Barks and Books

Elementary school children are invited to the San Marino Public Library to practice their reading skills by reading out loud to a live, gentle dog. This special program is made possible by volunteers of the Pasadena Humane Society and will take place on the following Saturdays: October 8th, November 19th and December 17th, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Space is limited; reservations are required and must be made in person. For more information, please call 626-300-0777.

Dewey and the Decimals

Join us at the San Marino Public Library as we answer the question, “Who is Dewey, and what is he doing with all those decimals?” On Wednesday, October 12th at 6:30 p.m., the library staff will present a hands-on workshop on learning everything there is to know about the Dewey Decimal System. Students will be introduced to the decimal system, categorization of books as fiction and non-fiction, and a refresher course on using SMILES, the library’s electronic catalog. This workshop is geared towards 3rd and 4th graders along with there parents, but anyone with an interest is welcome to attend. Space is limited, so call early to reserve your spot. (626) 300-0777.

Library to Offer “Author of the Month” Program for Kids

For all those readers who enjoyed participating in our Summer Reading Program, the San Marino Public Library will be offering a new reading program. Beginning on October 1, we will feature one well-known author of children’s books each month. The “Author of the Month” for October is Avi, and the “Author of the Month” for November will be E. L. Konigsburg, both of whom are Newbery Medal winning writers. Each month, we will provide flyers with information about the author along with a list of his or her books. Just read one book by that author during their featured month, and turn in a brief book report on a form provided by the library. When the book report is turned in, the reader will get to spin the Prize Wheel in the Children’s Department to win one of four prizes. Book Report forms can be picked up in the library beginning September 29, and they can be turned in for a prize up until the 7th day of the following month. The program is open to children in grades 3 through 6. Only one prize per child per month.

Join the Teen Advisory Board

The San Marino Public Library’s Teen Advisory Board is back in action, with the first meeting of the new school year having been held September 16. Board members meet every other Friday from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. in the library auditorium to discuss books, recommend titles and movies for the library to purchase, plan programs, and do volunteer tasks. Discussion is lively and open, and refreshments are served. If you are interested in joining, or just curious, drop in on a meeting. Any Middle School or High School student is eligible to join.

Anime Lovers, Unite!

Anime aficionados, 13 and older, are invited to join Anime ADVocates, a new club forming at the library. The program is sponsored by ADV Films, one of the major anime distributors. Every month they send a free DVD of episodes of their newest releases for club members to preview. Club members can post reviews of them on-line at the ADV site. There are prizes, posters, and exclusive promo items in the pipeline as well. Once the club is established, screenings will be held monthly on a Saturday afternoon. For more information on either the Teen Advisory Board or Anime ADVvocates, call Lynda at (626) 300-0776, or stop by the Children’s Room.

New Music (CDs) for Fall

So the kids are back in school, vacations are over, you can finally stay home and relax a bit. Come by the public library and pick up some new CDs! We have the new Rob Thomas, Kelly Clarkson, Il Divo, Jack Johnson, Dave Matthews Band, Weezer, Gwen Stefani, Keith Urban, Kenny Chesney, and many more. If Classic rock is more your taste, come check out "The Very Best of the Eagles", Led Zeppelin, "The White Album", or Queen’s "A Night at the Opera". We’ve also purchased comedy shows on CD by Ray Romano, Adam Sandler, and Whoopi Goldberg. You can see the entire list of new compact discs from our library catalog (smpl.us) under New Books/ Best Sellers.

New Chinese Magazines in the Library!

Thanks to a special grant that the Library received through the California State Library, there are now 12 new Chinese magazine titles on our shelves! These magazines cover such subjects as automobiles, health, travel, food, and biography. The magazines can be read in the library or checked out for 3 weeks. Readers are encouraged to let the staff know what they think about the titles selected.

Upcoming Events for Kids at the San Marino Public Library

Police Officer Storytime

Come meet and greet a police officer from the San Marino Police Department. On Saturday, September 3rd at 2:00 p.m. a police officer will be at the San Marino Public Library to read stories, give hints on staying safe, and answer questions about the life of an officer. Come and learn what it takes to protect and serve the City of San Marino.

Library Treasure Hunt

On Wednesday, September 21st at 6:30 the San Marino Public Library will hold a workshop to teach patrons how to find treasures (books) in the library. This hands-on workshop is geared toward children in grades K-2nd and their parents, but anyone who needs to brush up on their book finding skills is welcome to attend. Please call 626-300-0777 to reserve your space.

Barks and Books

Elementary school children are invited to the San Marino Public Library to practice their reading skills by reading a book about books to a live gentle dog. This special program is made possible by volunteers of the Pasadena Human Society and will take place the 3rd Saturday of each month from 10:30 - 11:30 a.m. Space is limited and reservations are required and must be made in person. For more information, please call 626-300-0777.

