it was her boyfriend, and she often would introduce herself to colleagues, thinking they were newly hired, but then discover she had known them for years. Sellers eventually learns some methods for coping with her face blindness, like explaining the condition to everyone she comes into contact with so they understand she isn't being rude when she doesn't remember their name.

Renowned neurologist Oliver Sacks also explores prosopagnosia in one chapter of his work The Mind’s Eye. Sacks reveals that he suffers from face blindness, and has since childhood. Like Sellers, Sacks also has trouble identifying places, even his own street and home. Sacks even has trouble recognizing himself, going so far as to apologize for almost bumping into someone, only to realize it is his own reflection in a mirror. Sacks uses coping techniques similar to Sellers', though they aren't always effective.

Sellers and Sacks both explain that prosopagnosia was once thought to occur only as a result of injury or trauma to the brain. However, research now seems to indicate that the condition may have a genetic basis and that many people are born with it. Visit www.faceblind.org to see more about what researchers at Harvard University and University College London have found so far, or to seek help with your own recognition impairment.

Chanda’s Secrets and Chanda’s Wars, two young adult novels by Allan Stratton set in a fictional country in southern Africa explore the problems and social issues that African young people face.

Chanda’s Secrets begins with 16 year old Chanda arranging for her baby sister’s funeral, one of many funerals happening in their neighborhood that day. Her mother falls ill and goes to stay with relatives at her ancestral village, so Chanda is forced leave school to care for her younger siblings. When Chanda’s mother doesn’t return phone calls, Chanda returns to the village to find the truth about her mother’s illness.

In Chanda’s Wars, Chanda is determined to rescue her brother and sister who are kidnapped by a warlord and destined to be trained as child soldiers.

Chanda’s secrets has recently been made into a film: Life, Above All.

Allegra Biscotti is a hot new fashion designer. However, Allegra is different from other fashion designers because she is actually the secret identity of Emma Rose, who is NOT an adult! Emma Rose is a talented kid who can't reveal to the world that Allegra Biscotti is actually an eighth grader in middle school!

After being wowed by stumbling upon three dresses in Emma's makeshift studio, fashionista Paige Young wants Allegra to produce more for a fashion spread. Emma Rose is soon tasked with building a three piece collection for Madison magazine. Paige, Emma's fashion hero, has hung her own career upon Allegra; she believes Allegra will be the next biggest thing. Will Emma be able to hide her talent from Paige, the fashion world, and her own family? Will she able to produce the three pieces for the Allegra Biscotti collection by the magazine's deadline?

Olivia Bennett's The Allegra Biscotti Collection (AR 7.0, Level 5.1) is the first book in a series about Emma Rose and her alter-ego. Kids who have an interest in clothes and fashion will be entranced by how a designer's collection is produced from idea to fashion spread. A fast-paced industry, the fashion process becomes quite a thriller in Olivia Bennett's hands. Look for the sequel!

September is the month of the Mid-Autumn Festival, aka Moon Festival for the Chinese and Vietnamese community. This festive event is one of the most important Chinese/Vietnamese celebrations of the year in addition to Chinese/Vietnamese New Year. To read more about the Moon Festival, children can check out Moon Festival from the library. This children's book is written by Ching Yeung Russell and illustrated by Christopher Zhong-Yuan Zhang. The story of children celebrating the traditional autumn Moon Festival is based on the author's memories of her childhood in China. One of the Vietnamese translated to English books that talks about the Mid-Autumn Festival is Tet Trung Thu: Moon Festival. This 52 page Vietnamese/English bilingual book with illustration was written by Le Quang Vinh and published in 1990.

