The Dream of A Place for Teens Is Built: Warehouse 21 Opens

Congratulations is not a big enough word to give praise to the Warehouse 21 Board and staff for completing the new Teen place-to-be in Santa Fe.

Ana Marie Gallegos y Reinhardt is the director and moving force behind this incredible project. The new building opened this weekend (last night!) and to find out all of the activities and workshops that Warehouse 21 offers, go to http://www.warehouse21.org/

No longer can teens say, “There is no place to go and nothing for us to do in Santa Fe.”

Help for Iowa flooded libraries

As we sit in 90 degree heat and sun, the Midwest is still coming to grips with the destruction due to floods. Of course close to our hearts are the libraries, many of which have been destroyed.

The tally is heart wrenching:
Cedar Rapids: 75 % of its collection is lost
New Hartford: 80% of its collection and their computers are gone

The following public libraries had water damage ranging from mild to fairly serious:
Chelsea, Creston, Elkader, Iowa Falls, Rockford, St. Charles, and Waterloo.
Not to mention libraries in Indiana and Wisconsin.

I worked at the St. Louis Public Library, and know many of the small river towns that are using sandbags to stem the overflowing Mississippi. The St. Louis Public's Main Library should have been far enough to be "flood proof," but the Mississippi was lapping on the road and steps of the Arch at the riverfront at last report.

The Iowa State Library has a website with other damaged libraries on it. It's hard to look at and realize the loss.

Here in Santa Fe, librarians take workshops in the steps to take in case of fire or wildfire. Our job would entail saving books that were water damaged from natural storms or that which was used to put out a fire. Scary thoughts about how to save our most precious commodity, books and libraries.

What these libraries need now is funding--small and large--to start rebuilding. Everyone is always so generous with donating books, but now is the time for even the smallest check:

Friends of the New Hartford Public Library
P.O. Box 292
New Hartford, IOWA 50660

Cedar Rapids Public Library Foundation
500 First St., SE
Cedar Rapids, IA 52401

National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library
30 Sixteenth Avenue Southwest
Cedar Rapids, IA. 52401-5904

The book gods will thank you.

Written by PCH at Main

Metamorphosis: Bookmaking Poetry Workshop for Teens

With Valerie Martínez

Metamorphosis:
Bookmaking and Poetry About the Changing Self
A Special Workshop for Teens

July 9, 2008, 1:30-4 p.m.
Southside Library, 6599 Jaguar Road

In this workshop, teenagers will explore the idea of self-identity and change through poetry as well as create a handmade book to display their original writings. Participants will write in response to creative exercises as well as books of teen fiction and poetry. They will also learn bookmaking skills as they discuss and share who they are and how they might change themselves and the world around them.

Call 955-2820 to Register. Maximum enrollment is 12 teenagers.

Valerie Martínez, the Santa Fe City Poet Laureate 2008-2010, is a poet, playwright, translator, essayist, editor, and community artist. Her books include Absence Luminescent, World to World, A Flock of Scarlet Doves and Reinventing the Enemy's Language (Norton). Her poems, essays, and translations have appeared in APR, AGNI, Prairie Schooner, Parnassus, Mandorla, Tiferet and many other journals and magazines. She is on the faculty of the College of Santa Fe, a member of the core artist team of Littleglobe, Inc.
Learn more at Valerie's website.

Petaflops

An article in the SF New Mexican listed the five fastest supercomputers in the world.
As of November the top three were:
.BlueGene, 0.4782 petaflops
JUGENE, 0.163 petaflops
EncantoSGI Alix ICE8200, 0.1269 petaflops

And #3 is hosted in New Mexico by New Mexico Computing Applications Center.

There is more than one Roadrunner in New Mexico, or will be soon. The Roadrunner computer, currently housed in Poughkeepsie, NY, will be moved to Los Alamos next month. This hummer has an interconnecting system occupying 6,000 square feet with 57 miles of fiber optics and weighs 500,000 pounds. The computer consists of 6,848 dual-core computer chips and 12,960 cell engines and it has 80 terabytes of memory housed in 288 connected refrigerator-sized racks.

Reporter Sue Vorenberg noted, “Breaking the petaflop barrier is a major milestone in supercomputing world.” Andy White, Roadrunner project manager at Los Alamos said on bringing Roadrunner to Los Alamos, “I think it’s going to change the physics we’re capable of doing.” The New Mexican noted, “And oddly enough the breakthrough was made possible in part because of the video game industry” which spent $400 million to develop this chip now used by the Roadrunner.

I have to imagine that the speed is beyond comprehension, especially because I have no idea how to rate a petaflop versus any other kind of flop.
I am aware of teraflops, but could not personally name any other computer “flops” of that nature.

