New Library Board Member

Mayor Coss announced the appointment of Angelo Jaramillo to the Board of the Santa Fe Public Library. Jaramillo, 31, is a native Santa Fean who was graduated from Highlands. He is currently in a Masters program at St. Johns.

He has published a book, The Darker: Tales of a City Different, and has written a book of poetry to be released in January 2008.

“The Library is delighted to have Angelo Jaramillo appointed to serve on the Library Board. The volunteer advisory Board is key to providing the Library with input from the community and awareness of community needs. Angelo’s commitment to literacy and books plus his knowledge the needs of youth in Santa Fe make him a wonderful asset for the Library Board,” stated Patricia Hodapp, Director of Libraries.

And We Think it is Cold in NM!

The cold has arrived. It’s time, if you haven’t already, to make sure your antifreeze is charged up, dig out your gloves and ice scrapers, and brush up your winter boots.

This time of year makes me homesick for Alaska, where I lived from 1993-2001, on the Kenai Peninsula about 200 miles south of Anchorage. There the term winterizing is a bit more serious. Every Alaskan’s vehicle must be equipped with studded snow tires because the road surface is solid ice all winter. State road crews do a great job of plowing the roads but without the metal studs, cars and trucks would have no stopping power. The crews also use a special grader that carves a texture into the ice.

We had at least two solid weeks each year when the temperature went down to less than 20 degrees below zero and stayed there! It was important to have a good supply of wood or coal to burn in case the power went out. Also necessary was a relationship with the local snowplow guy who made his living digging folks out of their driveways, which, believe me, is not something I could do with a snow shovel up there! And of course, one didn’t step outside in the winter without gloves and a hat, preferably one with ear flaps.

I used to run the school library in a village about 20 minutes drive from my house. Often just getting to work was an adventure that provided a serious adrenaline rush! The staff would all congregate at the top of the big hill leading to the village. There we’d shout back and forth through cracked pickup windows about whether the plow had been through yet. Then, one by one, we’d put it in 4 low, first gear, and creep down the hill. In all the time I was in Alaska, school was never cancelled because of the weather! Even in the bitterest temperatures, kids would be bundled up carefully and sent outside for recess. It was important to get out while the sun was shining because of the reduced hours of light.

It might sound horrible to those of you who hate the cold but for me it was a thrill; every day was an adventure. Natural beauty was abundant, the air was bracing, and it was vital to be fully awake and aware. One mistake in temperatures that extreme can lead to another, and two or three mistakes can be deadly so you have to stay on top of your game. People look out for each other in an environment like that. And simple survival feels like an accomplishment.

LW@SSL

Children's Book Week

“Rise up Reading” was the theme for Children’s Book Week, November 12th-17th. The Santa Fe Public Libraries rose to the occasion by bringing in to all three libraries Paul Glickman, well loved puppeteer and magician. He performed at Southside Library Saturday the 17th, for children’s book week, which is sponsored through the Children’s Book Council http://www.cbcbooks.org/ The Southside Library featured a bulletin board book display with some books from Battle of the Books, and children could make a puppet or a crown, or both before the puppet show.

Some lucky children and audience members were part of the magic by going “onstage” with the characters and becoming part of the performance. Over fifty people attended and gave rave reviews. Everyone who attended also got a chance to be included in a drawing for a set of collectible Harry Potter stamps from Great Britain. Patrons say they really appreciate our library efforts to provide great activities to the public on the weekends. It’s a family place.

Posted by TT at Southside

Library Holiday Book Extravaganza Dec. 1

‘Tis the season for the Friends of the Santa Fe Public Library’s renowned Holiday Book Sale.

Annual Holiday Book Sale in the Main Library's Southwest Room.

One Day Sale. Gift quality items only.

The Friends cull all the best donated books all year to fill the sale tables at this special one day book sale.
From art books to children’s books to cook books to stocking stuffers, this is the sale of the year!

Open to the public.
Saturday, December 1, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Main Library, 145 Washington Ave.