First Library Card

Does your pre-kindergarten child have a San Marino Public Library card? If yes, GREAT! If not, then come into the library and sign up for "the smartest card" your child can receive. All pre-kindergarten child and younger who come in with a parent to get a new library card will receive a special "First Library Card" packet that includes a bookmark, sticker, and a free book. For more information, please call the Girls & Boys Department at the San Marino Public Library.

Echoes of Polynesia

Join us at the San Marino Public Library on Saturday, August 20th at 2:00 p.m. as we celebrate the dance and music of Hawaii, New Zealand, and Tahiti. Polynesian dancers, from Gypsy Folk Ensemble, will perform ancient and modern hulas, traditional Tahitian drum dances and Tahitian style hulas. You will be awed as four dancers in colorful costumes present various dances, talk about their history, and encourage audience participation. Fun for the entire family!!!

Library Closed for One Week

The San Marino Public Library will be closed between Sunday, August 21 and Sunday, August 28, 2005 for our annual "Closed Week". During this week, librarians pick out old books that no one checks out any more and eliminates them from the database. Clerks and pages inventory and eliminate useless supplies and equipment. We welcome our public back on Monday, August 29 at 11:00 a.m., ready for the new school year and looking much improved after an intense week of work.

Let Your Library Ease You Back to School

Summer was great, but now it's time to get back to those books. Your San Marino Public Library can help. We have over one hundred thousand books, CDs, videos, and DVDs for study and play. We also subscribe to eleven online databases, including some with full-text magazine and newspaper articles. These are available 24 hours a day over the Web to library card holders.

How can you get a library card? Come into the library and fill out an application. Or, download the application from our web site: http://sanmarinopl.org/forms/smpllibcardapp.pdf. (You will need a copy of the freely available Adobe Acrobat Reader to see this form: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html.) Print out the application and bring it, along with your driver's license or other proof of residence, to the Check-Out desk in the library. You don't have to live in San Marino to get a card.

Most people will receive their new library cards in minutes. Students of the San Marino School District will take a couple of days to process because we want to put copies of their cards at the school libraries.

Library users who don't like overdue fines may join the Friends of the San Marino Public Library with a Family Level membership. For $125, families receive a book bag, no overdue fines, free reserves, and free videos and DVDs for 1 year. Plus, they provide essential support for their local library. More details are available at http://sanmarinopl.org/about/friends.html.

San Marino Public Library Foundation Board Expands

Five new members have been elected to the Board of the San Marino Public Library Foundation: Laureen Chang, Barbara Hanna, Terry Petrillo, Zehra Sun and Debra Sadun. All are committed to continuing the successful fund raising effort that brought in nearly $7.5 million in pledges for the Campaign to build a new Public Library.

The Ceremonial Groundbreaking took place on July 1; construction begins next spring. Now, the Foundation will turn its energies to establishing an endowment to help build and support services expected in the new library.

Since its establishment in 1995, the Library Foundation has been a bulwark for capital projects at the Library. It conducted its first successful campaign in 1997, raising $250,000 to install the electronic library catalog and circulation system that is shared with the San Marino school libraries.

If you are interested in working with the Library Foundation, please contact Bob Sievers, Foundation president at 626-30-0778.

Summer Reading Program Wrap-Up

The Summer Reading Program was a huge success at the San Marino Public Library. The number of books read by the children registered for the "Super Readers Super Heroes" program reached an all time high of 5330. The YA program also had an excellent turn out with teens participating in the "Unleash Your Power, Read" program reading over 1025 books. The San Marino Public Library would like to congratulate all of the 181 children who read 20 books during the summer and completed the youth program. Those children who finished the program received a reading completion award, a magnetic pen and board set, a bookmark from Shakey's pizza, which entitles them to a free individual size pizza and a gift certificate from San Marino Toy and Book Shoppe.

The annual summer program concluded with a magic show performed by magician Dave the Magician, a.k.a. Super Powerful Ultra Dave (S.P.U.D).

All those in attendance were treated to an ice cream extravaganza where the children were able to build their own superhero sundaes. The winners of various contests held throughout the summer were also announced.

The staff at the San Marino Public Library would like to thank all the children and teens who participated in the San Marino Public Library Summer Reading Program. We would also like to thank all the student workers and the "Ticktockers" from the National Charity League who donated a countless number of volunteer hours. We would also like to thank the various businesses and organizations that donated incentives to both the children's and teen program. Last, but definitely not least, we would especially like to thank the Friends of the San Marino Public Library. Their hard work and dedication makes it possible to continue the Summer Reading Program every year.