Happy 2012 to Everyone! A New Year and a New month means New Friday Fun Events at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  Library. Friday Fun events happen each Friday at 4:00PM throughout the year and are a great way to start off the weekend. Here's what's happening in January!

January 6 : Environmental Craft: Decorate a Canvas Bag! In January the plastic bag ban goes into effect in San Jose. In this craft children will decorate a reusable bag with fabric paint that they can reuse when going shopping or even to carry thier library books.

January 13: Puppet Making for Families! Children love puppets and what could be more fun than making your own.Children will make puppets and then use their puppets to tell a story. Parents will also learn some tips on how to get their children through daily routines by using puppets.

January 20: The Art of Japanese Calligraphy with Hikaru! The word "calligraphy," means "beautiful writing," so come and let Hikaru teach you some. The children use ink and paper to turn their English words into Japanese. It's a fun class and all supplies are provided.

January 27: Lunar New Year Craft! Celebrate the Lunar New Year with your friends at the library as we create a Lunar New Year Craft.

An aging governess has problems holding down a job during the Depression.  Her last hope of gainful employment involves a ditzy young actress with an impossibly complicated love life.  Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day stars Amy Adam and has a 77 percent rating at Rotten Tomatoes.

San Jose Public Library is committed to promoting life-long learning to all through various services.  One such service is to offer Conversation Clubs to people for whom English is a second language.  For some ESL speakers, self-study is adequate and satisfying.  Others who are learning English prefer to have a native speaker as a conversation coach in an informal, small group setting.   

If you or someone you know would like to improve English language skills, contact your neighborhood branch library for the Conversation Club class times.

According to the City of San José's Environmental Services Department

Facts About Bags weblink :

Californians consume over 600 plastic bags every second.

Less than 4 percent of all plastic bags are recycled.

Plastic breaks down into toxic bits that take centuries to decompose.

14 million trees are used easch year to produce paper bags in the U.S.

It takes 4 times more energy to produce a paper bag versus a plastic bag.

It takes 10 times more energy to recycle paper versus plastic.

Starting January 1, 2012, the City of San José will ban plastic carryout bags at grocery stores, pharmarcies, small and large retailers. The San José Public Library  is offerring an excellent opportunity for families on January in craft workshops to learn on how to be green by decorating a bag to take home and use for shopping at various library branches.

The Alviso Branch Library is having this craft workshop on

Thursday, January 19th at 4pm.

We invite kids, teens, tweens and their families to join in the fun.  All supplies will be provided.

What do you come to the library to do? A good book, information for a research project, computers for using Facebook, story times, and adult programs, a comfy chair for lounging in while drinking coffee and chatting with friends - yep, that's right, you can get it all at the library.

Not only this, but in these tough economic times, doesn't it make sense to check out those bestselling books and DVD's from your library? Why spend money on books and music when you can get these things for free on our Freegal and OverDrive databases.  You don't even know what those are, you say?  Check out our Downloads page to learn more about all the great resources you can get access to with your library card.

The library is no longer a place you go just to get books and information; it's now a place to go to make life more enjoyable. Books, movies, computer access, programs, and community. This is today's library.

Last year, Josh used to come to all my home meets just to wave and cheer me on. It makes me want to be honest and tell him what else I saw on the website, before he came over.

But I can't bring myself to say it.

What I saw would make things even more awkward between us. 

I hate being dishonest with Josh, but I can't tell him what I'm about to do. My future husband didn't come home for three nights! And now he's using my money to buy some gadget. Meanwhile, I can't even afford a therapist, which I most likely need in the future so I can talk about him!

I have to get rid of this guy.

It's 1996 and Facebook does not exist yet. Or does it? When Josh gives Emma an America Online CD-ROM download, Emma enters the world of Facebook, 15 years in the future! While an explanation for the time travel is never given, the effects of tampering with one's future is explored. Emma is desperate to change hers while Josh is perfectly content with his future. Or is he?

The Future of Us is quite a page-turner. As other reviewers have noted, however, the singular works by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler are better reads. Time travel is a difficult concept to master without running into inconsistencies. The reader must be aware that they need to suspend some of their disbelief, because this is a good story.

Jay Asher is the author of Thirteen Reasons Why: A Novel and Carolyn Mackler is the author of The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big, Round Things and Tangled.

Ann is diagnosed with terminal cancer at the age of 24. Instead of telling her family and friends, she carries on as usual and makes a list of things to do for herself and others before time runs out. An award-winning film by Spanish director Isabel Coixet, My Life Without Me stars Sarah Polley and has a 57 percent rating at Metacritic.

On holidays, as well as birthdays and other occasions, we often buy or receive gift cards. To protect our interests, don’t forget to check the various features of these cards, e. g., the card replaced after loss or theft, etc. Bankrate.com has posted a 2010 survey results of 54 cards of the largest retailers, restaurant chains, and card issuers. Compared in a chart are nine features: No expiration date; no dormancy or maintenance fees; card and/or funds replaced after loss or theft; and so on. Being informed now, you may better plan your trips to redeem your gift cards.

