National Poetry Month

The Library currently has a poetry display for National Poetry Month. All of the contents of the display are available for checkout. In the display, you will find the works of venerable poets, such as Carl Sandburg and Langston Hughes. More recent poets, such as Adrienne Rich, Mark Strand, Seamus Heaney, and Czeslaw Milosz can also be found. Children's poetry, including Bruce Lansky's If Pigs Could Fly and fine collections, such as Garrison Keilor's Good Poems are included as well. There are also books on how to interpret poetry, and even write your own poems.

A special treat you may not be aware of in the Library's collection is the set of videocassettes from major writers, reading their works and talking about their writing. Along with some of the names above, Richard Wilbur, Mark Doty, Robert Creeley, and Allen Ginsberg are included in this set, which features fiction authors as well. Poetry is generally a bit more demanding than prose, and hearing the poet's own words can help bring the words alive.

Local Businesses Are Invited to Participate in the Summer Reading Program

To encourage children to keep reading throughout the summer, the San Marino Public Library holds a summer reading program every year. This year is no different. Although the reading program doesn't begin until June, planning has already begun to make sure this year's program it one of the best ever.

In an effort to assist the public library in providing a more memorable experience for all children, we are asking local businesses for items that can be used as reading incentives for children. Items such as redeemable coupons, gift certificates, or products are great reading motivators for young children. Not only will you be assisting in developing a community of readers, you will also be introducing your business to a large number of potential clients Over the past 2 years, over 5000 children and their families participated in activities and events offered by the San Marino Public Library.

If you would like to participate by becoming a Summer Reading Program sponsor, please contact Youth Services Librarian Tara Smith at (626) 300-0776. Your support is truly appreciated.

Library Foundation Honors Fallen Marine

The San Marino Library Foundation has donated a book to the Library in memory of Marine 2nd Lt. James P. “J.P.” Blecksmith, a San Marino native, was killed by sniper fire on Nov. 11, 2004, in Fallouja, Iraq.

The book is U.S. Marine Corps: An Illustrated History, written by Merrill L. Bartlett, a retired Marine lieutenant colonel, and Jack Sweetman, a well-known scholar. Both are accomplished authors and former history professors at the U.S. Naval Academy, Blecksmith’s alma mater.

Edward Blecksmith, J.P.’s father, is a former president of the San Marino Library Foundation.

Friends of the Library Seeks Book Donations

Time to clean off those bookshelves. The Friends of the San Marino Public Library seeks donations of your unwanted books to sell in their Book Shoppe. The Shoppe, located in the Library auditorium, sells used books at laughably low prices. The proceeds from these sales buy new books for the Library.

Once you empty your shelves, stop in to the Book Shoppe for a refill. It is open every afternoon except Tuesdays and Sundays. Additionally, the Friends will hold their semi-annual massive book blowout on Saturday May 21. Pick up an entire bag of books for $3 or two for $5.

Firefighters at the Library!

Some 60 children and 40 adults braved the rain to attend a special firefighter storytime at the San Marino Public library Saturday, February 19. Captain Keith Eddie and firemen Russell Wilcox, Chris Evans and Dwayne Carlton, from the San Marino Fire Department read stories and answered kid's questions about fighting fires. Following the reading, the sun came out just long enough to allow the children to climb the fire engine and to get a first hand look at some of the tools fire fighters use that help them put out fires.

San Marino Fire Captain Keith Eddie reads about fire fighting.

Library Kicks Off Community Campaign

This March marks the beginning of the community phase of the San Marino Public Library’s Capital Campaign. This phase of the fundraising project provides individuals in the community the opportunity to be a part of San Marino’s brand new library.

Donations from corporations, foundations and others have helped the campaign reach $9 million to date.

Now’s your chance to complete the task! Look for the letter coming soon in the mail, or you can stop by the library or visit our special website, www.brandnewlibrary.org to see how you can help. Years from now, you’ll be able to look back at the new library with pride, knowing you were part of its success.

Spotlight on the Los Angeles Times Database: An Online Subscription from Your Library

Need to do some research but can't get to the library? No problem! The San Marino Public Library subscribes to eleven different services that you can use through our Web page with your library card at any time of day or night.

One very useful subscription we offer is the Los Angeles Times online. This database contains the entire text of articles in the Times going back almost twenty years, to 1985. Search by words in the title, the lead paragraph, or buried in the full text. Narrow your search by specifying the year you want, or even an exact date. Articles from The Christian Science Monitor, USA Today, the San Francisco Chronicle, and the San Diego Union-Tribune can also be searched from this site.

Students love this database because it means that they don't have to physically go to the library and spool through yards of microfilm to find the information they need. Parents find this collection useful when they want to find an obituary or remember that cookie recipe from two Christmases ago. This service can also help busy businesspeople to find local and regional information right from their desks at work.

How do you reach this information treasure? Point your browser to http://sanmarinopl.org, and then click on "LA Times". On the next screen, type in the first five digits of your library card number for both the username and password. On the following page, choose the service called "Los Angeles Times". Now you are ready to explore the last two decades of our major metropolitan newspaper online--all with a strong guarantee of quality, courtesy of the San Marino Public Library.