Summer Time Is Reading Time

Don’t let the kids have all the reading fun this summer! While the kids rack up the numbers in the Library’s Summer Reading Program, their parents can indulge in their own recreational reading. Great new books in the library include Bad Luck and Trouble by Lee Child, the eleventh book in the Jack Reacher series; Shopaholic & Baby by Sophie Kinsella, in which Becky Bloomwood tricks out her newborn; Lean Mean Thirteen, Janet Evanovich’s latest Stephanie Plum adventure; and The Overlook by Michael Connelly, featuring Harry Bosch investigating a murder that may have consequences for national security. Also, don’t forget that the last Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, is due out on July 21.

In addition to books for loan, we also have a Book Shoppe in which the Friends of the Library sell gently used donated books for shockingly low prices. All proceeds go to new materials for the library. Stop in today!

Road Trip?

Summer is upon us, so if you are heading out of town on a driving vacation, be sure to stop by the library first and pick up some books on CD. The library has a large selection of new books on CD, both fiction and non-fiction, for your listening pleasure while on the road.

History buffs can immerse themselves in art with Ross King’s The Judgment of Paris: The Revolutionary Decade That Gave Us Impressionism, or go for lighter fare with The Republic of Pirates: Being the True and Surprising Story of The Caribbean Pirates and the Man Who Brought Them Down by Colin Woodard.

On the fiction front there is Nineteen Minutes, the latest offering by New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult, and Ellis Avery’s The Teahouse Fire, a lushly detailed historical novel based around the Japanese tea ceremony. Ann Brashares The Last Summer (of You and Me) is a deeply felt celebration of summer and nostalgia for youth. There are dozens of family friendly children’s books on CD available as well.

Teen Summer Reading: You Never Know…

Mystery will be the theme when YNK-You Never Know @ Your Library, this year's Summer Reading Program for Teens, kicks off June 11th. Students 6th grade and above can come in and register for the program and pick up a Reading Record and a complimentary coupon good for a 2 for 1 admission to Legoland. For each book we verify participants have read they will receive a "chance ticket" that can be entered into a drawing for any one of a number of prizes. This year's great prizes include, an I Pod Shuffle, I Tunes Cards, Karate lessons, and complimentary tickets to movie theatres and Aquarium of the Pacific. A drawing for the prizes will be held July 28th at the end of the program.

Follow the Footprints to Your Library

Super sleuths and daring detectives are invited to Get a Clue @ Your Library at the San Marino Public Library. The 2007 Summer Reading Program is open to young people, preschool through young adult, with programs, prizes, contests, and more. Registration for the Summer Reading Program begins on Monday, June 11th. For more information, visit our website at www.sanmarinopl.org. All programs are free to the public.

Afternoon Movie Screening

Beat the heat and come cool off at San Marino Public Library. During the summer on selected Tuesdays we will be showing full length feature films spotlighting on detectives, spies and mystery. Please call the library for specific dates and titles.

Critter Capers Animal Show

Yikes!! It’s Gone! Someone has “poached” Thelma Chicken’s Golden Egg! This is not going to go “over easy” at the barn. She is gonna need to “scramble” for help. But Who? Join pet detectives Andy and Sandy as they try to “crack” the case. This fun-filled show will be an afternoon full of music, magic and education. Stick around to visit and pet the animals of the show. Saturday, June 30th at 2:00 p.m.

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 on Thursday, June 21st. Children, preschool age through 5th grade, are invited to the public library to make a variety of mystery themed crafts. Craft tables will be available from 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. You can drop in any time to work on a project. Helpers and supplies will be on hand.

Barks and Books Elementary school children are invited to the San Marino Public Library to practice their reading skills by reading a book to Scarlett, a gentle dachshund. This special program is made possible by volunteers of the Pasadena Humane Society. This exciting event takes place on Saturday, April 21st at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, April 21st, at 11:30 a.m..

National Library Week - April 15th-21st

Come celebrate National Library Week with us at the San Marino Public Library!!! Join us on Saturday, April 21st at 2:00 p.m. to enjoy an exciting and spectacular magic show. Children will be delighted as Monique the Magic genie demonstrates mind boggling magic while encouraging a love of books and the library!

Library Construction Cost Going Down!

Nearing the halfway point, the construction of the new San Marino Public Library continues on schedule. But the projected spending for the project has actually dropped! Savings in the cost of technology and furnishings (over $830 thousand) along with donations of service from Nu-Way Disposal (almost $31 thousand) have knocked almost nine hundred thousand dollars off of previous budget projections. This reduces the program budget from $17.2 million down to $16.3 million.

"The greatest thing about these savings is that the price is dropping without changing the scope of work," notes City Manager Matt Ballantyne.

Private citizens have already donated over half of the cost of this public structure. Once the Library Foundation meets its fundraising goal, the generous gifts of private donors will eventually cover two-thirds of the expense to complete our community's state-of-the-art library and meeting place that is scheduled to open next January.