All proceeds from the sale of these donated books are used to purchase new books for the Library.

Ten Who Made A Difference

The Friends of the Santa Fe Public Library were one of ten honorees for the Santa Fe New Mexican’s Ten Who Made A Difference Award. The awards were published appropriately in the Thanksgiving Day edition of the New Mexican. Many of the top volunteers who started working for a new Southside Branch in 1999 were interviewed or featured in the article. Angela Matzelle, Jane Gillentine, Carol Robertson Lopez, Shirley Ortega, Lisa Bemis and Andrea Gross were highlighted, but the names mentioned were just the tip of the iceberg. The hundreds of volunteers who made this possible are impossible to name—more than likely I would leave out as many as I put in. But some people gave so many hours and their talents that I must mention them here: former First Lady Angie Delgado, Pilar Faulkner, Brooke Sheldon, Amy Schiffer, Grace Brill, Jan Duggan, Carol Lachman, First Lady Barbara Richardson, Carol deMontel, Patricia Gonzales McKosky, Rep. Jim Trujillo, Peggy Vasquez, Dorothy Doyle, De Leon Family, Judy Havey and Barbara and Dave Myers, Tony Griego…and the list could fill an entire page! Any one of the volunteers deserved to be recognized on their own merit.

What is even more amazing is that even today, eight months after the Southside Branch opened, we still have the Friends of the Library working on raising funds, lobbying, providing volunteer hours and in general serving as advocates of the Library. The renovation of the La Farge Branch is on everyone’s radar as the branch is outdated and needs upgrades plus more space. Who will help with this endeavor? As Angela Matzelle put it in the New Mexican’s salute to the Friends, “Put on your roller skates. We are not done yet.”

Posted by PCH at Main

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Being a descendant of one of the “Gentlemen Adventurers” on the Mayflower, I have been interested in the realities of the First Thanksgiving. And so, for the enlightenment of us all here are some interesting facts about Thanksgiving.

The First Thanksgiving was a harvest festival to celebrate a successful corn harvest. It was celebrated in 1621 with feasting and games and prayer as was common in England.
Some of the food that would have been available to the pilgrims were:
-Fish: cod, bass, herring, shad, eel
-Seafood: clams, lobsters, mussels and oysters
-Birds: wild turkey, goose, duck, crane, swan, partridge, and waterfowl
-Meat: venison and perhaps salt port and chicken
-Fruit: raspberries, strawberries, grapes, plums, cherries, blueberries, dried gooseberries
-Vegetables: peas, squash, beans
-Grain: wheat flour, Indian corn and corn meal, barley ( used mostly to make beer)
-Nuts: walnuts, chestnuts, acorns, hickory nuts, ground nuts
-Herbs and Seasonings: onions, leeks, strawberry leaves, currants, sorrel, yarrow, carvel, brooklime, liverwort, watercress, flax.
-Other: maple syrup, honey, some butter and Holland cheese, eggs.

Foods that would not have been at the first Thanksgiving in Plymouth:
-Ham (the pilgrims had no pigs)
-Sweet potatoes or yams: these had not yet been introduced to New England
-Corn on the Cob: Indian corn was only used for cornmeal
-Cranberry Sauce: Cranberries were available but not sugar
-Pumpkin Pie: The pilgrims may have had a pumpkin pudding but no crusts or whipped cream.

The feast was probably not repeated as a yearly holiday and the pilgrims would probably have not called it a Thanksgiving Celebration. Thanksgiving was first proclaimed a national holiday by Abraham Lincoln in 1863.

Folks in El Paso, Texas claim that the first Thanksgiving day in the United States occurred in El Paso Del Norte in 1598. El Paso celebrates this day with an annual reenactment of Don Juan de Onates First Thanksgiving on the last Saturday and Sunday in April.

