Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Crowell Public Library Gets New Wifi
According to a 2011 Harris Poll created for the American Library Association, public computer and wifi use increased at more than 70 percent of U.S. libraries than the previous year.* When libraries can’t afford to upgrade their computers or increase their numbers, wifi access becomes even more critical. When the new Crowell Library opened in January 2008, it had a whopping 16 public access computers, up from the meager six if offered at the old library, but the wifi remained the same, six year-old Blue Socket technology that was pathetically slow and constantly going down, much to the dismay of the staff and patrons.
A city-wide service satisfaction survey conducted earlier this year complained about the library’s unreliable wireless service. But before the survey was even published, a generous donation from the Hal Suetsugu Family, the Montelongo Family, Robert and Grace Karkafi, Dr. Albert Cho and Dr. Della Fong, Raymond Woo and Kristina Fu Woo, solved the problem with new Zone Director wifi. As a result, Crowell Library has increased patron accessibility a whopping 245%. With the old wifi, the library averaged 47 logins per day and now the average is 115.
News of this gift was proclaimed on the consent calendar of the San Marino City Council on May 8, 2013: http://www.cityofsanmarino.org/downloads/CC5813.pdf. In addition, Crowell Library acknowledged the $5,000 donation with lettering on the entrance door to the building: “Wireless service provided by generous donations from…” which will be seen by the nearly 120,000 people who stream through those doors every year.
Thanks to these munificent benefactors, the Library can continue to proudly abide by its motto: “The 21st century Crowell Public Library provides a gathering place, an information center, a technology hub, and a book and media collection to serve the educational, cultural, and recreational interests of people of all ages.”
*http://www.ala.org/news/mediapresscenter/americaslibraries/publiclibraries
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Road Scholar: Adventures in Lifelong Learning
Thursday, July 11, 7:00 pm
If you love to travel, enjoy learning new things, like to explore interesting places and meet people who share a love of adventure, come and learn about Road Scholar, the group that offers more than 5,500 programs each year in 150 countries worldwide. Volunteer Road Scholar Ambassador JILL SWAIM will offer an insider's look at its adventures on July 11th at 7:00 p.m. in the Library’s Barth Community Room. Light refreshments will be served. Road Scholar Ambassadors are seasoned participants who volunteer their time to give informative and enthusiastic presentations about the educational travel adventures available through Road Scholar, formerly called Elderhostel, the not-for-profit world leader in lifelong learning since 1975.
Adventuresome, curious, fun... what else is there to know about Road Scholar participants? Their learning adventures engage expert instructors, provide extraordinary access, and stimulate discourse and friendship among people for whom learning is the journey of a lifetime. Since its inception, more than five million people have enrolled in its iconic educational adventures offered annually in countries around the world.
The Road Scholar program has made connections with educators and other local "insiders" all around the world, creating learning opportunities that show the world in a way that just can't be done alone or on a "tour." From expert-led lectures and field trips to comfortable lodgings and meals, all the details are handled, taking the worry out of the planning, so Scholars can focus on the learning experience.
Road Scholar is headquartered in Boston, Mass., with offices in the U.S. and the United Kingdom. To learn more please visit their website at www.roadscholar.org and bring your questions Thursday July 11 at 7:00pm to Crowell Library’s Barth Community Room.
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Eating Healthy Is So Delicious!
Eating Healthy Is Sooo Delicious
Monday July 1, 7:00 pm
Food Garnishing Is Sooo Delicious
Sunday, July 14, 2:00 pm
On Monday, July 1 at 7:00 p.m., Registered Dietician VICTORIA BUXTON-PACHECO will present a fun program on food and nutrition as Crowell Public Library celebrates summer reading with programs, prizes and surprises. Victoria will discuss adapting your favorite comfort food recipes, portion control, healthy snacks, reading food labels and how it all relates to the USDA’s Choose My Plate program http://www.choosemyplate.gov. See how eating healthy can make your taste buds stand up and cheer!