If you never stop at the store that you have received a gift card for, there may be a way out by using such websites that let you exchange cards or trade them in for cash. Consumer Reports published a report comparing four of such websites in terms of how much they’d pay for cards from eight major retailers in 2011. The report provides the conclusions that “Some cards are worth more than others” and “Look at several sites. No one always had the best deals.”  You may search online for more gift card exchange sites than those mentioned in the above report.

Last, but not least, consumers can be thankful for the gift card rules passed in 2010 that provide more consumer protections than before.  Here is another helpful article by Kiplinger’s on the gift card rules. In addition, California law is even more protective than the federal law. Posted on this California law page also are FAQs and “Tips for purchasers of gift certificates or gift cards.” For a “report card” on the California gift card law, please see the ScriptSmart page which, in addition, contains helpful links to the specific topics of the gift card law.

The image above is from13th Street Studio at http://13thstreetstudio.typepad.com/13th_steet_studio/2007/12/gift-card-sock.html

Alex's mother, an ardent Communist, falls into a coma just before the fall of the Berlin Wall and doesn't regain consciousness for several months. To avoid what could be a fatal shock to her system, he and his friends engage in an increasingly elaborate ruse to keep her believing that East Germany still exists. Good Bye Lenin! is a film by Wolfgang Becker and has a 90 percent rating at Rotten Tomatoes.

NASA finds planet that is closest yet to Earth's twin. It is called Kepler-22b and it is orbiting a home star that is almost a solar twin, some 600 light years away. Kepler-22b's year is almost the same length as the Earth year: 290 days instead of 365. Read more about it on NASA's home page.

Cornell University and Israel Technion - Institute of Technology are going to build an applied science camp in New York. The 20-million-square-foot, 11-acre Roosevelt Island campus will incorporate green landscaping and will serve as a center for entrepreneurship and technology innovation to rival California's Silicon Valley.

Cupertino Teen Angela Zhang won national science competition and a $100,000 scholarship. "I created a nanoparticle that's kind of like the Swiss Army knife of cancer treatment in that it can detect cancer cells, eradicate the cancer cells and then monitor the treatment response. So the major aim of the project was to personalize cancer medicine," said Zhang. She conducted her research at Stanford University School of NMedicineSheSheShe conducted her research at Stanford University School of Medicine while studying in high school.

Are you a fan of old movies?  I mean really old—going back as far as the 30’s and 40’s. If you are, you may know the name Edith Head. She was the Oscar winning (8 wins out of 35 nominations) costume designer whose career spanned almost 6 decades and more than 400 films. She worked with many of the biggest names in Hollywood—Carole Lombard, Barbara Stanwyck, Elizabeth Taylor, Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly, to name just a few. And now much of her work and a lot of fascinating inside stories of the movie world have been collected in an enormous, lavishly illustrated tome by Jay Jorgensen titled simply, Edith Head. 

It’s a treat just to browse through the pages and revel in the glamour of old Hollywood for a little while. And if this book piques your interest in Ms Head, you may be interested to know that she herself wrote and co-wrote several books: Dress Doctor, Edith Head’s Hollywood, and How To Dress For Success, all of which may be borrowed from the San José Libraries.

Desperate to escape Nazi Germany, a lawyer takes a job managing a farm in Kenya. His wife struggles under the spartan conditions of rural life, but a new world opens up for their young daughter. Based on a true story, the Oscar-winning film Nowhere in Africa has an 86 percent rating at Rotten Tomatoes.

Are you planning on taking the SAT this spring? San José Public Library will be offering 2 practice tests in January, giving you the opportunity try your hand at the types of questions you will see on the actual test. These full length practice tests will be proctored by Kaplan and are open to all high school students. Pre-Registration is required.

Saturday, January 7, 2012 - 1:00pm

Willow Glen Branch Library

Saturday, January 14, 2012 - 1:00pm

Berryessa Branch Library

In addition, you can check out a variety of new study books for both the SAT and the ACT.

Lastly, you may also want to look at the LearningExpress Library Tutorials, Tests, eBooks which are accessible with you library card, and have great College Preparation materials, including tools and tips for both the SAT and ACT.

Happy 2012!!

Social Workers in the Library at the King Library returns on Monday, February 6th.

FREE advice/ information and referral on: Education, Employment, Food, Health, Housing, etc.

Every 1^st and 4^th Monday, at the King Library, starting Monday, February 6^th, from 6-8 p.m. (call 808-2350 for an appointment)

Biblioteca Branch Library will continue to hold SWITL sessions with a bilingual (English/Spanish speaking) social worker on the 3rd Wed. of the month, from 6 - 8 p.m. For appointments at Biblioteca, please call (408) 294-1237.

