Grand Unveiling

The fabulous Bill Mauldin stamp was finally unveiled today at the New Mexico History Museum. We were able to purchase sheets and sheets of the stamps, as well as delve into the fascinating world of philately. While we were not able to stay for the presentation, we are happy to share the following photos with you:




For more background, read CNN's fantastic article.

by AA & AM @Main

City Weekend Closure Information

Administrative Offices and Municipal Court
City of Santa Fe administrative offices and Municipal Court will close at noon on Friday.


Recreation Centers
Genoveva Chavez Community Center will close at 4:00 p.m. on Friday and will be closed on Sunday April 4.

Salvador Perez Pool and the Ft. Marcy Complex will close at 2:00 p.m. on Friday and will be closed on Sunday April 4.


Libraries
All branches of the Santa Fe Public Library will have the following hours this weekend:

Friday, April 2, 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Saturday, April 3, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Sunday, April 4, Closed

Transit
Santa Fe Trails buses and Santa Fe Ride will run on their regular schedules this weekend.

Mango in the News

Since our launch of the Mango Languages database earlier this month, we've had a fantastic response from patrons. Even better, the Santa Fe New Mexican profiled Mango Languages and an enthusiastic patron who is learning Japanese.

So far we've had over 400 users learning a new language, whether it's an English speaker studying one of 22 foreign languages, or a patron learning English as a Second Language from 14 different interfaces. You can learn this language using a public PC at the library, using the library's wireless access, or in the comfort of your own home or coffee shop. Best of all, if you create an account with Mango, you can track your progress through your polyglot studies.

If you're traveling to a foreign country this year, want to better converse with the international tourists that Santa Fe gets over the summer, or if you simply want to broaden your horizons, check out Mango Languages. You'll be exhibiting that Je ne sais quoi in no time.

Spring Sale at Main

April 17-18
Main Library
145 Washington Ave.

Friends Only Hours:
Saturday: 10 am - 1 pm
Memberships will be available at the door.

Open to the Public:
Saturday: 1 pm - 4 pm
Sunday: 1 pm - 4 pm

Sale will feature Gift books individually priced & discount books.

All sales sponsored by the Friends of the Santa Fe Public Library.
Funds raised by the Friends are dedicated to purchasing new books for the Library.

Library Holiday Hours

All branches of the Santa Fe Public Library will have the following hours this weekend:

Friday, April 2: 10 am - 1 pm

Saturday, April 3: 10 am - 6 pm

Sunday, April 4: Closed

Earth Hour 2010

Last year we blogged about Earth Hour, where you turn off your lights and as much electricity as you can for a full hour in the evening. Tomorrow at 8:30 pm local time, try the challenge again!

For more information, check out the Earth Hour website and watch the following video:

A Wild Life:

Writing the Biography of Warren Oates

A Book Discussion By Susan Compo

Thursday, April 8, 2010
7:00 p.m.
Main Library Community Room
145 Washington Ave.

In Warren Oates: A Wild Life, Susan Compo presents the biography of a man who, though never reaching lead actor status, became one of the most memorable supporting actors of the 1970s and notorious for his rebellious lifestyle. Ms. Compo will discuss her book and her experience of writing the biography of the actor seen in such films as The Wild Bunch (1974) and Two-Lane Blacktop (1971).

Susan Compo is a lecturer in the professional writing program at the University of Southern California and the author of three previous works of fiction.

This program is free and open to the public.

Spring Computer Workshops

Spring Session Beginning April 13, 2010

Southside Library
Jeff & Michelle Branch Community Room
6599 Jaguar Dr.

Free for Adults!

Registration is recommended and will start on March 30 for the April workshops.
Call 955-2820 or register in person at the Southside Reference Desk.

Tuesday Mornings
10:15 - 11:45 a.m.

April 13 :
Basic Internet Searching -
An introduction to web site navigation, using a browser, web addresses, and links, and searching the internet.

April 27 :
Basic Internet E-mail -
Set up a free e-mail account on the internet, send and receive messages, attach documents, and set up contact lists.

