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The Buddha in the Attic
The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka is an eloquent and beautiful novel depicting the lives of "picture brides," young Japanese mail order brides who came to California early in the twentieth century. The author uses a unique, lyrical first person plural voice throughout most of the book. "We sometimes lay awake for hours." "Secretly we hoped to be rescued." Seldom are personal names used and yet the author skillfully conveys the variety of experiences and emotions that these nameless women encounter. Some are only children, no more than fourteen, when they arrive. They find love, but not always with their husbands. They become mothers, raise and bury children, work hard, and build very different lives from the ones they left behind. Otsuka follows them as their children grow up and adopt American customs, forgetting the Japanese ways their mothers cling to. Finally the author revisits the time and place of her previous novel, When the Emperor Was Divine, as she follows them into the dark days of World War II when their lives were uprooted once again. It is a moving, haunting portrait of first generation Japanese American women. This title is also available as an audiobook and a downloadable ebook.
Preserve cherished photos and memories
When Maria Delaney took the photos out of her folder, her face glowed as she showed me a family photo dated back to the early 1900s. Even though it definitely had signs of deterioration and fading, Maria was at the library to preserve this photo digitally. At Evergreen Branch Library’s Scan Day, Maria and other customers brought photos that weren’t “born digital” and created electronic copies.
Gloria Guel is one of many siblings in her family. “Everyone wanted the same picture but we only have one,” says Guel. So her solution: scan the photos and send electronic copies to everyone.
If you are interested in getting some photos scanned, you still have a chance! In celebration of National Preservation Week, Scan Days are planned at the following locations and dates:
Friday, April 13th 3-5pm
Saturday, April 21st 11-1pm
Customers are limited to 10 photos/documents to scan. Each customer will receive copies of their items on a CD. If you’d like to see what the library has as far as photos, take a look at our California Room’s Digital Collections.
National Preservation Week
National Preservation Week is later this month and on Saturday at King Library you can participate by bringing in some of your historic photographs or documents to be scanned. Library staff will be on hand to assist you and you will receive a copy of your scanned photos on CD.
Scanning will take place from 11am to 1pm on the 3rd floor in Study Room 390. Bring up to 10 items for scanning on a first come, first served basis.
Making digital copies of old family photos is a great way to share your past with your children and other family members who may live far away. This photo is of me on Easter Day in 1969.
Sarah Winchester and her Mystery House
Local legend tells us that Sarah Winchester was a woman obessed. Was she consumed with the need to do what the spirits told her, or was she just misunderstood? Here are some books that you can read to make up your own mind about what you think Sarah Winchester and her Mystery House was all about...
"The Inscrutable Mrs. Winchester and Her Mysterious Mansion" attempts to dispell some of the myths surrounding her and gives insight on the facts that rarely come to light.
"Captive of the Labyrinth: Sarah L. Winchester heiress to the rifle fortune" gives an overview of of Sarah Winchester's life and attempts to demystify her as the notorious eccentric history has made her out to be.
Was she really trying to stave off the ghosts? Did she really believe that non-stop construction would confuse the spirits? Or is it possible that Sarah Winchester was really a loving, caring woman who mourned the loss of her husband and infant daughter, and just wanted to be left alone? Maybe we'll never know, but the great thing about this mystery is you get to decide!
For more information about local history, you can also visit our California Room and it's Digital Collections.
California Room Open House
Many of us come to the library to borrow the latest movie or newest bestseller, but did you know we also have items that are over 100 years old? The California Room is the home to three sculptures by 19th century African-American and Chippewa-Indian artist, Edmonia Lewis. To learn more about these sculptures, come to the California Room’s spring open house where local expert Mary Parks Washington will discuss the artist and her work.
Along with the sculpture presentation, we’ll be featuring some of our unique local history collections including: Frontier Village photos and memorabilia, items from the 1906 earthquake, local yearbooks dating back to the early 20th century and many other items you can’t find anywhere else! The open house will be this Wednesday, February 15th from 6-7:30pm.
If you are unable to make it to our open house, feel free to stop by during our open hours OR check out the many items available to you 24/7 in our digital collection.