Social Workers in the Library, is a partnership of the San José Public Library, San José State University's School of Social Work, the National Association Of Social Workers - California Chapter, and the SJSU School of Library and Information Services.

Enjoy this special holiday video from the Santa Teresa and Tully Community Branch Libraries, with narration based on Clement Clarke Moore's classic poem The Night Before Christmas. Edited and narrated by Mark Lorensen and featuring the music "Wish Background" by Kevin MacLeod.

Jack Witcher is a twelve year old genius son in the dysfunctional Witcher family. His father is chronically unemployed, his mother is in denial about her life and his older brother, Stan, is the town bully.

All the townspeople, including the local cop, hate the Witchers. Their house is an eyesore, their car is a wreck, and they don’t have family ties to El Dorado Hills.

Myra Joyner is the upper class girl who Jack loves. She finally notices him after he gets advice from the local jeweler, Mr. Gladstein, about how to treat girls. Jack buys a ring for Myra from Mr. Gladstein; it costs fifty cents, but looks like a much more expensive ring. Myra accepts it which for Jack means they are going steady. And now, Jack believes, it’s time for them to share a first kiss.

Written in the first person we spend one fateful summer with Jack. It’s the summer when he is twelve, about to turn thirteen, and though he does share a first kiss with Myra, other events greatly overshadow what should have been a wonderful boyhood memory. After Myra’s brother, Gaylord, goes missing, the past bad blood between him and Stan bring even more unwanted negative attention on Jack’s family.

Stephen Wetta uses the turmoil of the late 1960’s, including the changing American culture and tensions surrounding the ongoing Vietnam War, as the backdrop for this novel about a boy who must grow up too quickly. Though my personal memories of the late 60’s are uneventful compared to those in If Jack’s in Love, I felt that the author successfully conveyed many of the feelings and events I do remember in this realistic story.

Starting in January 2012, storytimes at the Joyce Ellington Branch Library will resume again!

On Tuesday, January 3rd from 11:30am to 12:30pm, we will have a special presentation of Ms. Margaret's Puppet Theatre to start off our Bilingual Preschool Storytime and followed by a Stay and Play activity.

Our first Family Storytime with Stay and Play activity is scheduled on Wednesday, January 4th from 5:30pm to 6:30pm. Also, our Inclusive Storytime will resume on Tuesday, January 24th at 11:30am.

New Storytime Schedule at Joyce Ellington Library:

• Bilingual (English/Spanish) Preschool Storytime and Stay & Play - Tuesdays - 11:30am-12:30pm
• Family Storytime (English) and Stay & Play - Wednesdays - 5:30pm - 6:30pm
• Inclusive Storytime with Stay & Play - 4th Tuesday of the month - 11:30am - 12:30pm

¡A partir de enero de 2012, la hora de cuentos en la Biblioteca Joyce Ellington se reanudará de nuevo!

El martes, 3 de enero de 11:30am a 12:30pm tendremos una presentación especial de títeres con la Srta. Margaret para emprezar nuestra Hora de Cuentos bilingüe y preescolar con Quédate a Jugar.

La primera Hora de Cuentos para familias con Quédate a Jugar está programada para el miércoles, 4 de enero de 5:30pm hasta las 6:30pm.

Además, nuestra proxima Hora de Cuentos Inclusivo con Quédate a Jugar será el martes, 24 de enero a las 11:30am.

El nuevo horario  de cuentos en la Biblioteca Joyce Ellington:

• Hora de Cuentos Bilingüe y Preescolar con Quédate a Jugar va ser los martes de 11:30am hasta 12:30pm
• Hora de Cuentos Para Familias con Quédate a Jugar va ser los miércoles de 5:30pm hasta 6:30pm
• Hora de Cuentos Inclusivo con Quédate a Jugar tomará lugar el cuarto martes de cada mes de 11:30am hasta 12:30pm

Emma Rose continues her adventures as Allegra Biscotti in Who What Wear (AR 7.0, Level 4.8) by Olivia Bennett. Order this title through Link+.

In an earlier blog, I mentioned the first title in this series, The Allegra Biscotti Collection. Not quite as suspenseful as the first title, Who What Wear examines Emma's fraying relationship with her best friend, Holly. Will Emma's Allegra adventures further push Holly towards Holly's new friends? Will Holly finally find out Emma's secret?

The central problem in this title revolves around Emma trying to provide a dress for a sweet sixteen party for a prominent and popular high-schooler, who is a friend of Holly's sister. The problem? The interfering mother who wants a horrendous dress! Emma is told that she must cater to the mother, who is paying for the dress. The very idea of creating a hideous dress is appalling to Emma, however. How can she resolve her own ethics with the ethics of the fashion industry? Find out in this good sequel!