May 11 :
Basic Internet Searching -
An introduction to web site navigation, using a browser, web addresses, and links, and searching the internet.

May 18 :
Basic Internet E-mail -
Set up a free e-mail account on the internet, send and receive messages, attach documents, and set up contact lists.

Sponsored by the Friends of the Santa Fe Public Library.

Grzimek's Animal Life

We have a new online resource, Grzimek’s Animal Life database. Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia has been the go-to source for laypeople for over 30 years, and now you can access this online! The online database also has features that just can't be included in a print encyclopedia, such as videos of lions and audio clips of bird calls.

Grzimek's, pronounced chimeks, has information that is useful to all ages of animal lover, whether you're in elementary school doing a report on a duck-billed platypus, or a researcher who needs definitive information about the owls of Russia. Because of this wide range, we have links to this database on our Online Resources page, and a fun widget on our Children's page.

You can access Grzimek's outside the library with your library card, but not through Research Pro. As always, if you have any questions, be sure to call or visit your local reference librarians!

Mobile Health Van at Southside

The Santa Fe County Mobile Health Van will be parked at the Southside Branch Library on Thursday, March 25th from 10 am – 3 pm. They will provide Free total Cholesterol Screenings (No Fasting Requited) and Free Blood Pressure Screenings for individuals 18 years old and older.

The Southside Library is located at 6599 Jaguar Dr.

Peeples

In these difficult economic times, reports of librarians being replaced with cute confectionary have been greatly exaggerated. However, we do like to have Nancy Peep come in to help us out in the Fun Department. For more Peep Dioramas, check out the Denver Post's 2009 winners.

Nancy Peep in her well-ordered and quiet library.


Detail: Nancy Peep next to a book cart.
Among the titles are A Scanner Darkly and Shantaram!

by PCH and AM @Main

The Census is Coming!

Has a decade passed already? Some of us have received mailings from the Census Bureau telling us that we'll be receiving forms for the 2010 Census shortly. While it seems like a decennial census might be old-fashioned in this high-tech age, as information providers we can tell you that the census data is indispensible to answering your questions. Also, having accurate data can help underserved (aka poor) communities receive vital funding for health, education, housing, and other services. If the plea of a librarian isn't enough, read Senator Tom Udall's census message.

So please, make sure you participate in this year's census, and send your form in. However, be aware of the following from the Better Business Bureau:

"Be cooperative but cautious about giving information to anyone who might contact you at your door, by telephone, or by email, claiming to be a Census worker.

With the U.S. Census process beginning, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) advises people to be cooperative, but cautious, so as not to become a victim of fraud or identity theft. The first phase of the 2010 U.S. Census is under way as workers have begun verifying the addresses of households across the country. Eventually, more than 140,000 U.S. Census workers will count every person in the United States and will gather information about every person living at each address including name, age, gender, race, and other relevant data.

The big question is - how do you tell the difference between a U.S. Census worker and a con artist? BBB offers the following advice: If a U.S. Census worker knocks on your door, they will have a badge, a handheld device, a Census Bureau canvas bag, and a confidentiality notice. Ask to see their identification and their badge before answering their questions. However, you should never invite anyone you don't know into your home.

Census workers are currently only knocking on doors to verify address information. Do not give your Social Security number, credit card, or banking information to anyone, even if they claim they need it for the U.S. Census. Remember, no matter what they ask, you really only need to tell them how many people live at your address.

While the Census Bureau might ask for basic financial information, such as a salary range, you don't have to answer anything at all about your financial situation. The Census Bureau will not ask for Social Security, bank account, or credit card numbers, nor will employees solicit donations. Any one asking for that information is NOT with the Census Bureau.

Also, the Census Bureau has decided not to work with ACORN on gathering Census information. No ACORN worker should approach you saying he/she is with the Census Bureau.

