This may come as a shock...

Proper pronunciation can be a tricky thing, especially with different regional or national dialects and accents, and the mere fact that English can be such a hodge-podge of other languages. While you and I can argue about "tomato" until it's chopped for the salad, what about people's names? Surely, individuals should have the last word on how their name is pronounced.

Last year we did some investigative reporting to ascertain how to say "Junot", and we came across some other resources for properly enunciating authors' names. A new page of pronunciation has been making the rounds in Cyberland, and there are some surprises on here. It's been reblogged and retweeted many times, but it originally came from The San Francisco Panorama, a one-shot paper publication of McSweeney's. At a glance, I'm quite happy that my several-decades attempt to turn my tongue from PIN-shuhn to pin-SHAWN was never successful.

Take a peek, grade yourself, and prepare yourself for perfect pronunciation at your next literary party:


Need more? Check out this link for larger type.

Woven Olla Poem

Laguna Pueblo potter Max Early has written the following poem about Woven Olla, the public art piece by Randy Walker at the Southside Library. We are happy to share it with you. This is reprinted with his permission.

Woven Olla

Randy Walker Day in Santa Fe
Artist at the Southside Library
Came by to see you guys
Guess you were gone

Papa Max and Lulee
O where did they go?
Mayor David is looking for you.


Rainwater Olla
Sustain woven olla,
Randy Blue and Orange fibers
     Sustain cousin Jeremy Walker
     Such a talker
     A walking encyclopedia
Rainwater Olla


Randy Walker Day in Santa Fe
O-e-she Tokyo Grill Sushi Bar
Came by to see you guys
Guess you were gone

Papa Max and Lulee
Went away to Santa Fe
To see woven olla strung up above


Rainwater Olla
Sustain woven olla
Randy Red and yellow fibers
     Sustain cousin Walker
     Such a talker
     A walking dictionary
Rainwater Olla

Shakespeare: Page to Stage

A Discussion with
John F. Andrews and Jerry Ferraccio

Thursday, February 10
7:00 p.m.
Main Library Community Room
145 Washington Ave.

How do actors and directors “read” Shakespeare’s scripts and translate them into vibrant performances? What do they need to know about the cultural contexts in which these works were first produced? What kind of attention should they give to the rhythmic patterns found in verse and prose?

These are some of the questions we invite you to explore with John Andrews, founder and president of the Shakespeare Guild and a scholar who has produced two editions of the playwright’s plays, and Jerry Ferraccio, a theater professional who has delighted audiences in such venues as Shakespeare & Company and the Alabama Shakespeare Festival.

This event is free and open to the public.

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Tax Help

That's right, it's time to do your taxes! What can be overwhelming and depressing, not to mention annoying, doesn't have to be. We have lots of tax information on our website for the do-it-yourself crowd, and New Mexico State paper forms at all library branches. Stay tuned for more information about tax forms around town.

Also, the following program is being offered for those of us who cringe at the thought of forms:



Tax-Aide Santa Fe
January 28 to April 18
Open to ages 10 to 100!

Santa Fe Community College
Fitness Center
Mon-Fri: 8:30 am - 5 pm
Sat: 9-1 pm

Pasatiempo Senior Center
664 Alta Vista Street, Santa Fe
Mon - Fri: 9 am - 1 pm

To get all you can, you must bring the following information:

• Photo ID
• Social Security Cards for Parents and Children
• W-2 year end wage forms from each job for each person
• If you work for yourself, all the income and expenses from your work
• Interest, dividends, stock or CD sales. You should bring the 1099 forms from the bank.
• Social Security. You must bring the year end statement from Social Security.
• Unemployment. You must bring the W2-G form from the Labor Department.
• Gambling: Bring the 1099 tickets and Win/Loss report from the casinos.
• Pensions: Bring the 1099-R form you received from the pension payer.
• Bring the list of expenses you paid for Child Care, College or Vocational Training
• Medical Expenses and Charity Donations: Bring a list of everything. Keep the Receipts or canceled checks at home for 3 years.
• Mortgage Interest and Property Taxes
• Direct Deposit: Bring a blank check to get direct deposit of your refund in 8-10 days with no fees.

NEW THIS YEAR:
Self-employed small business owners are welcome. We can not do small business returns if you have any employees or depreciation.
Claim Earned Income Credits up to $5,666 for up to 3 kids still in school.
Receive up to $8,000 if you purchased your first house.
Claim $1,500 credits for energy improvements to your home.
Claim College Credits up to $2500 per student.