The most recent Mid-Autumn Festival celebration in San Jose took place on Saturday, September 10, 2011 at Emma Prusch Farm Park. One of the key sponsors was Office of Vice-Mayor Madison Nguyen. Tully Community and Santa Teresa Branches also participated in the event to present library's services. In addition to finding more information about the library resource, many children and families enjoyed our Lantern Making craft at our booth. See video clip below:

I've never been much for the confessional nature of sports biographies, but somehow tennis seems to provide the exception to that rule. Maybe it's the seemingly obvious in that tennis players appear always willing to confess some of the unseen seediness of this sport of the genteel class, or that in spite of this chosen glamor profession it seems clear that, well, in many cases tennis pros seem to have some personality issues which can at times make for some entertaining reading. Rafael Nadal is not revealing any of the sturm und drang of the Andre Agassi or John McEnroe bios, but in his autobiography Rafa he provides an insightful telling regarding his approach to the sport and it's place in his life. You want to know about his sometimes torturous relationship with his uncle and coach Toni? Check. Interested in his close-knit Mallorcan family, upbringing and longtime girlfriend? You got it.

The real appeal of this book seems to be in Rafa elucidating his approach to the game and in particular an account of two of his most epic matches: the 2008 Wimbledon final against Roger Federer and the 2010 US Open final against a raging up and comer in Novak Djokovic. His comments regarding the latter are prescient indeed as Rafa lost this year's US Open only 4 days ago to the same Djokovic (not to mention the 2011 Wimbledon final). With Rafa now the world's number 2 player behind Djokovic it's clear that this 25 year old has more than a few years of tennis left in him, but will his sizable and devoted fan base and talent propel him to the top spot again? We'll see, but whatever the case this book will appeal most to players and fans of the sport, so if you fall into either category have a read to fill yourself in about the life thus far of this colossal yet humble figure in world tennis.

Roman Warfare by Jonathan P. Roth is a smooth overview of Roman civilization’s military practices from early republican times to the fall of the Western empire. A few pivotal battles which changed Roman methodology are discussed, but this is not a categorical list of every battle, date, and general of Rome’s many wars. A local professor (at SJSU), Roth neatly manages the trick of being highly informative without overwhelming a casual reader with minutiae as he discusses the equipment, methods, and history of the Roman armed forces over this vast period in a single readable work. Roth’s particular area of specialty is the much-neglected aspect of military logistics in the ancient world, making this book of interest even to those who are already familiar with the much more common topics of Roman strategy and tactics, as Roth fills the gaps left by most traditional histories of the subject. Roman Warfare is also nicely illustrated with painted recreations of Roman soldiers from various periods, and is accessible to new students of Rome as well as informative for those who already know something about the subject.

Yes, the "Happy Birds Show" is coming to the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library on Saturday, September 17 at 3:00PM and you won't want to miss it. Ed and Julie Cardoza have been perfoming with their birds since 1989 in libraries and schools; they have performed thousands of shows in hundreds of different locations and have even made appearances on The Tonight Show, Pet Star and the Ellen Show. These birds are truly stars! Come meet these wonderful birds as they perform their outstanding tricks: riding a bike, playing basketball, skateboarding, talking, singing songs and much more. If you're lucky you may even get a little kiss from one of them! After the show you'll definitely want to find out more about parrots and the San José Public Library has many books you can borrow.

Here's a little preview of the show: Yah-kee on the Ellen Show.

Celebrate our right to read and freedom to choose what to read in America by dropping by your local public library during the week of September 24-Oct 1 2011. Would you know it that classics such as Of Mice and Men by Steinbeck, Catcher in the Rye by Salinger, or 1984 by Orwell have been challenged by individuals or groups for their language or content? If you would like to see lists of banned books, check the Banned Books Week website or the ALA Frequently Challenged Books page. Many of the San José Public Library branches will be celebrating the week with a Banned Books Week Quiz. Check out the libraries and learn what other classics or popular titles have been challenged or banned. At Almaden Branch, we will be having our popular Banned Books display, so when you drop by, be sure to check out the fun and interesting reads that some individuals or groups do not want you to read!

Now that school is back in session and your kids are settled in or you have settled in to the routine of classes, homework, and squeezing in spare time for fun, think about becoming a volunteer tutor. Partners in Reading asks for a 3-hour commitment per week after training. You will meet with an adult who reads or writes below the high school level. Or, you could meet with a small group of adults. You can help adults feel confident so that they can take the driver's test, go back to school, read to their kids, or find a job. It's very satisfying and fun. The next training will begin on October 12, with all-day sessions on October 15 and October 22. All sessions are required in order to be matched with an adult. For more information, please call (408) 808-2361. Pre-registration is required.