Victoria comes to us from the Community Outreach Department at Methodist Hospital in Arcadia. She provides nutritional counseling for clients with gestational diabetes, cardiac disease, cancer and weight management issues. She graduated from Cal State Los Angeles and has both her Bachelors and Masters Degree in Nutrition. Victoria recently published a nutrition textbook and is on the faculty at Pasadena City College and Cal State Los Angeles.
And you won’t want to miss the free demonstration by BRYCE FUJII on transforming common fruits and vegetables into beautiful, edible decorations. With just a few basic tools, garnishes can enhance any meal, making it special without adding significant cost. When presented attractively, food not only looks pretty but also seems to taste better, too! Connect with your inner artist -- even you can be a Rodin with a radish!
Bryce Fujii has been an Independent Director and Trainer with The Pampered Chef for seven years. His lifelong passion for food led him to become a USPCA certified personal chef. While pursuing college degrees in business and fine arts, Bryce learned that with a little instruction, everyone has enough time and talent to prepare delicious and impressive home-cooked meals. Join us on Sunday, July 14th in the Barth Community Room and learn some basics of epicurean embellishments!
Thursday, May 23, 2013
The City of Hope Centennial

Monday, June 24, 7:00 p.m.
In 1913, a dedicated group of men and women came together to form the Jewish Consumptive Relief Association of California. Launching a free, national and nonsectarian tuberculosis sanatorium outside of Los Angeles, they offered care to their brothers and sisters in need. By the mid-1940s, tuberculosis was on the decline in the United States. But the organization that became City of Hope rose to the challenge of each successive era, tackling the world's most catastrophic diseases while reaffirming its humanitarian vision that "health is a human right."
On Monday, June 24th at 7:00 p.m. DR. LINDA MALKAS will address the institution’s legacy, as well as its bright future. The City of Hope was founded in the same year as the City of San Marino was incorporated, and thus is celebrating its Centennial in 2013 along with San Marino. Over its history, the City of Hope has been a place of hope and discovery and anticipates continuing in the next century working on the future promise for the prevention, detection and treatment of cancer and diabetes, and the research that makes that possible.
Dr. Malkas is an expert in the areas of human cell DNA replication/repair, women’s cancers, as well as in cancer biomarker and therapeutic target discovery and development. She is currently an Associate Chairman and Profession in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology at the Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Deputy Director for Basic Research of the City of Hope’s NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center as well as co-leader of the Molecular Oncology and Cancers Programs at the Cancer Center.
Seating is limited and attendance to this free monthly series has been to capacity so arrive early!
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
CROWELL PUBLIC LIBRARY LAUNCHES SUMMER READING CLUB

June 10 – July 20, 2013
Crowell Public Library launches its Reading Is So Delicious! Summer Reading Club on June 10, 2013. Over the next two months, the library will host a range of free activities for children, teens, and adults that encourage and support a love of reading. Participants also can win prizes for reaching their reading goals! Summer reading isn’t just fun, it’s great. Research has shown that reading over the summer prevents summer reading loss.*
Some of the programs include hilarious “Animal Cracker” tales from Ina Buckner Barnette, the Sunshine Storyteller, fantastic feature films for the whole family every week, “Feed Your Ears a Plateful of Music,” with Bob Harrison, and a visit from the animals of the Wildlife Learning Center. Many more surprises are in store!
The Summer Reading Club is open to ages three through adult. Registration begins on Monday, June 10, 2013 and runs through Saturday, July 20, 2013. The Summer Reading Club is sponsored by the Friends of the Crowell Public Library.
All programs are free to the public.
The more the merrier! Share this event on Facebook & Twitter.
https://www.facebook.com/CrowellPublicLibrarySanMarino
https://twitter.com/crowellpl
1890 Huntington Drive, San Marino, CA 91108-2595 ● Phone: (626) 300-0777
For more information, visit our website www.CrowellPublicLibrary.org
* Summer reading loss refers to the decline in children's reading development that can occur during summer vacation times when children are away from the classroom and not participating in formal literacy programs (Allington & McGill-Franzen, 2003). http://www.readingrockets.org/article/15218/
Thursday, May 09, 2013
Reading Is Sooo Delicious!