Anyone with income less than $22,000 will get NM state refunds.

You may not be eligible if your tax return is too complicated.

For more information, contact:
Peter Doniger, District Coordinator, AARP Tax-Aide in Santa Fe.
Cell 670-6835 or SFCC 428-1780 or email taxhelpsantafe@gmail.com


Ayuda de Impuestos

¡Deseamos preparer sus impuestos GRATIS!
Prepararemos aplicaciones para ITIN

Del 28 de enero hasta el 15 de abril

Universidad de Comunidad de Santa Fe
Centro de Fitness
9-5:30 lunes - viernes
9am-2pm sábado

Pasatiempo Senior Center
664 Alta Vista Street, Santa Fe
Monday - Friday 9-1
ITIN sólo en SFCC

Conseguir todo lo que usted puede, usted debe traer la información siguiente:

• Foto ID.
• Las tarjetas de la Seguridad Social o ITIN de los Padres y de los Niños.
• W-2 formas. Un documento que muestra el salario del extremo del año, de cada trabajo para cada persona.
• Si usted trabaja para si mismo traiga toda la ingresos y costos de su trabajo.
• No se olvidan: Kilometraje para sus costos del vehículo
• Gastos para el uso parcial de su hogar como oficina o taller
• Herramientas, uniformes, anunciando, un teléfono de la célula, etc
• Interés o dividendos recibidos. Usted debe traer las 1099 formas del banco.
• Seguridad Social. Usted debe traer la declaración del final del año de la Seguridad Social.
• Desempleo. Usted debe traer la forma de W2-G del departamento de trabajo.
• Juego. Traiga los 1099 boletos que usted consiguió cuando ganó y una lista de todas las otras apuestas que ha pagado. Si usted puede conseguir el listado del casino de su tarjeta de los jugadores, ésa es la mejor.
• Pensiones. Traiga la forma 1099-R que usted recibió del pagador de la pension.
• Lleve la lista de gastos que pagó por Cuidado De Niño
• Universidad o formación professional.
• Costos Médicos.
• Interés de la hipoteca y contribuciones territoriales.
• Donaciones De la Caridad.

NUEVO ESTE AÑO
Los dueños independientes de la pequeña empresa son agradables
Reclamo por Ingresos créditos de hasta $ 5,666 para los niños a la escuela.
Recibir hasta $ 8.000 si usted compró su primera casa.
Créditos de reclamación de $ 1.500 para mejoras de la energía a su casa.
Créditos de reclamación Colegio créditos de hasta $ 2500 por alumno.

Peter Doniger, Director, Ayuda de Impuesto AARP Tax-Aide en Santa Fe. Lo sentimos, sólo habla Inglés en el teléfono cellular.
Célula 670-6835 o SFCC 428-1780 o email taxhelpsantafe@gmail.com

Arts Funding Available

The City of Santa Fe Arts Commission is currently accepting applications for funding through both the 1% Lodgers’ Tax: Special & New Projects Program and the Community Arts Development Program. Nonprofit arts organizations presenting arts programming within Santa Fe county are eligible to apply.

Interested organizations are encouraged to send a representative to a pre-application workshop that will be offered on Wednesday, February 2, 2011 at 2:00 PM for the Community Arts Development Program, and 3:30 PM for the 1% Lodgers’ Tax: Special & New Projects Program. Both workshops will be held in the Nambe Room of the Santa Fe Community Convention Center, 201 West Marcy at Sheridan.

Further information, applications, forms and details regarding the workshops are available on the Arts Commission’s website under the "Funding" section, by calling 505-955-6702, or via email to degarcia@santafenm.gov. The deadline for applications is Thursday, March 3, 2011.

The 1% Lodgers’ Tax supports arts events that play a role in promoting tourism and demonstrate high artistic quality. Organizations may apply in one of two program areas. The Special & New Projects Program is available to organizations that are new to the 1% Lodgers’ Tax funding or for special, one-time events. The Community Arts Development Program funds community-based organizations and projects of high artistic quality that provide arts services to the local community, with an emphasis on projects that bring the community together to celebrate the diversity of artistic heritage. Education through the arts projects in schools and other settings are eligible to apply.

Please call 505-955-6707, email degarcia@santafenm.gov or check out the Arts Commission’s website for more information.