The 39 Clues have ended, but a new series has started. This is the second book in the Cahills vs. Vespers series. As with the other novels, different authors are tackling different books in this series. Jude Watson has written A King's Ransom (AR 6.0, Level 4.2).

The suspense continues, as Vesper One continues to hold the seven Cahills hostage. Vesper One's identity still remains safely hidden from the Cahill siblings, but for how long? As Greg Korman introduced in the first title, The Medusa Plot, Amy continues to worry about Dan's state of mind. Dan continues on his dark path (are we entering Star Wars territory here?) as he assembles the thing that he thinks will save the others.

Meanwhile, Atticus makes a reappearance with his brother, Jake, who turned over information about the Cahills to Interpol.  Will Atticus help his former friend, Dan? Will the Wyomings continue to impede Dan and Amy's progress? Who is AJT and what is AJT's connection to the Cahills? Read the book and find out!

Are you prepared for SAT test on January 2012 yet? Do you want to practice SAT test (provided by KAPLAN) before you really take one? Berryessa Branch Library is going to provide a free SAT or ACT practice test with Kaplan on Saturday, January 14 at 1:00 pm. The test lasts just over 4 hours and is open to all high school students.  Pre-Registration is required. Please register at Berryessa Library.

The King Library staff donated many books today to support the children of adult learners in Partners in Reading (PAR). PAR trains volunteer tutors to help adults improve reading and writing. PAR is holding a book drive until January 20 so kids can start home libraries and families can read together. Some of the titles shown here will be given to kids in PAR's family literacy program Together We Read. If you would like to donate, please bring a new, unwrapped book to your branch library or to the King Library. Please mark it Partners in Reading book drive. Thank you for promoting lifelong learning.

In the early 1970s, a petty criminal is persuaded by a mysterious woman to break into one of Britain's most secure bank vaults. He and his colleagues gradually realize that they are pawns in a government conspiracy and that the plan they were told to follow is fatally flawed. The Bank Job stars Jason Statham and has a 79 percent rating at Rotten Tomatoes.

If You Can Read This by Jack Bowen, starting with bumper sticker lines followed by commentary using references to biology, neuroscience, and psychology as well as technology, marketing, and pop culture, provides an accessible way to approach philosophy. The short sections and lively style make it a good bedside book. Jack said that his favorite bumper sticker is "Reading is Sexy"; he ends his commentary on it by saying: "Maintaining an active brain has been proven to ward off Alzheimer's disease - in the use it or lose it mentality of a muscle, reading is like a lively little weight room for the brain."

While trying to think of something to blog about today, I wondered how people might happen upon these blogs we write.

Some people are not as computer-literate as others. They happen upon these informational articles by accident. They don’t realize they are searching the site when they enter those keywords and hit. Hey, they might not even know what a “keyword” is. If this sounds like you, Congratulations! You have found a blog!

To be thorough, I went to Merriam-Webster to get you a definition of a “blog.” To spare you any overload of techno babble, I’ll paraphrase their definition to simply “an online journal.” If you would like to learn to “blog” yourself, you can find books in the San José Public Library on how to “blog.” But even after limiting the results to “print material” in “English,” you’ll still get several pages of results, so I’ll list a few to start you off:

Blogging for Dummies

This book starts you off with blog basics, choosing software, deciding what to blog about, turning it into a business, getting followers. This is for people at a very basic level of computer knowledge. It’s very step-by-step.

Create Your Own Blog

This book is a little more jargon-y than the Dummies book, so if you’re new to all this you might feel a little lost. It provides more practical help on things like naming your blog and other “how to work it” issues. It starts out with a history of blogging and her list of the top ten worst domain names is astonishing.

Creative Blogging

This book is also a little more on the techie side, but it’s arranged in a very simple manner. This book seems to have more on the design and display of your blog, which is surprising since it has the most basic layout and design of the three I’ve listed here.

In his newest book, The Information: A History, a Theory, a Flood, best seller author James Gleick explains the history of information starting from ancient Africa where the drums could transfer the information across generations or across many miles an hour.

Then came Alphabet and scripts, and with the advent of electricity came telegraph, telephone , television and of course computers. He also introduces key figures who contribute in our understanding of information, including Babbage, Ada Byron, Morse, Turing and Claude Shannon who gave new meaning to the ancient word” bit” and who is the creator of the information theory.

Then we enter the information age which sometimes makes people feel like they are drowning in the deluge of technologies and what they carry with them: information. He explains his understanding of this age and the fact that by overcoming the physical boundaries of information transfer technologies as they are now, once again our whole world will change. This is an interesting and informative book, which our library also has the audio version. Check it out and see why libraries are more important than ever in making vital information accessible to all, and in helping you get to exactly what you need in the midst of this information tsunami. 

Late January marks the first anniversary of the death of noted author and social activist Howard Zinn. He was 87 when he died of a reported heart attack while swimming during some traveling with his daughter.

