Monday, May 24, 2004

Ride A Wild Tale at the San Marino Public Library

The annual Summer Reading Program is set to rustle up on Monday, June 14th. The program will last throughout the summer, concluding on Saturday, July 31st. The Summer Reading Program is designed to encourage reading during the summer while promoting reading for enjoyment.

The theme this year focuses on the Wild West and is appropriately titled “Ride A Wild Tale” Children of all ages are encouraged to skedaddle to the public library to participate because there will be lots of activities and entertainment. Scheduled entertainment includes a magic show, a puppet performance and a real live animal show. Children will also have the opportunity to win various prizes by participating in a number of contests throughout the summer.

So be sure to mosey on down to the public library beginning Monday, June 14th and register for the Summer Reading Program. The whole kit and caboodle is sure to be loads of fun!! All activities and programs are free to the public and sponsored by the Friends of the San Marino Public Library. For more information on the summer reading program or other children’s programs at the library, please call (626) 300-0777.

Make It & Take It Craft Days

'Round and ‘round you’ll go - from one table to the next at the Make-It and Take-It Craft Days, Tuesday, June 20th and/or Tuesday, July 29th. Children, preschool age through 5th grade, are invited to the public library to make a variety of western themed crafts. Craft tables will be available from 12:00 - 4:00 p.m. in the Girls’ and Boys’ Department. You can drop in any time to work on a project. There is no cost for the program and registration is not necessary.

Teens: Stampede to the Library

Y’all come in—if you’re in 6th grade or above, and sign up for Stampede To Read, this year’s summer reading program for Middle School and High School students. Registration begins June 14th , but you can sign up anytime after that date, through July 31st, when the program ends.

It’s simple—register, read, and WIN! The top prize this year, for the lucky winner of our prize drawing, is a laser tag party for eight at Ultrazone in Alhambra. There are lots of other prizes as well: anime posters, theatre passes, a CD player. Maybe you want to try for gift certificates from Kim’s Hapkido, Tower Records, or Islands restaurant. How about complimentary passes to Aquarium of the Pacific, the L.A. Zoo, Autry Museum of Western Heritage, or a night of Xtreme Bowling at AMF Bahama Lanes?

We would like to extend a hearty “Thank you” to the local businesses named above for their generous donations, and also to the Friends of the San Marino Library, and MCLS (Metropolitan Cooperative Library Services) who consistently provide support for the program each year. For more information, call (626) 300-0776.

Write a Love Letter for the San Marino Public Library

The San Marino Public Library has applied for a grant from the State of California for the rebuilding of our library. We need your help to win it! Write about how much you love the library, how you use it, and what it means to you.

Bring the letter in to us and we will forward it to the State Office of Library Construction as part of a package supporting our grant application. If you need some help writing your letter, visit http://sanmarinopl.org/support.pdf. Mix and match sample “talking points” listed there, or use your own.

Please address the letters to:

  • Office of the State Librarian
  • c/o San Marino Public Library
  • 1890 Huntington Drive
  • San Marino, CA 91108

Give your letter to us before the end of June and to show our thanks, we will give you a certificate good for a free DVD or video rental from the library.

If you have questions or would like to discuss the library project, call Carolyn Crain (300-0778) or Suzy Crowell (796-4200).

Internet for Beginners

The Library will hold another Internet class for beginners and those who want to better understand how to use the World Wide Web on Saturday, June 5 at 9:00 AM. Call the Library at (626) 300-0776 to reserve a space or ask any questions. The class will be one session only, and it will last until about 10:30 AM.

Although we can’t show you everything in a single hour and a half session, you will leave the class with a pretty good understanding of web sites, web addresses, Google, online phone directories, email, and you will get lots of tips on the basic skills of using the keyboard and mouse. If you don’t know what some of these things are, this class is for you. Even if you don’t touch a computer again after the class, you will get a sense of what the Internet is. Those who are inspired to learn and understand more can come back to use the Internet during the Library’s regular hours. At the Library, you can obtain help if you get stuck, and get advice from the librarians on how to find something on the Internet.

The DVD Collection Continues to Expand!

Recent additions to the DVD collection include several new Documentary and Special Interest films. Among the newly added titles are five comedies and five tragedies of William Shakespeare produced by BBC and Time Life Films. New PBS documentaries include Liberty! The American Revolution, The 50 Years War: Israel and the Arabs, Martin Luther, and The Spartans, to name a few. Recently released new, classic and foreign feature films have also been added including The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes starring Basil Rathbone, the 2003 release of the family action adventure Peter Pan, and Xiaoshuai Wang’s Beijing Bicycle. There is something for everyone and more titles are being processed everyday. Be sure to come in and see what’s new for you.