For more information watch the LANL YouTube video:

Written by PCH at Main

A Special Guest

This morning an unusual guest was waiting at the door for Southside to open. We’re guessing it heard about the Summer Reading Program, Catch the Reading Bug!

With thousands of species of Lepidoptera here in the Southwest, identification was tricky but our Reference Librarian was up to the task! Using the website: Butterflies and Moths of North America, she determined that our visitor is a Big Poplar Sphinx Moth. It’s a very large moth with a wingspan of about 5.5 inches! (The rosy parts are hidden under the top wings when the moth is at rest.)

It’s not too late for kids from birth to 12 to sign up for our Catch the Reading Bug Summer incentive program and win prizes for their reading. A very astute 4 year old said to us recently, “But I thought that reading the books was the prize.” We LOVE hearing that! In case your little ones aren’t quite to that stage yet, bring them by your local branch to register so they’ll want to keep reading all summer long!

Photo and story by LW

A Bigger Boat in the High Desert

It’s no secret that the City different is home to world-class poets. From coffee house to campus, you can attend year-round readings, or pick up any national or local poetry publication and you’ll find a familiar name.

What you may not know is our neighbor to the south also has a vibrant and diverse poetry community. Whether you prefer your poetry on the page or with a pint, Albuquerque offers it all.

A Bigger Boat: the unlikely success of the Albuquerque Poetry Slam Scene, celebrates and chronicles the latter poetry option. A mixture of oral history, how-to, memoir, and some of the best poetry this state has heard, this book is an essential read for any poet or poetry fan.

Even if ABQ rarely reaches your radar, the community nature of performance poetry ensures that you’ll recognize residents not only from Santa Fe, but from New Mexico as a whole.

Plus, it includes a CD of spoken poetry from the members of the 2005 Albuquerque Slam Team, who were not only the hosts of that year’s National Slam Competition, but the Champions as well!

SUMMER BOOK SALE

Saturday, June 21 and Sunday, June 22
Main Library, 145 Washington Ave.

Great selection of books, videos, audiobooks, CDs, and DVDs!
Great prices!

Open to the general public:
Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Sunday 1:00 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Sunday is Bag Day - $3.00 per bag / bags provided

Select books specially priced in the Southwest Room

Prices in Community Room:

• Hardcovers $1.00
• Movie Videos $1.00
• Paperbacks $0.50 or 3 for $1.00
• Children's Books $0.25
• Cassettes $0.25
• CDs $0.50

Now is the time to stock up for lazy summer reading for you and your kids!

Dilys Evans to Speak

The Main Library of the Santa Fe Public Library, 145 Washington Avenue, will host author Dilys Evans on Wednesday, June 18 at 7:00 p.m. in the Community Room.

Evans is the author of Show and Tell, which explores the fine art of children’s book illustration. Evans worked as an artist’s representative for the last 30 years, representing such major illustrators as David Wiesner, Harry Bliss, Hilary Knight and Brian Selznick.

Evans has seen the children’s book industry grow steadily for 20 years, but realized there was a need to support illustrators and bring their work to the forefront. Evans has been an art director of Cricket magazine and contributed articles to The Horn Book, Publisher’s Weekly and School Library Journal. She was awarded the Arthur William Brown Achievement Award by the Society of Illustratiors.

The program is free and open to the public.

2008 Mayor's Recognition Awards for Excellence in the Arts

The City of Santa Fe is Accepting Nominations for the
2008 Mayor’s Awards for Excellence in the Arts

Santa Fe is the City of arts—every possible type and shape of art and of all ages. I know one of Mayor Coss’ favorite official duties is to present the Mayor’s Awards for Excellence in the Arts—for adults, organizations, and youth. Think about those whom you know have done outstanding work for the arts and submit a nomination by June 30.

The Arts Commission’s press release gives more details:
The City of Santa is seeking nominations of individuals or organizations which deserve an award for their outstanding work in the arts through the 2008 Mayor’s Recognition Awards for Excellence in the Arts. This award recognizes individuals and organizations that have made significant, ongoing or legacy contributions to the success of the arts in Santa Fe.
Nominations of youth artists (aged 21 and under) who have demonstrated artistic excellence and achievement with a deep commitment to the arts are also considered for the Melissa Engestrom Youth Artist Award. The public is invited to submit nominations of outstanding young individuals who deserve special recognition even though they are not yet well-established in their careers.

A nomination form can be obtained through http://www.santafeartscommission.org/ or by contacting the Arts Commission office at 955-6707 or artscommission@santafenm.gov
The deadline for submitting nominations is Thursday, June 30, 2008. Current Commission members and recipients of the Governor’s Awards for Excellence in the Arts within the last five years are ineligible. Please note that there is no need to submit multiple nominations for one person or organization. One thorough nomination will ensure consideration by the selection committee.