Eventually, Census workers may contact you by telephone, mail, or in person at home. However, the Census Bureau will not contact you by email, so be on the lookout for email scams impersonating the Census. Never click on a link or open any attachments in an email that are supposedly from the U.S. Census Bureau."

The Remarkable Celtic Designs

For centuries, the illuminated manuscripts of the Irish Catholic Church, such as the Book of Kells, have delighted and perplexed scholars, clergy, and laypeople alike. A Cornell University paleontologist, John Cisne, has examined these manuscripts to identify what makes the designs so fascinating. Besides the colors and compelling motifs, the illustrations were created in such a way as to look 3-D or "works not of men, but of angels."

The deconstruction of the monks' techniques is fascinating. It's also humbling, considerating the primitive technology they had to work with. In an age without computers or microscopes, these illuminated manuscripts were often copied from templates, with mere millimeters separating some of the linework. So the next time you use a printer or copy machine, or design something fabulous with Photoshop or GIMP, think of all those monks, those hundreds of years ago, creating works of immortal beauty in the damp, the dark, the cold.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

E-Waste Recycling Drop Off Day

One Day Only
Saturday, March 20
9:00 am - 1:00 pm
1142 Siler Road
955-2215

Sponsors:
Keep Santa Fe Beautiful, the City of Santa Fe, and Albuquerque Recycling Inc.

You can bring:

• TVs ($5 charge per TV: cash only)
• Computers
• Laptop computers
• LCD screens
• Printers
• Stereos
• Phones
• Cell phones
  
• Computer battery back-ups
• Computer peripherals: mice, keyboards, and computer game assemblies

Not accepted:

• Microwave ovens
• Bread machines
• Appliances

Santa Fe Poet Laureate Farewell Reading

March 17, 2010
12:00 - 1:00 pm

Arts Commission Community Gallery
201 W. Marcy St. at Sheridan
In the Santa Fe Community Convention Center


On March 17, 2010 during the lunch hour, Santa Fe Poet Laureate Valerie Martínez will read poems about Santa Fe—a reading dedicated to city residents. Downtown residents, City of Santa Fe employees, downtown merchants and staff, and all others are invited to an hour of poetry about the capital city.

This event, Martínez’s last as Poet Laureate, also celebrates the release of her book, This is How it Began, printed and bound in a limited, letterpress edition by the Press at the Palace of the Governors. Copies of the book will be available for viewing and purchase at the reading.

Over the past two years, Martínez has appeared at over 45 public events—giving readings, workshops, short courses; writing with children, youth, families and elders; performing with musicians, dancers, actors, poets and others. In the introduction to This is How it Began, Valerie states: “This book is my gift to the many residents who have educated me, enlightened me, and deepened my love for Santa Fe.”

Martínez’s community outreach project, Lines & Circles: A Celebration of Santa Fe Families, involved working with three and four generations of eleven Santa Fe families whose mixed-media works of art and poems appear at the Arts Commission Community Gallery through Friday, March 19, 2010. Those attending the reading will have a chance to tour the exhibition. A collection of Martínez’s Santa Fe poems will be published by Sunstone Press later this year.

Daylight Savings Reminder

Daylight Savings will begin this Sunday, March 14 at 2:00 am.

It's the old adage Spring Forward, so at 2:00 am, make sure to wake up and set your clock for 3:00 am. Then try to go back to sleep.

Also, traffic accidents increase after the time switch, so make sure you drive carefully!

One-Click Audio Questions -- Answered!

Now that we've had One-Click Audio downloadable books for about a month, we've encountered some questions from you, the patrons. So here are some answers!

• 10 books can be downloaded at a time
• Downloadables check out for 21 days
• Books can be renewed once
• The books cannot be "turned" in early
• You can still also check out 4 books-on-CD at the same time
• One-Click Audiobooks will not show up on your library record
• To see your One-Click checkouts, you need to go to the NetLibrary site
• If you are creating a new NetLibrary account from home, you need to first click on one of the NetLibrary links from the Catalog and login to your library account before being sent to the NetLibrary page
• The Library has over 2100 titles available for downloading
• Each month the Library gets 30 new titles

We've also discovered that Mac users need to do an extra step or two to make the downloads work. NetLibrary has an excellent help page that can guide you through the process.