A Bucket List for 2012
There are some doom-sayers who are claiming that the world is coming to an end on December 21, 2012. Whether or not they are right, there are some other people who are taking it to heart in a joking way and creating a "bucket list" for 2012. There's a facebook group if you'd like to join and I thought I'd share my own "bucket list" for 2012.
1. Go to Alcatraz. I've lived in the Bay area for 10 years now and I still haven't done the boat ride and tour of Alcatraz. And before I go I need to read: Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko. It is the story of a boy whose family moves to Alcatraz Island when his father gets a job as a guard there in 1935.
2. Go to Disneyland. I went when I was 2 years old and I hear I had a good time, but I frankly don't recall! I have a lot of friends who still love to go to Disneyland as adults. And before I go, I need to read: Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom by Cory Doctorow. This one is a free ebook download so I can use my ereader...
3. Eat Cioppino. This is apparently the most famous San Francisco Fish Dish. I don't know what they're talking about because I've never tried it. Bobby Flay did a Throwdown against Phil DiGirolamo from Phil's in Moss Landing for this dish and includes a recipe in his book: Bobby Flay's Throwdown. There are a lot of restaurants who carry this dish so I don't think I'll have a problem here!
4. Bike the Coyote Creek Trail. This trail is 18.7 miles in total so I might take it easy and do it in a couple of sessions. But I'd be able to get a scenic view of a lot of San Jose! But first, I need to fix my bike up - I think I'll need to check out the Complete Bike Book by Chris Sidwells.
5. Wow! I'm running out of good ideas for my bucket list! Time to check out Newcomer's Handbook for Moving to and Living in the San Francisco Bay Area by Scott Van Velsor!
Maybe you'd like to join me in creating a "bucket list" this year instead of a resolution. Come up with some fun activities and give yourself a reading list too! Let me know how it goes and Happy New Year!
Scan Jose Lets You Take a Walk Through History
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.
Looking for an Expert in Historical Children's Books
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
Scan Jose Bridges New Technology With Historical Information
Grab your smartphone and get ready to learn about the history of San Jose!
Thanks to a Library Services and Technology Act grant and about a year's worth of hard work, we've created three walking tours of downtown San Jose that you can take using your smartphone and your feet!
Go to www.scanjose.org to see images from our California Room Collection while standing at the locations that the photographs were taken. Think of it as a time machine in the palm of your hand!
There are three tours to choose from:
A Walk Around the Plaza - takes you on a loop around Plaza de Cesar Chavez
Tragedies and Calamities - a no holds barred look at some of the tragic events in San Jose history
Old Santa Clara Street - highlights some of the great architecture that has sprung up and come down over the years.
Don't have a smartphone? Come join us on September 10th at 11:30 for a group tour using smartphones and iPads to take A Walk Around the Plaza! We will meet in front of the Art Museum - 110 S. Market Street. I'll be there and I hope you will too!
Showdown in Washington Square: The San Jose Settlers War of 1861
One hundred and fifty years ago on Tuesday afternoon April 9,1861, an armed crowd of thousands, on horseback and in buggies, rode into downtown San Jose, accompanied by a band and at least one cannon. Many in the crowd had been present earlier that morning in front of city hall, where Sheriff John Murphy gave a roll call for a posse to enforce a government order evicting squatters who had illegally settled in the Evergreen district on land claimed as a former Mexican land grant. After dispersing and reassembling at the Evergreen School House, the crowd now returned to the streets of San Jose. Sheriff Murphy drove his buggy into the center of Washington Square (now the site of San Jose State), and surrounded by all, gave a speech. He said he derived his power from the people, but the people had resisted him. The people had taken his power away, what could he do? If they were right, go ahead, but if they were wrong, he wasn’t responsible. He was cheered, and the crowd dispersed peacefully. So ended the “Settlers War,” three days before the firing at Fort Sumter.
This is based on an eyewitness account from the Journals of Alfred Doten in the California Room. To find more California Room resources on the Settlers War including the Governor’s Message and the Squatters Declaration of Rights, go to the California Room index and type in “Settler’s War. “
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