For more information about the 2008 Mayor’s Recognition Awards for Excellence in the Arts, nomination forms, or to see a list of past recipients, go to: http://www.santafenm.gov/index.asp?nid=816 or contact Julie Bystrom at the Arts Commission via telephone at 955-6707 or via email at artscommission@santafenm.gov.

Happy Bloomsday!

On June 16th each year, readers, scholars and fans of James Joyce's Ulysses celebrate, dramatize and try to understand the meanderings of one Leopold Bloom. For those of us who, ahem, have had this 700+ page tome on their reading list for ages, it's also the day when we crack it open, get to about page 9, take a break with an "easier" book, only to forget about even trying until the next June 16th.

Why is June 16th such a significant day to Joycean scholars and readers? Ulysses, regarded by many as a turning point in modern literature, takes place entirely on June 16th, 1904, in Dublin, Ireland. Based on the Homeric epic The Odyssey, Ulysses is a classic of the stream-of-consciousness style of fiction.

In the absence of street theater and pub crawls to celebrate Joyce's work, why not crack open the celebrated text? Perhaps this year, we'll get past page 9.

City Council Unanimous In Support of WiFi Access

The City of Santa Fe’s City Council unanimously approved WiFi internet access in most City buildings at a Council meeting held June 11. Its implementation was held up for two years by a small group of area residents who cited an “allergy” to the technology and gave anecdotal evidence of adverse effects. The group focused on the three Santa Fe libraries, seeking to make them City refuges from the technology.

Earlier this month, the libraries had released information from a review of the libraries, that the Main library building already had a level of WiFi access; it came from surrounding homes, businesses and hotels. Both branches have also detected wireless sources. What the libraries sought was a stable source of WiFi for patron and staff use. Patricia Hodapp, director of libraries noted, “ Libraries believe in service. The Santa Fe Public Library plans to set up workshops on computer use for students, seniors and job seekers. With a wireless network and laptops, this can be achieved.”

In the last fiscal year, 763,000 people visited the three branches and just under 124,000 used the library’s 46 free internet computers. “By providing WiFi internet access to those who own laptops, we can free up our hard-wired computers for the thousands of people who need them,” Hodapp stated.

Hodapp said she was proud of the Council members for reviewing scientific studies and studying the issue fully. “They had the vision to move forward for the city of Santa Fe. We believe in service in libraries, and this will provide more service to the residents of the City.”

To WiFi or Not to WiFi

“It's not 1692, it's 2008. Santa Fe needs to embrace this technology, it's not going away," Santa Fe City Councilor Ron Trujillo says, noting that the area is already saturated with the wireless signals.

City Council will be voting on WiFi access in City buildings at their Wednesday, June 11 Council Meeting. This is not a public hearing, the Public Works Committee and Council have already held public hearings on the subject to hear from the community. The City and the Santa Fe Public Library and Board have come under attack for suggesting WiFi is a technology to provide service for Santa Fe. However, the Library Board, appointed by the Mayor who represent the community, and the Friends of the Library Board have both endorsed adding WiFi to the technology toolbox the libraries should have available to them.

WiFi opponents often use personal, anecdotal stories which have not been backed up by scientific studies to cite health issues. Library staff and the City’s ITT committee which reviewed wireless issues, pro and con, came to the studied decision that WiFi is not a health issue. Many who vocally oppose wireless cite studies on cell phones and cell towers; this is not the same technology. The FCC, World Health Organization and other international health agencies have not found the scientific backing to state that WiFi is a health issue.

Why do libraries support WiFi? The American Library Association reported that 73.1 percent of US public libraries offer wireless to their patrons. For most people, libraries were the only place free internet was available—that is true in Santa Fe. But our current access is only through hard-wired computers.

It has been published recently in the SF New Mexican that adding Wi-Fi in libraries would not provide additional access to the library’s hard-wired computers. That is just not true. The Santa Fe Public Libraries have 46 hard-wired computers to serve the City and County population of 142,000 people. In addition, the Libraries receive approximately 150 requests a month for WiFi. In old buildings, which are short on space, putting in more computers is a challenge. The libraries are at capacity for hard-wired computers. Plus there is no budget for the wiring and additional computers. The logical solution is to add WiFi so that those owning laptops will not take up time on the hard-wired computers. Over 123,000 patrons sign-up for computers annually. The libraries turn away patrons—students, families and business people-- every day as all computers are in use.