While library staff are able to assist with guiding you through the sign-up or download process, we're not able to troubleshoot technical difficulties with your computer. Please check the NetLibrary Help pages if you encounter error messages and problems.

We hope that you're enjoying the ease and convenience of the One-Click Audio downloadable books! As always, stop in to your local reference desk or call us if you have any questions.

“Meet Our Local Artists”

A Series of Conversations and Demonstrations

March 15 – April 9
10:00 am
The Hotel Plaza Real
125 Washington Avenue,
½ block off the Plaza

City of Santa Fe Creative Tourism and Heritage Hotels Announce “Meet Our Local Artists”. The Hotel Plaza Real will host artists participating in the Creative Tourism Initiative for a series of demonstrations and conversations offered free to the public. Starting at 10:00 a.m., Monday through Friday, March 15 – April 9, artists will provide a demonstration or presentation about their art form, followed by informal conversation.

Artists will be present from 10 am to 1 pm. The actual demo may last 1 hour or the whole time.

All demonstrations are free and open to the public.

Week 1
March 15 - Flute Building - Kokopelli Music and Flutes
March 16 - Etched Glass - Dobbins Studios
March 17 - Fiber Arts - Marguerite Wilson
March 18 - Pastel Mixed Media - Jane Shoenfeld, Art Adventures in the Southwest
March 19 - Black Etched Tin - Sharon Candelario

Week 2
March 22 - Photography - Dave Robinson
March 23 - Encaustic Painting - Teena Robinson
March 24 - Watercolors - Sandy Culler
March 25 - Sculpture - John Sherrill Houser
March 26 - Camera Obscura - Jackie Mathey

Week 3
March 29 - Mixed Media - Becki Banet
March 30 - Porcelain - Heidi Loewen
March 31 - Collage - Elizabeth Mesh
April 1 - Monotype - Jennie Cooley
April 2 - Glass - Julie DeFeo

Week 4
April 5 - Acrylic Painting - Sandra Duran Wilson
April 6 - Glass - Betsy Ehrenberg
April 7 - Mixed Media - Carol Coates
April 8 - Fiber Arts - Liane Brown
April 9 - Flute Building - Kokopelli Music and Flutes

The City of Santa Fe is continuing to work with artists and arts businesses to further develop the organization and promotion of workshops that allow visitors to experience Santa Fe in a hands-on fashion. Partnerships and collaborations with the hospitality industry and other entities are welcomed. This initiative was created as a result of the City of Santa Fe’s 2005 appointment to the UNESCO Creative Cities Network and builds upon the successful 2008 International Conference on Creative Tourism held in Santa Fe.

Be the Creative

I've been aware that Santa Fe is one of UNESCO's Creative Cities, but a recent trip to Santa Fe Literary News highlighted the different activities and organizations that are available in this program. The Santa Fe Creative Tourism site lists dozens of workshops, classes, and meetings for a large range of experiences, such as photography, pottery, agritourism, and of course, literary arts.

Not all the programs are free or low-cost, so keep that in mind as you browse the offerings. Also, the website isn't always up-to-date, so you might want to check with the hosting organization to confirm. However, there is a blog that has new postings regularly. If you're a hosting organization, be sure to get listed.

For locals and tourists alike, this is a fantastic resource for ongoing programs to explore a new aspect of your creative side. In fact, I'm browsing the Theater/Dance/Music page right now, and they list some great dance classes. Let's just hope I don't scare our tourists away when I practice my mambo at the reference desk.

Let’s quaff a few root beers and tell war stories

One of New Mexico’s favorite sons is being honored this month by the U.S. postal service. Bill Mauldin, a cartoonist who inspired leagues of enlisted men during World War Two, will have a stamp bearing his likeness alongside his two most popular characters, Willie and Joe.