Check out some of our Thanksgiving day books and videos at the Santa Fe Public Library. Also check out some of these websites:
Pilgrim hall Museum: www.pilgrimhall.org
El Paso Regional History: www.lared-latina.com/Elhist.htm
History.com: www.history.com/minisites/thanksgiving

And which ever version of the First Thanksgiving you choose to celebrate, have a Happy Holiday and spend a few moments thinking about what you are thankful for.
KS @ LaFarge

New, Longer Southside Library Hours

Beginning Saturday, Dec. 1, library hours at the Southside Branch, 6599 Jaguar Drive, will be extended. The Southside Branch will be open Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. and on Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m.

These new, longer hours will give families and school classes more opportunities to visit the branch earlier in the day and give students more time to do their homework at the library in the evening.

The Santa Fe Public Library system has also changed loan periods for their materials.

New Books are now checked out for 14 days, instead of seven, Audio books and music CDs are also loaned for 14 days.
Patrons may checkout four DVDs or Videos (4 total) for seven days.
These changes were made to better serve our patrons’ need for longer checkout times. And anyone who checked out the latest Harry Potter and saw they only had 7 days was frustrated—or read reallllly fast!

TEENS IN THE LIBRARY

Teens in the Library. Seems that everyone is trying to capture the Teen market and libraries are no different. We know that we often have to cajole, plead and entice teens to books and libraries.. But we know once we capture their attention, they do return.

With generous funding from the Santa Fe Community Foundation, the Buckaroo Ball and the LANL Foundation, the Santa Fe Public Library has created a Teen Advisory Board (TAB) to help create the kind of programming that will attract teens to the library. Their first program/event was “Talk Like a Pirate Day”, a day celebrated internationally by the way, which drew 25 faux pirates. And they are active in a bi-weekly book club, reading science fiction/fantasy books.

Coming up on Friday, December 7, an after hours Mystery and Pizza Party is scheduled at the Southside Library from 5:30 until 8:00 p.m. Teens will get to solve the Queen of the Nile mystery and enjoy pizza. And the Teens can wear prom dresses (the murder (?) takes place at a prom) or dress like detectives.

Teens will be acting out the play and other teens will be trying to follow the clues.

I think some of the appeal is being in the library after hours, not many people get to do that and rarely for a mystery! To register or find out more about the Teen Advisory Board, call 955-2828

Posted by PCH at Main.

National Book Awards

The National Book Awards presented by the National book Foundation were announced on November 14. The Awards are given to recognize achievements in four genres: Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, and Young People's Literature. The winners receive a $10,000 cash award and a crystal sculpture. The winners for the year 2007 are:

Fiction
Denis Johnson, Tree of Smoke

NonFiction
Tim Weiner, Legacy of Ashes

Poetry
Robert Haas, Time and Materials

Young People’s Literature
Sherman Alexie, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

The complete list of nominees can be found on the Foundation’s website at http://www.nationalbook.org/nba2007.html

Please check the Library catalog http://catalog.ci.santa-fe.nm.us/ for availability of all of the titles.

Posted by BS at Main

Holiday Tree Lighting Schedule of Events

The day after Thanksgiving, on Friday, Nov. 23, starts the Holiday Season in Santa Fe. The Holiday Tree lighting on the Plaza begins at 3 p.m. with the Santa Maria Bell Ringers and the tree lighting will be at 6:30 p.m.

3 p.m. Santa Maria Bell Ringers

4 p.m. Live performance by Balle De Folklorio Dancers

5:15 p.m. Girl Scout Choir

6:00 p.m. Speakers

6:30 p.m. Actual lighting of the trees

7 p.m. Live concert by Sol Fire.

Plan ahead and bring a winter coat or blanket for those in need. Volunteers with AFSCME Local 3999 and Local 477 will be collecting blankets and winter coats as part of the 1ST Annual “Locals Helping Locals” Coats and Blankets for the Needy Drive. The two unions are collecting gently used coats, hats, gloves and blankets for babies, youth, adults and seniors. For further information please contact: Vioma Trujillo at 660-3089, or Michelle Gutierrez at 577-6068. It is a time of giving, and what an easy way to support those in Santa Fe who are in need.
Posted by PCH at Main.