Dr. Zinn always looked to me to be the impish grandpa each child deserves. As a mentor, he appeared to live a full life, working on social issues important to him through his research, writing and activism.

As we enter yet again another U.S. Presidential election year, let’s take another look at Howard Zinn his legacy, and the revisionist history that he leaves us.

Perhaps the book he is most widely recognized for is A People’s History of the United States, first published in 1980 and now a commonly used text in high school history courses! According to the New York Times, this book had a first printing of just 4,000 copies and was no conventional historical account, concentrating instead on "what he saw as the genocidal depredations of Christopher Columbus, the blood lust of Theodore Roosevelt and the racial failings of Abraham Lincoln."

This seminal work spawned a sequel: The Twentieth Century: A People’s History as well as versions written for young people: A Young People’s History of the United States, Volume 1 and A Young People’s History of the United States, Volume 2.

Dr. Zinn, a contemporary of left-wing activist and MIT professor Noam Chomsky, “made an amazing contribution to American intellectual and moral culture,” according to Chomsky. “He’s changed the conscience of America in a highly constructive way. I really can’t think of anyone I can compare him to in this respect,” Professor Chomsky said in the Boston Globe online upon Dr. Zinn’s death.

A little bit about Howard Zinn, courtesy of the Boston Globe online: Born in New York City in 1922, he attended New York public schools and was working in the “Brooklyn Navy Yard when he joined the Army Air Corps where he worked as a bombardier in World War II, receiving the Air Medal and attaining the rank of second lieutenant. It was during this time that Zinn courted his soon-to-be wife through the mails before marrying in 1944. After the war, he worked a series of menial jobs before entering New York University on the GIP Bill, working nights in a warehouse loading trucks. He was awarded masters and doctoral degrees in history from Columbia University.

In 1956, Dr. Zinn joined the faculty at Atlanta’s Spelman College, becoming chairman of the history department. During this time he became active in the civil rights movement, serving on the executive committee of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and participating in numerous demonstrations.

In 1964, Dr. Zinn joined the staff at Boston University, becoming full professor in 1966 where the focus of his activism became the Vietnam war. He spoke at many rallies and teach-ins, drawing national attention when he and the Rev. Daniel Berrigan went to Hanoi in 1968 to receive three prisoners released by the North Vietnamese.

In 1988, Dr. Zinn took early retirement to concentrate on speaking and writing, including writing for the stage. On his last day at BU, he ended class 30 minutes early so he could join a picket line and urged the 500 students attending the lecture to come along. A hundred did so.

Dr. Zinn’s memoir, You Can’t Be Neutral on a Moving Train is available through your local library in both book and DVD formats.

 The first time I saw Angie Miraflor was at one of our all staff in-services at San Jose State. She was behind the mike talking about something that had to do with the library. I just don’t remember what it was. What I do remember was thinking that she was funny, and honestly I don’t think that about a lot of people. She was genuinely funny. And that was all I heard from her till she came to Edenvale to be our Branch Manager. Working with her for over a year I now know that she is much more than that. I had the opportunity to sit down with her and ask some questions about her life and her work here at Edenvale. Angie is currently the Initiatives Manager at the King Library.

CRO:  How old were you when you decided you wanted to be a librarian?

AM:  I was in the first grade, so how old is that, five. I didn’t remember this till I was in library school, but we had to draw a picture when I was in the first grade of what we wanted to be when we grew up and I remember it being a picture of me next to a desk and a big stack of books, ‘cause I loved my school librarian that much.

CRO:  I see that you are an “awesome” librarian, from your FB profile. When did you acquire this awesome status?

AM:  Before I became a librarian, I think. I think it’s the job itself that is awesome. I like helping people and I like finding stuff for people when they didn’t think they could find information, or helping the kid who doesn’t like to read find something that he will read.

CRO:  How do you feel you contribute to Edenvale Library, the staff and the patrons?

AM:  I want people to feel that the library is for everyone, and that everyone is welcome. That this library is their place, and that they are investing their time and energy as well. For staff, I want it to be a fun place to work. The library can be a place with very positive energy, and that definitely starts with your staff. I feel I have a big responsibility in that, ‘cause if I’m positive, I hope my staff will be positive and that energy will go out to the community. I hope that when people are asked about Edenvale they will say “we love it!” based on interaction they have with the staff.

CRO:  How do you see the library changing in the next 10 or 20 years? Do you think with the internet and tablets, books and libraries will be obsolete?

