Discover the Cure for Abibliovactionphobia

As summer approaches, many people find themselves afflicted by Abibliovacationphobia, the fear of running out of reading material while on vacation. But the San Marino Public Library is more than prepared to come to the aid of anyone suffering from this seasonal problem.

Do you enjoy mysteries? We have the newest books by Robert B. Parker and Jonathan Kellerman. If you like history, you can check out the book Grand Old Party: A History of Republicans by Lewis L. Gould, or biographies of two major participants in the founding of our country, Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow, or An Imperfect God, about George Washington, by Henry Wiencek.

If you’re taking the car on vacation this year, the library has lots of new audio books (in both tape and CD formats) that will help take your mind off the price of gas. Or you can just come into the library and check out both the Abibliovacationphobia display near the front door and the Staff Selects shelf for other good vacation reading ideas.

There is no reason to let Abibliovacationphobia, or its evil cousin, Summer Boredom, get the upper hand, when the library is here with the perfect antidote: free and abundant reading material.

Childrens’ Room Doors Permanently Closed

The aging San Marino Public Library building has hit another wall. Well, not a wall. A door. A broken door. The side entrance into the library that opens directly into the childrens’ room features a “panic door” for emergency exits. It is also fitted with a security system to protect against book loss. Both of these things are badly broken. The cost to repair or replace the door and the security system will run between twelve and fourteen thousand dollars.

Because we plan to replace the library building soon, the City of San Marino has decided not to repair this library entrance. It will be permanently closed, designated as an emergency exit only. That being the case, the Fire Code requires that we reduce the number of seats in the Girls’ and Boys’ Room. The area that already overflows with students doing homework will become just that much more crowded.

This is just the latest incident in the ongoing saga of the disintegration of the San Marino Public Library building. Each time another piece of the library breaks down, it underscores the need for a new structure.

Blood Drive at the Library

The Red Cross will hold a blood drive on Tuesday, July 20, from 2:00 PM till 8:00 PM in the San Marino Public Library’s auditorium. Blood donations save lives and allow medical operations to go on as scheduled, so giving blood is a very rewarding and relatively easy thing to do. The entire United States recently experienced a dire blood shortage, and the summer months are traditionally a period of reduced donations, so the need in July is expected to be great. If you would like to help, please mark this date on your calendar, and be aware that an appointment is necessary for donation. For further information about giving blood or about appointments, call Rex at the Library, (626) 300-0776.

Public Library Applies for Collection Development Grant

The Public Library has submitted two grant applications to the California State Library for specially funded collection development projects. The first grant would enhance the Library’s Chinese language collection by providing one-time funding ($3,000) for the purchase and cataloging of materials. The second grant would allow the Library to better serve the business community by giving library card holders access to two special in-depth databases over the Internet, along with funding ($3,000- $6,000) for the purchase of related materials and the possibility of several business-related speakers. The awards of these grants will be announced this summer.

8 ways to Become A Great Reader

1. Read every day.
2. Read out loud with someone else.
3. Read about things that you like.
4. Take a book with you wherever you go.
5. Read everything you can, like maps, menus, signs, newspapers, and magazines.
6. Talk about what you've read.
7. Keep a log of what you've read.
8. Be proud of your reading accomplishments.

Taiwanese Puppet Show Cancelled

The Taiwanese puppet show that was to have taken place this Saturday, May 8 at 1 p.m. at the San Marino Public Library has been cancelled. For further information, please contact the San Marino Public Library.

Taiwanese Puppets to Perform at the San Marino Public Library

The beautiful lady in a gorgeous costume tiptoes slowly across the stage. Her feet are bound, so she can only take small dainty steps. Her lover, the elegant gentleman, moves smoothly towards her. The warrior strides in with confidence, his painted face matching the boldness of his walk. The clown bounces comically across the scene, and the old man hobbles, stooped and smoking a long pipe.

Are they real people? No, they are just puppets, characters in the traditional "glove puppet theater", or budaixi [http://deall.ohio-state.edu/bender.4/perform/pg2puppe/bdx.htm] of Taiwan.

On Saturday, May 8 at 1 p.m. , these characters will bring their stories to the San Marino Public Library in a free performance in honor of Asian Pacific Heritage month. Dr. Raymond Ho, a pediatrician by day, animates the puppets and acts the story. "This is a one-of-a-kind and magnificent performing arts form," he says. The rare puppets possess finely sculpted faces and magnificent silk costumes. "Everything about them is human-like," Ho notes. "There are a lot of details in the costumes, especially the embroidery."

Ho deftly manipulates the puppets through their kung fu movie action sequences in miniature. A favorite with audiences is his "tiger fight" in which three warriors duel with a wild cat. The puppets wield metal staffs and spears at each other and even shoot tiny wooden arrows.

Although this style of puppet theater originated in china in the Ming Dynasty 600 years ago, budaixi flourishes today on a popular and action-packed cable TV show in Taiwan [http://www.sinorama.com.tw/en/1998/199801/701144e1.html].

The San Marino Public Library is located at 1890 Huntington Drive in San Marino. For more information, call (626) 300-0777.