Mauldin was born in Mountain Park, New Mexico, and won the Pulitzer Prize twice for his brilliant cartooning. He wrote several books, which you can find on our shelves if you want to read more. Some are autobiographies, some are his actual cartoons. We also have Todd DePastino’s 2008 biography.

I didn’t know who Bill Mauldin was when his daughter became my best friend, but when I mentioned offhand to my father that my friend’s dad was a cartoonist and had he heard of Bill Mauldin, he nearly went through the roof. He couldn’t believe I was hanging out with the offspring of the man who had so inspired a generation! So I for one am going to buy a ton of those stamps as soon as they come out, and the first thing I plan to do is use one to write a thank you to my dad for his service in World War Two.

by AA @Main

Fantastic Fiction

One of the most frequently asked question I hear at the Reference Desk is: “what comes next in this series?” Often you can open to the front and see a listing of the books, and very often you will be able to search by the series title in our catalog, but another option is a great site about books and authors called Fantastic Fiction.

This site, which comes out of England, is a great way to see what series a particular author has written—and in what order you should read the books—get some information about the author (including a picture), as well as some suggestions on who else you might like if you enjoyed this author’s books. It also has lists of upcoming books, most popular books and specific genres. I find it very user-friendly.

by KS @ LF

Spring Sale at Southside

March 20-21
Southside Library
6599 Jaguar Dr.

Friends Only Hours:
Saturday: 10 am - 1 pm
Memberships will be available at the door.

Open to the Public:
Saturday: 1 pm - 4 pm
Sunday: 1 pm - 4 pm

Sunday is Bag Day!
$3.00 per bag. Bags are provided.

Sale will feature Gift books individually priced & discount books.

All sales sponsored by the Friends of the Santa Fe Public Library.
Funds raised by the Friends are dedicated to purchasing new books for the Library.

CANCELLED: Small Towns Can Be Deadly

The program Small Towns Can Be Deadly: How to Write a Cozy Mystery by Beth Solheim has been cancelled.

It was originally scheduled for Tuesday, March 9 at 7:00 pm in the Main Library Community Room.

We apologize for any inconvenience.

Let the world know that you love us!

If you love the Santa Fe Public Library—and we know you do—and you have a way with words, please think about entering the American Library Association / Woman's Day Essay Contest.

You need to (1) Be a woman and (2) write 700 words or less about how the Santa Fe Public Library is special to our community. It should be easy for you, since we know it's what you talk about at brunch and cocktail parties anyway!

The deadline for the contest is May 9th, and details can be found here.

Happy Writing!

Now, for some good news

We’re launching a new database, Mango Languages. It's an easy-to-use, self-paced online language-learning system. Patrons can access this both inside and outside the library, and can sign up for a free account if they want to track their progress. Links to this database are on the Online Resources page.

The following languages are provided: Arabic (Levantine), Chinese (Mandarin), Dari, Farsi (Persian), French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Pashto, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Spanish (Latin America), Tagalog, Thai, Turkish, Urdu, and Vietnamese.

There are also English as a Second Language (ESL) courses for the following languages: French, Russian, Mandarin, Cantonese, Italian, Egyptian Arabic, Japanese, Vietnamese, Polish, Korean, Greek, German, Latin American Spanish, and Brazilian Portuguese.

¡Buena Suerte!
удачи!
Bon Chance!
福
Buona Fortuna!
好运
Viel Glück!
موفق باشيد
İyi şanslar!
सौभाग्य
Adh Mór Ort!
행운을빌어

Photo: Cheery Masked Staff Promote Mango Languages!

March Library Exhibits

Main Library
Familiar, Yet Elusive
Acrylic Paintings on Canvas
by Emily Van Cleve

La Farge Library
Santa Fe Parliamentary Unit:
Parliamentary Law Display

Southside Library
Santa Fe Waldorf Geometric Mystery
Framed drawings with academic explanations
by Santa Fe Waldorf Students

For more information, check our Art page.

For upcoming events, check our Calendar and Children's pages.