AM:  I think there will be a decrease in print books. I don’t know if they will be completely gone. I see the future of libraries as being less book based, and more like community hubs. I feel that San Jose is already moving in that direction, and that the libraries will be places where people can engage with one another and “idea share.” I feel that librarians really need to step up and start learning about this stuff, and not see the new technology as something that will destroy libraries, but learn to incorporate e-readers and tablets, and internet literacy. We are doing that to a degree, but I feel we need to work more on that. I also think that as we get more electronic technology based with these resources, there will still be a group of people who will fall behind in that area. Like the divide between the people who can barely use a mouse, compared to the people with every e-reader and laptop, will get bigger and bigger. How do we move those people, who need those basic skills, up? How do we push them in the right direction? There are people who are afraid of computers, and with this economy have lost their jobs, and now have to use a computer to apply for a job. How do we help these people?

CRO:  Thank you for talking with me today Angie.

Save Green and Go Green this holiday season. We provide the materials and suggestions, you can use your imagination and creativity. Create a handmade gift, gift box or a card using upcycled materials. The recipient and the Earth will thank you.   This family event is presented by Our City Forest, and will take place at the Edenvale Branch Library on Monday December 12 at 4:00 PM.

On December 10, eleven new volunteers completed tutor training and have been matched with adults who read or write below the high school level. We hope they enjoy their tutoring experience, because they will be helping adults build literacy skills while becoming more involved in the community. You can become a volunteer tutor as well. Just call Partners in Reading (PAR) at (408) 808-2361 to learn more. The next orientation will be February 1. Many adults are waiting for your help to read the newspaper, register to vote, fill out job applications, and read to a child. You can also visit our website for more information.

For more information about how tutoring can help adults, read this December 15, 2011 San Jose Mercury News article about a learner who is overcoming some difficult obstacles while working on her reading and writing.

Hello, all story time lovers!

We just want to let you know that there will be no more story times at Edenvale Branch Library in the month of December.

Story times will be offered again beginning in January, starting on Wednesday, January 4, 2012, at 11:30 AM with Preschool Story Time and Stay and Play. This will be followed on Thursday, January 5, by Baby and Toddler Story Time and Stay and Play at 10:30 AM.

These story times will be offered every week once they resume.

In the meantime, Edenvale Branch will continue to present Music and Movement on Tuesdays at 11:30 AM through December 20, and the resuming again on Jan. 10.

Happy Holidays!

Hello, all story time lovers!

We just want to let you know that there will be no more story times at Almaden Branch Library in the month of December.

Story times will be offered again beginning in January, starting on Thursday, January 4, 2012, at 10:15 AM with Toddler Story Time and Stay and Play. This will be followed on Friday, January 5, by Baby Lapsit Story Time and Stay and Play at 10:15 AM and by Preschool Story Time at 11:15 AM.

These story times will be offered every week once they resume.

In the meantime, Almaden Branch Library will still be providing the following programs for children throughout December:
 

• Reading to Children, Wednesdays, 1-2 PM
• Reading Buddies, Wednesdays, 5:30-6:30 PM
• Reading to Children, Saturdays, 1-2 PM

Happy Holidays!

The Plunkett Research database will be down intermittently between 8 AM and 10 AM tomorrow, Saturday, December 10, while some website maintenance is conducted.  We apologize in advance for any inconvenience this may cause.

Home sewing is on the upswing, as it usually is during bad economic times. I eagerly learned how to sew in junior high school as neither my mom nor my grandmothers knew how. It turns out that many young folks do not know how to sew nor do they have family members who can easily teach them. Pattern companies, though, are putting out lines to entice the young potential home-sewer to the pleasures of sewing by making crafts, such as cell phone holders. (In my day, it was eyeglass cases!) With practice, and home economics classes, I learned how to put in sleeves, zippers and waistbands to the point I could sew my entire school wardrobe during the summer. I spent hours in the fabric shop up the street; now you would be hard pressed to find such a store – they’re craft and fabric stores. Additionally, sturdy, reliable sewing machines without all the bells and whistles can be purchased for about $100 so the novice can get the basics down.

Now, with all the enticements out there, just how do you get started? Your local library to the rescue! Here is a listing of sewing titles available through the library in all formats. DVDs can talk you through that sewing step while books allow you to read and reread the instructions accompanying the step-by-step photos. You can even find materials (no pun intended) giving you ideas about different projects, such as aprons, skirts and home decorating. There are books for the beginning sewer as well as for the never-have-sewn.

To get you started right now, here is some sewing vocabulary:

• staystitching
• selvedge
• reverse sewing
• preparing your fabric
• view

If you can define or describe these terms, you're set to hit the pattern books!

For the tweens and teens, check out the Monster Making craft project at a branch near you coming in January. This is a great way to introduce your young ones to the art of sewing.

SJPL now boasts yet another new collection of online eBooks – the Gale Reference Virtual Library, which includes reference books (encyclopedias, history books) as well as travel books.

These reference titles are available for online viewing, for downloading as PDFs, and also downloading as eAudioBook in MP3 format. (You first have to click on a section/chapter to get all the printing, downloading, and listening options – there’s no way to print or download the entire title, unfortunately.)

The great news is that there’s no software required for downloading! Horray! Also, these titles are always available, so there are no waiting lists.