New Mexico Award Books

I had the pleasure of reviewing new books by New Mexicans and about New Mexico for the New Mexico Book Awards. And I was pleased how many patrons at the Library took time to vote for their favorite all time best New Mexico book this summer.

Last week the 2007 winners were announced in the New Mexico Book Awards. Sponsored by Borders Book Stores and the New Mexico Book Co-op, the New Mexico Book Awards recognizes the best in New Mexico's books. Winning books have been selected in thirty-three categories. The complete list of winners is available at http://nmbookaward.com -- click on the link at the bottom of the welcome page.

The winners in each of the categories were honored last week. In addition, special Lifetime Achievement Awards were given to Rudolfo Anaya and Tony Hillerman.

What is great about a contest like this, is that I can discover some of the below-the-radar books and authors that others have enjoyed and recommend. Check out the list; New Mexico is a writing state!
Posted by PCH at Main

Beautiful Libraries

At La Farge Branch Library the staff is dreaming of renovations and refurbishment. To get inspiration we like to look at this site of beautiful libraries around the world:
http://www.curiousexpeditions.org/2007/09/a_librophiliacs_love_letter_1.html.
Take a look and enjoy the gorgeous libraries.
Posted by KS at La Farge.

Shhh, this is a hotel

Now this is creative thinking to support libraries! The NY Public Library is partnering with Orient-Express hotels Ltd. to raise funds to renovate their libraries. And, our La Farge branch is being linked once again to the Tino Griego Pool, and the possibility of turning the pool building into classrooms for film related skills. But I doubt we will get income of $750 to $2,000 a night like the new New York Public Library and hotel is projected to charge for rooms. And the 21 Club is attached! I wonder if librarians will get a discount when they stay there?

Here are the facts:

The New York Public Library said yesterday that it had signed an agreement to sell the property and the building housing its Donnell branch in Midtown to Orient-Express Hotels Ltd. for $59 million. The five-story building on West 53rd Street will be razed to make way for an 11-story hotel, but the library will own and occupy space on the first floor and underground under the terms of the deal, the two sides said. Five floors of the hotel will connect to the ''21'' Club on 52nd Street, also owned by Orient-Express.

The construction project is estimated at $220 million. Planners said the hotel would have 150 rooms costing $750 to $2,000 per night and a restaurant on the top floor.

The sale may strike some as an odd mix of culture and commerce, but the library said it had little choice because the branch, built in 1955, was in dire need of renovations that the system could ill afford. Copyright New York Times Company Nov 7, 2007
(With thanks to JK at Main for bringing this article to our attention)

The Big Read

In partnership with The Georgia O'Keeffe Museum and the National Endowment For The Arts' Big Read,The Santa Fe Public Library will be hosting programs about Rudolfo Anaya's beloved novel, Bless Me, Ultima. Here is where I need to self disclose that I reviewed Bless Me, Ultima glowingly when it was first published and was honored with Rudolfo at a special party when I moved to Santa Fe. I have collected almost everything he has written, from his adult work to his children’s works. This is my favorite banned book author and favorite banned book, and I have read many.

Mark your calendars and check the Library’s website news for future programs:

The Golden Carp and Other Magical Stories in Rudolfo Anaya's Bless Me,Ultima.

Enjoy a dynamic performance by Charles Gamble.

Delight in listening to canciones tradicionales performed by Trio de los Baile.

Tuesday, November 27, 6:30-8 p.m. Southside Branch, 6599 Jaguar Drive

After School Programs

Illustrate a Story Workshop

Join professional illustrator Leland Chapin, to learn how to draw stories taken from Rudolfo Anaya's Bless Me, Ultima.

These programs are free and open to the public at the Southside Library, 6599 Jaguar Dr.,
Wednesday, November 28, 4-5:30 p.m.