It is a moot point whether to add wireless or not, as the Santa Fe Public libraries already have wireless access which comes in from surrounding offices, homes, businesses and coffee shops. WiFi is in the Santa Fe Public Schools, businesses, offices, City Hall, coffee shops and most of the emergency vehicles in the City, including fire trucks and EMT services. The request by those opposing WiFi to make the libraries a “refuge” is not possible; WiFi is already here.

What the libraries are seeking is a stable source for WiFi to help students, job seekers and businesses. With a stable source of WiFi, library staff can offer workshops for seniors, students and those seeking to create resumes. It is a fact, the libraries do not have enough computers. Libraries can’t afford to turn away those seeking a way to get help in this difficult economy.

To add WiFi is not trendy nor short-sighted; it is a creative solution to provide service to the Santa Fe community.

How Do You Say "Red or Green" in Korean?

빨강 또는 녹색 !*

Recently, I met three students from South Korea near the Main Library who were on a trip of a lifetime—from Vancouver to Santa Fe to Chicago, New York and Montreal, before returning to their engineer studies in Seoul. They kept telling me, “We are taking Route 66!” That old TV show from the 60’s really has captured youth around the world, and as my son would have said, “Road trip!”

Stepping into my help-the-tourist mode, I answered their barrage of questions about Santa Fe. They were looking for authentic New Mexican food, so I recommended The Shed. I quizzed them about what they might like to eat and found out they had not a clue about enchiladas or tamales or burritos, let alone chips and salsa. I explained the food and made sure they knew, if asked the official New Mexico question, "Red or Green?", to answer, "Christmas!" To that they gave me a thumbs-up and laughed. They would be so “in” at the restaurant!

I was curious when they asked me where they could find gumbo and they explained to me that their Korean guide to Santa Fe listed it as a good food to try here. So much for guidebooks. As I left work that night, there was a parking place right across the street from The Shed. So I slipped in and there were the three students sampling chips and salsa and excitedly talking about their taste. I found their waiter and arranged to purchase their appetizers for them and left my business card.

The next day I received a call that there were three Asian students here in the Library to see me. What fun! They were astonished that I had purchased their appetizers and I told them I just wanted them to have a great time on their trip. They did a thumbs-up and said “Christmas was great!” They took the accompanying photo for their scrapbook of America.

As they left, I gave them some advice. Drive carefully and do not talk to strangers. At that, Edwin burst out laughing and said, “But you were a stranger!” My humor did translate. They wished me “great days” as they left. And truly meeting Edwin, Jaehoon and Jeongho gave me a great day.

Pictured from left:
Edwin, Jaehoon, PCH and Jeongho

*Pronounced: Bb(Pp)ahl-gahn tto-nŭn Choh-rohk

Written by PCH at Main.

D-Day

Today is D-Day, known to generations as the day the Allies invaded France in WWII. Two of the landing points on the beaches of Normandy were given the most American of names, Utah and Omaha, forever linking them in the minds of the world to this momentous day.

I asked my brother who served in WWII where he was on D-Day. He replied, “We heard the news while we were in the Coliseum after having just liberated Rome.”
The cheers from the troops echoed where gladiators and been cheered before. “It was quite a journey for a teenage farm boy from Michigan,” he quietly shared.

There are not many veterans left from WWII, but New Mexico played a key role in both the European and Pacific fronts. Join me in thanking a veteran today. Ask him where he was on D-Day.

by PCH

It's heating up!

School is out and the weather is heating up! If you’re looking for a place to escape the heat and spend some quality time with the kids, look no further than your neighborhood library.

This little lady at Southside enjoyed the Disney Story Book; we like to think we have something for everyone. And while you’re here, don’t forget to pick up a copy of our Summer Reading event schedule.

We’re right on the bus line and all events and activities at the Library are free!


Written by LW, photo by LW

Hear the River

The Southside Library’s selected the theme of “Word Flow,” with the underlying concept that people meet where there are words or water.

This past week the Santa Fe River was running again. Not a river like the Rio Grande or even the Kalamazoo River in Michigan, but a full steady stream could be heard and seen. This reminded me of the Word Flow concept. On Saturday a fishing day was held for kids and all along the banks of the Santa Fe River downtown were families, chatting, fishing and just enjoying the water. The Mayor and a City Councilor came to take part, but for most people it was the draw of the water, and talking to neighbors old and new that brought them to the river.

What fun to hear the kids’ excitement and see them playing and working with their grandparents or parents to bait and catch fish. Some fish were tagged for prizes, but that was not the main draw. That was the water and the joys of fishing. The pride of the kids with their catches is evident.

Congratulations to the Water Department, the Santa Fe Watershed Association and the local businesses for a great event. Only one thing was missing. Where was the fish fry?

Written by PCH at Main. Photos by PCH.