Please visit the collection from the downloads page at sjpl.org; the direct link is http://0-go.galegroup.com.catalog.sjlibrary.org/ps/start.do?p=GVRL&u=sjpllib

These titles are also included in the catalog.  

Do you like to sing?  Do you like holiday music?   If the answer is yes, you are invited to sing classic holiday tunes, accompanied by Mr. K on oboe and Auntie Dawn on ‘ukulele.  Song sheets will be provided. 

This fun event will be presented twice:

Friday, December 9 2011 at 3:30 PM at the Almaden Branch Library

and

Tuesday, December 20, 2011 at 12:00 Noon at the Edenvale Branch Library

Hark, what is that beautiful music you're hearing? Well, we're bringing in live music this month at West Valley Branch Library to celebrate the holiday season! If you missed Elizabeth Erickson's lovely harp performance last week, there are still two more great opportunities to join us for some live seasonal music.

Stop by on Saturday, December 10 at 2pm for a performance by the De Anza Circle recorder ensemble. They've prepared some delightful holiday music from around the world. Bring the family! Maybe it will inspire you or your little ones to pick up a recorder of your own to play. We've got books & DVDs to help you learn.

Join us the following week on Saturday, December 17 at 4pm for a Holiday Concert with the South Bay Guitar Society Quartet, made possible by generous support from the Friends of the West Valley Library. These accomplished guitarists will be playing a medley of traditional, classical, and popular holiday selections for all to enjoy. Thinking about adding a guitar now to that holiday wishlist? You can also check out lots of books & DVDs to help you learn how to play your new guitar.

We hope to see you soon at West Valley Branch Library. You're always welcome to stop by if you need a break from the crowded malls, the chores, and that neverending to-do list. Why not kick back and enjoy some amazing music from talented local performers?

Meet the Kindle, Sony Reader, iPad, and other devices for e-Reading at our eReader Petting Zoo. I'll talk about the different e-collections, and show you how easy it is to get free library eBooks on your device! Please bring your own smartphone or your eReader device to follow along. Here's the schedule for December:

• Tuesday, December 6: 4 PM at Cambrian
• Wednesday, December 7: 6 PM at Santa Teresa
• Wednesday, December 14: 3:30 PM at Pearl Avenue

 More dates are coming for January, also so check this blog again. Thanks!

The Printmaker's Daughter by Katherine Govier is a fictional autobiography of Oei, daughter of the now-famous Japanese printmaker Hokusai especially known for "The Great Wave off Kanagawa," one of a series:Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji. Artists Hokusai and Oei documented everyday life of the “floating world,” the entertainment and artistic district of Tokyo in the early nineteenth century before Japan was forced to open up trade with the Western World. Canadian author Katherine Govier concludes that Oei, both a dutiful daughter and an unconventional woman of her time, collaborated with her father at the end of his life, and that some of Hokusai’s later works were conceived and rendered by Oei. Govier brings to life the scenes depicted in the fascinating nineteenth century Japanese art.

Intrigued? Visit the book's companion website for more information.

A Mossad agent is ordered to assassinate a Nazi war criminal thought to be in hiding somewhere in Berlin. In order to carry out his mission, he has to overcome an unusual set of obstacles. Nominated for a number of awards, Walk on Water is a film by New York-born Israeli director Eytan Fox and has a 65 percent rating at Metacritic.

Harvey is a lovely movie about enjoying life for what it is. Starring the great Jimmy Stewart, this timeless tale follows a day in the life of Elwood P. Dowd, who is being set-up for a prolonged stay in an insane asylum by his loving sister, Veta. Everyone around Elwood thinks he is probably just the craziest person ever. Why? Because of his 6 foot invisible friend, Harvey. Crazy? There is evidence that he exists!

The soul of this movie is contained within this famous line, "Years ago, my mother used to say to me, she'd say 'In this world, Elwood, you can be oh so so smart, or oh so pleasant.' Well, for years I was smart... I recommend pleasant. You may quote me." This line reveals exactly what is going on in this movie.

So, if you find yourself with a couple of hours to burn and you have already seen It's a Wonderful Life, watch this classic film and lose yourself to the idea of Harvey.

Warp Speed by Lisa Yee will surely resonate with anyone who was ever a victim, bystander, bully, or "upstander." As a parent volunteer for Project Cornerstone, I found this title especially relevant to upper elementary and middle school kids.

Marley, as you can tell by the title, is a big fan of Star Trek. As any kid will tell you, being a fan of Star Trek, or Star Wars, or comic books, instantly places you in the outskirts of popularity at any school. Marley has saved up all his pennies to make the big annual Star Trek convention in Los Angeles, which is twenty minutes from where he lives. However, a Turkey Trot and Emily (from So Totally Emily Ebers) conspire to change all of his plans.