I took the coolest walk this morning.  Thanks to a new library resource made possible by a grant from the California State Library, I joined some friends and took a self-guided tour of historic downtown San José.  By connecting to www.scanjose.org on a Smartphone I was able to view historic photographs from the library's California Room collection as I visited those same spots today.  I took A Walk Around the Plaza which started at the San Jose Museum of Art (formerly both a post office and library) and stopped at San Jose's Chinatown, the site of a suspicious fire, the location of California's original state capitol and historic St. Joseph's Cathedral among other places.  At each stop my phone revealed how that very spot appeared to visitors a hundred years or so ago!  Scan Jose offers two more self guided tours as well.  I can't wait to visit Old Santa Clara Street or experience Tragedies and Calamities from our city's past.  I hope you'll join me.

A coalition of local workforce development agencies including work2future put out a study in July about Silicon Valley's tech industry and it's workforce. The 119 page study titled Silicon Valley in Transition: Economic and Workforce Implications in the Age of iPads, Android Apps, and the Social Web highlights a lot of interesting points, however the most valuable are the recommendations for tech industry job seekers. The study found that employers are struggling to find qualified job candidates and seek employees who are flexible, adaptable, and can learn quickly rather than someone who is just technically skilled. Employers are looking for people that can work in teams and have experience at larger, well-known companies. If this is not you, don't worry the report gives job hunting/resume tips for older job seekers, long time unemployed job seekers, and job seekers from other industries looking for jobs in tech. You don't have to read the whole 119 page study, although you are welcome to! I suggest you skim through, read the highlights, particularly if you are a tech industry job seeker.

Come to the Edenvale Branch Library to have math fun! Children ages 5 to 12 are invited to participate in a variety fun math games and activities. Playing with money teaches several useful skills, including addition, subtraction, estimation and strategic thinking.

This program will take place at the Edenvale Branch Library on the following dates:

Wednesday, September 14, 2011 - 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Wednesday, September 28, 2011 - 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm

This program will be repeated at these other libraries:

Santa Teresa Branch Library - Thursday, September 22, 2011 - 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm

King Library - Thursday, September 29, 2011 - 4:00pm - 5:00pm

On Saturday, September 24, at 3:00-4:00 PM in the Almaden Branch Library, NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador Eric B. Norris will present an exciting multimedia look at current NASA interplanetary missions:
 

• Dawn mission to Vesta

• Juno mission to Jupiter

• soon-to-be-launched Mars Curiosity Rover

Eric will also update us on other missions throughout the solar system from Mercury to Pluto.

Everyone is invited to this informative multimedia presentation that will take place in the library's Program Room.

Recreational drug experimentation, cross-dressing and mind control are not topics we associate with Louisa May Alcott. Before becoming famous as the writer of Little Women and other children's books, Ms. Alcott earned her living writing fiction (using pseudonyms) f ) )       f               or popular adult magazines. Five of these stories are collected in the anthology Modern Magic. Other collections include: Behind a Mask: the unknown thrillers of Louisa May Alcott , Alternative Alcott, and From Jo March's attic : stories of intrigue and suspense.

See here for information about Louisa May Alcott library programs and events

(clip below from the American Masters documentary: Louisa May Alcott: The Woman behind Little Women.)

. ....

Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything

When finalists at the 2005 US Memory Championship claimed to be people of average abilities, science writer Joshua Foer was skeptical. Taking up the challenge, he devoted the following year to the study of memory and mnemonics, (the techniques and methods of memory training) interviewing to scientists, savants, physicians and people with amnesia. Coached by a European memory champion, he learned techniques developed before the invention of writing, entered the 2006 US Memory championship and won!  Moonwalking with Einstein chronicles Foer’s experience training to be a memory champion, and his research into the science and history of memorization.

If you’re interested in improving your memory, check out these library books on mnemonics.

Check out this newly ordered Graphic Novel series Kitchen Princess. This is shōjo manga series written by Miyuki Kobayashi , illustrated by Natsumi Ando, translated by Satsuki Yamashita, and adapted by Nunzio Defilippis and Christina Weir. It’s a story about a chef with magical power.