June 10 – July 20, 2013
At Crowell Public Library, the kids aren’t the only ones having fun this summer. Adults 18 years and up can register for the Adult Summer Reading Club, which has the theme Reading Is Soooo Delicious this year. Registration is easy at the Adult Reference Desk where you’ll receive a Smart Cookie goodie bag and all the information you will need for upcoming contests, programs and movies:
Movie-Watching Is Soooo Delicious!
The food theme begins with a slate of movies to make your taste buds stand up and cheer!
MONDAY, JUNE 17, 6:30 P.M.
Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead (2010)
Joe Cross was at the end of his rope when he grabbed his juicer and hit the road. Overweight and loaded up on medications, he was suffering from a debilitating autoimmune disease. He decided to attack the cause while taking a 60 day tour of the United States. FREE JUICE SAMPLES after the movie.
THURSDAY, JUNE 20, 10:00 A.M.
Eat, Drink, Man, Woman (1994)
Senior Master Chef Chu lives with his three grown daughters; the middle one finds her future plans affected by unexpected events and the changing lives of the other household members. Starring Sihung Lung, Yu-Wen Wang. Directed by Ang Lee.
MONDAY, JULY 15, 10:00 A.M.
Big Night (1996)
A failing Italian restaurant run by two brothers gambles on one special night to try to save the business; with Tony Shalhoub, Stanley Tucci, Isabella Rossellini, Minnie Driver.
Eating Healthy Is Sooo Delicious!
Monday July 1, 7:00pm
Registered Dietician VICTORIA BUXTON-PACHECO will present a fun program on food and nutrition. She will discuss adapting your favorite comfort food recipes, portion control, healthy snacks, reading food labels and how it all relates to the USDA’s Choose My Plate program.
Food Garnishing Is Soooo Delicious!
Sunday July 14, 2:00pm
In this free demonstration, BRYCE FUJII will show how, by using a few basic tools, anyone can transform common fruits and vegetables into beautiful, edible decorations. Become a Rodin with a radish!
All library patrons are welcome to enjoy the programs and movies this summer at Crowell Public Library, but “hungry” readers interested in prizes must register at the Adult Reference Desk.
Tuesday, May 07, 2013
a special concert by violinist PAUL STEIN

Monday, June 10, 2013, 7:00 p.m.
Come to the library for a free hour of blissful, classical music and more! PAUL STEIN, a violinist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic for the last 30 years, will bring an all-new program to the Crowell Public Library on Monday, June 10, from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. Playing music by Bach, John Williams, Liszt and Henry Mancini, Paul Stein brings many sides of the violin to the San Marino Library. He has been a member of the Los Angeles Philharmonic for over 30 years, and has performed many family concerts with Chamber Music Express. The library concert is designed for families with children eight years and older.
The unaccompanied violin demonstrates many colors and melodic contours. Bach wrote some of his most profound music for it. The richness of Bach's harmonies will be on display at the June 10 concert, as well such popular music as the “Tango” from Scent of a Woman and “Moon River” from Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
Paul Stein has been a featured soloist at the Hollywood Bowl and has worked with Zubin Mehta, Carlo Maria Giulini, Andre Previn, Esa-Pekka Salonen as well as Gustavo Dudamel. He was principal second violinist with the Colorado Symphony and performed with the Santa Fe Opera orchestra. Born in Dallas, Paul received a Bachelor of Music from Southern Methodist University and Master of Music from Yale University. He has moderated seminars and lectured at the Los Angeles Philharmonic Institute and conventions of the Music Teachers Association of California. He is a Certificate of Merit teacher of violin and viola, from beginning to advanced and is on the faculties of Pasadena City College and Glendale College.
Don’t miss this special, free night of music in San Marino!
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