Marley is now fighting a battle he made by standing up for his friend, Ramen, who Marley says is "not his friend." He battles the Gorn by reaching "warp speed" every day after school, until the day he is caught. In a dress. Meanwhile, he must also kowtow to the immensely unlikeable Digger Ronster, who is another kind of bully. But, does the red-haired roadrunner, Digger, have his secrets, too? You betcha!

You will see some recurring characters from Yee's other Rancho Rosetta (otherwise known as South Pasadena) characters: Stanford Wong, Emily Ebers, and Millicent Min. Check out those titles (Millicent Min, Girl Genius, Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time, and So Totally Emily Ebers.) as well!

Join us at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library on Saturday, December 10th, 2011 at 3:00 pm for a special program of circus stunts, comedy, and audience participation with Dana Smith. Trained with the Royal Lichtenstein Quarter Ring Sidewalk Circus, Dana Smith has been performing for audiences for 38 years. As described in his press release – "the act blends such diverse elements as Chinese rhythm sticks, ball spinning, diabolo, hand-balancing, rollo-bollo, hat tricks, ukulele and other eccentric one of a kind amusements and entertainments. His show has a captivating visual element blended with a lighthearted family friendly style." Come see for yourself… and if your interest is piqued you may want to check out some of the library’s materials on the circus. For more about Dana Smith’s Circus Arts show, take a look at his website or you can see him in action in the video below.

*This event is made possible thanks to the generosity of the Friends of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Library.

Would you like to help families read together and break the cycle of low literacy? You can do that by donating a book to the Partners in Reading (PAR) book drive. One of the most important ways to ensure literacy in children is to read aloud to them every day and read together as a family. In order to do that families need books and home libraries. PAR encourages you to donate a book to help families read and learn together. Drop off your new book at the PAR office in the King Library or at your branch library. Mark it PAR book drive and know that you are helping families.

You can also visit Hicklebee's and buy your book there or you can donate online. For further inspiration you can look at the teen's book list and the kids' book lists. Below are some of the titles that have already been donated.

Read this San Jose Mercury News article about PAR's book drive to learn more.

Check out Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi. Nailer works as a ship breaker along the decimated Gulf Coast in a dystopian future devoid of oil. Nailer and his fellow crew of hardened orphans and urchins pick apart old ships in search of bits of copper, brass, and the ultimate scavenge, deposits of oil. His life is dangerous and hard, and his drug-addicted, abusive hustler of a father doesn't make it any easier. When Nailer stumbles upon a pocket of oil in an old tanker, he thinks that life may start to get better. However, when a brutal hurricane washes a luxurious clipper ship ashore, a scavenger's dream, Nailer knows that his luck really is about to change. It's not until he discovers a beautiful and wealthy lone survivor aboard that he begins to question what kind of luck that will be. Can Nita offer him a better life, or will she just lead him to unimaginable danger?

Dystopian science fiction like The Hunger Games continues to stay popular among teen readers, so it's not surprising that the Printz Award, which is given annually to a young adult novel of distinction, was awarded to Ship Breaker for 2011. The gritty setting a post-oil wasteland unfortunately feels somewhat plausible, which makes it more compelling. You can find plenty of news stories about global scavenging, or check out Trash by Andy Mulligan for a fictional account. If you enjoyed the non-stop action of Ship Breaker, stay tuned for The Drowned Cities, with expected publication in May 2012.

Join us at Almaden Library on Saturday, December 3, at 3:00 PM for a FREE musical concert that you will not soon forget.

Enjoy an hour of live Mariachi music at this entertaining concert for all ages.

This program is made possible through the generous contributions of the Friends of the Almaden Library.
 

Watch a sample of Mariachi Cihualteco

Friday Fun at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library is a program that takes place each Friday of the month at 4:00PM. Activities are for children and include crafts, Japanese Calligraphy, board games, nature programs and others. It's good fun and a great way to start off your weekend. Here's what's happening in December:

December 2 - Go Wild! Nature Program for Kids. Representatives from the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge will be at the library sharing information about different animals.

December 9 - Card Making for Kids: Do you want to create a unique card to give to friends or family for the holidays? Then this is the program for you. Children will be creating cards using lego blocks and other unusual items to make stamp art!

December 16 - The Art of Japanese Calligraphy: Hikaru, our talented volunteer, will be teaching children how to write different words and sayings using Japanese Calligraphy. The word calligraphy means beautiful writing so come and try your hand at making some. A fun program.

December 23 - Tabletop Holiday Crafts: This will be the last day of our Tabletop Holiday Crafts week. Each day starting on Monday December 19 there will be fun crafts for children to do. The crafts will be available from 11:00 - 5:00PM or until supplies last.

December 30 - Calendar Craft and Bingo! - It's time to make your own unique 2012 Calendar!

Children will decorate calendars with a variety of art supplies, and celebrating the New Year with a fun game of Bingo!