Amazon Product Description of this series mentions that "Najika is a great cook and likes to make meals for the people she loves. But something is missing from her life. When she was a child, she met a boy who touched her heart–and now Najika is determined to find him. The only clue she has is a silver spoon that leads her to the prestigious Seika Academy.

Attending Seika will be a challenge. Every kid at the school has a special talent, and the girls in Najika’s class think she doesn’t deserve to be there. But Sora and Daichi, two popular brothers who barely speak to each other, recognize Najika’s cooking for what it is–magical. Is either boy Najika’s mysterious prince?"

Kitchen Princess is currently available to check out from your local library. Due to the popularity some volumes might not be on shelves but they are requestable with a valid library card and PIN number.

"Sinking a sub" has nothing to do with submarines in this thoughtful tale of fourth graders and their schemes to make a substitute teacher succumb and cry.

The fourth graders in Hobie Hanson's class are ecstatic when their teacher, Mr. Star, has to go home with the flu.  Mr. Star is never sick! What follows is a competition between the boys and the girls to see who can make the sub, Miss. Ivanovitch, cry. At stake: retrieving balls from the spit pit!

The competition gets intense and finally ends with a big disaster no one saw coming. The fourth graders soon learn that this new sub is unlike any other they have seen before! Thirteen Ways to Sink A Sub (AR 4.0, Level 5.2) occurs in only one day. However, the fourth graders learn alot and have fun, too! Have fun reading this quick read from Jamie Gilson!

Available position

We seek an independent consultant with experience and knowledge in appraisal of children’s books.

Background

San José Public Library owns a collection of materials called the Children’s Resource Collection (CRC), consisting of approximately 7200 non-circulating books and magazines dating from 1763 to 1996. The materials get little use, and we’re interested in appraising the collection to determine its value and make a decision as to its future. 

Scope of work

The consultant will evaluate the CRC materials and offer an appraisal of the collection as a whole as well as individual appraisals for any item for which the estimated value is over $25.00, or of special significance for another reason. The appraised values should be those at which the Library can reasonably expect to resell the items. Deliverables will include a written assessment of the collection’s condition and value; appraisals for the collection as a whole as well as individual items as stated above; and written recommendations for potential buyers for the collection. The consultant may also be asked to make a fifteen-minute presentation at a library management meeting to explain her/his findings.

The Library will inventory the collection before the consultant starts. We will provide full access to the collection Monday through Friday, 9am to 5pm, and other hours as mutually determined; office space for the duration of the project; a laptop for the duration of the project to be used for research within the library; and office supplies as needed.

How to apply

Please email the following materials to Daisy Porter, Manager of King Access, Children’s, and Youth, daisy.porter@sjlibrary.org, by September 23.

• A résumé detailing your qualifications for evaluating historical books, especially children’s materials

• A letter of interest including your requested fee and the time you estimate it will take you to complete the project

Photo enthusiasts and nature lovers will be interested in a great Photo Display of Ron Horri's works at the Santa Teresa Branch Library. His work is well known in the South Bay and beyond. A member of the Friends of Santa Teresa Park and mentor to local photographers he has many nice selections of South Bay and Santa Teresa hills, wildlife, atmospheric weather patterns, hikes, wildflowers, historic buildings, historic sites and more. Come for a stroll in our Community Room where the photos are displayed through the month of September.

It's hard to believe that school is back in session and fall weather will soon be here. That means that the end of the year holidays are not too far away. Many people are determining that instead of purchasing gifts to give, they prefer to make items for their special someones. Hand-knit items are gifts that come from your heart through your hands into the hands of others. If you are thinking of making hand-knit gifts this year, but are looking for ideas, or you want to learn how to knit, come to your local branch. We have lots of books on knitting, crocheting, as well as many other handicrafts.

Have you ever wondered what life would be like with a different kind of job? While it may be fun to dream about all the possibilities, most of us will never know what it would be like to make our living as a food critic for one of the most prestigious newspapers in the nation. Luckily we can all live vicariously by reading Garlic and Sapphires, Ruth Reichl’s bestselling memoir about that very thing – her time as the restaurant reviewer for the New York Times. It turns out the position also has qualities of being an actress, diplomat, secret shopper, and celebrity in addition to the more obvious comparison of writer with a chef’s palate.

As in Ms. Reichl’s other books, favorite recipes are sprinkled throughout. Additionally, the reprinted reviews which follow chapters describing the events leading up to and through the restaurant visits are so beautifully crafted and the food described in such sensuous detail that they are just as entertaining to read several years after their original printing in the paper. As readers we are conscious not only of the appreciation of the glorious food itself but also of the extravagant use of words to convey the atmosphere of the entire experience. Along the way we also find out about creative costuming, newsroom rivalries and relationships.

Reading Ruth Reichl’s books will encourage you not just to eat, but to savor. One word of warning, you may get very hungry…

Perhaps you’re wondering what’s with the growing hype over raw foods lately. Maybe you’ve seen books, websites, or products proudly proclaiming “raw.” A raw food diet consists of raw, unprocessed, and preferably organic ingredients. It’s typically a plant-based diet of fruits, vegetables, seeds, and nuts, although some choose to incorporate raw dairy and meat. Like any diet, there are variations; some strive for 100% or mostly-raw diet, while others just want to incorporate more raw foods into their existing diet. Moms everywhere have been telling their kids to “eat their greens,” and common sense tells us that a hearty salad is a smart lunch choice, but why go raw?

Raw food advocates believe that high temperatures above 105-114 degrees destroy many of the natural enzymes and minerals found in uncooked foods. Among various other health claims, there’s also the theory of raw food alkalinity, which purports that a diet consisting of primarily raw, unprocessed foods restores your body’s pH levels to a healthier alkaline range. If this sounds nutty, consider this: Even the USDA’s new “Choose My Plate” campaign recommends that you fill half of your plate with fruits & veggies. It makes sense that you should opt for fresh, unprocessed options over fried or sugar-coated counterparts when you can, right?

Are you curious about the kale chips or raw cheesecake you’ve seen at grocery stores like Whole Foods, but run away in horror when you see the hefty price tags? Since many of these specialty raw items take a lot of time to prepare and consist of various high-quality ingredients, they’re going to set you back considerably more than their cooked counterparts. Fear not! The good news is that raw foods don’t always have to be overly time-consuming or expensive when you choose to make your own. The library has some great raw foods cookbooks full of recipes for salads, soups, wraps, smoothies, and even unexpected dishes like pizza, pasta, and cookies. I've enjoyed Ani Phyo's playful recipes, as well as Crazy Sexy Diet by Kris Carr. While personally I won’t be taking the all-raw plunge anytime soon, I enjoy incorporating at least one raw meal or side-dish into my daily routine, whether it’s a green smoothie for breakfast, a colorful salad for lunch, or my personal favorite, a decadent raw dessert.  I’ve found many raw foods recipes to be healthy, tasty, and just plain fun to make! If you’re still not convinced, I’ll leave you with one of my recent adventures, recipe courtesy of the Post Punk Kitchen. Cheesecake speaks louder than words.

Nature Girl (AR 8.0, Level 3.9) by Jane Kelley is one of those tales where you might have to suspend your disbelief, especially if you saw the movie 127 Hours!

If you like character development and hiking, this is the book for you!

The title character is very superficial and self-absorbed until she takes to the Appalachian Trail. She feels that she is a person who is a quitter and who complains about everything. Quickly, she learns that when you get lost in the woods with only your dog, quitting and complaining are not options.

Watch her encounter some large woodland animals, unruly teens, fire-making, raging currents, fishing, falling dogs, and large mountains. What Megan learns about herself is both positive and negative. She learns about true friendship and kindness from strangers. Most importantly, she discovers within herself an enduring and resourceful spirit!

Are you learning English? If you wish to practice your conversational skills, you can come to the Edenvale Branch Library's ESL Conversation Club. For more information, including new times and dates, you can consult our calendar. You can also view this week’s featured ESL site.