Mars Inside and Out at Main

Science After School


A program developed by the Lunar and Planetary Institute, a partner of NASA. Join us for FUN hands-on science activities! Explore Mars as a real scientist would, by making observations and drawing your own conclusions. This program is offered to boys and girls ages 8 - 13.

Tuesdays
February 15 - April 12
Spring Break: No Class March 8
4:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Main Library
145 Washington Ave.
Register: 955-6783

Each class builds on the one before it, so please plan to attend the whole series of 8 sessions. Students who attend at least 5 of the 8 sessions will receive free take-home science materials at the final session.

Registration begins February 1.
Class space is limited so please register in advance.


This free program is sponsored by the LANL Foundation and the Friends of the Santa Fe Public Library.

Celebrating the State

In honor of New Mexico's Centennial, several organizations have gotten your input about which books and authors best represent our state. The New Mexico Book Co-op, the group behind the annual New Mexico Book Awards, has compiled a list of the 100 Best New Mexico Books. The New Mexico State Library and NM Department of Cultural Affairs have selected and honored the official New Mexico Centennial Poet, Author, Children’s Author and Storyteller, in addition to a special Distinguished Writer.

If you're a native New Mexican, a proud transplant, or curious visitor, be sure to check out these books and authors to indulge in our rich and varied literary heritage.

The Centennial Authors are:

• Poet: Levi Romero
• Author: Don Bullis
• Children’s Author: Vaunda Micheaux Nelson
• Storyteller: Joe Hayes
• Distinguished Writer: N. Scott Momaday

The Top Ten Best New Mexico Books are:

Bless Me, Ultima — Rudolfo Anaya
A Thief of Time — Tony Hillerman
Ben Hur — Lew Wallace
Death Comes for the Archbishop — Willa Cather
First Blood — David Morrell
House Made of Dawn — N. Scott Momaday
Lamy of Santa Fe — Paul Horgan
Milagro Beanfield War — John Nichols
Red Sky at Morning — Richard Bradford
The Rounders — Max Evans

How many of the Top Ten have you read? How many of the Top 100?

Friends Annual Meeting

Sunday, January 30
2:00 pm
Main Library
145 Washington Ave.

The Friends of the Santa Fe Public Library invite you to their annual meeting. The guest speaker will be James McGrath Morris, author of Pulitzer: a life in politics, print, and power, and creator of the Santa Fe Literary News blog. Mr. Morris will present at 2:30 pm.

After the presentation, a brief annual meeting will be held. The winner of the Friends’ Heart of the Library Award will be named. Officers for the new year will be installed at this meeting. Members of the Friends will be able to see a Treasurer's report and budget. Best of all, refreshments will be served!

Coming Attractions

Mark your calendars in pencil!

We have the tentative dates for this year's Friends of the Library Booksales.

Please check back early and often for more details or changes:

Valentine Sale:
La Farge: February 12 & 13

Southside: March 12 & 13

Spring Sale:
Main: April 2 & 3

Southside: May 21 & 22

Summer Overstock Sale:
Main: June 25 & 26

Fall Sale:
Main: September 17 & 18

Southside: October 15 & 16

Pre-Thanksgiving Sale:
La Farge: November 19 & 20

Holiday Sale:
Main: December 3

Chilton Online Auto Repair is here!

Thanks to the New Mexico State Library, we now have access to the Chilton Online Auto Repair Manuals database. If you've ever used those big auto repair manuals in the Reference section, you'll be happy to know that Chilton's is available from home, easy to use, and the information is printable. Head to the our Online Resources page on the catalog to access Chilton's in and outside of the library.

So before you get out your toolbox to fix your car, use some library tools to guide you!

Better than Television

While many of you are out skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, and just going on with your daily lives, some of us are more of the hibernating variety. So while we load up on recipes to make, books to read, movies to watch, and firewood to warm our hands with, winter is also a good time to explore other hobbies and interests that we don't have time for in the warmer months.

Perhaps it's the crystal clear night skies, or the unwholesome angle of the sun, but wintertime inspires my amateur astronomer side. However, with the often frigid temperatures dissuading me from long evenings outside with a telescope, I've learned to rely on the experts for my star-and-sun fixes. Thankfully, NASA has an amazing Astronomy Picture of the Day archive. With offerings ranging from a video of solar flares to a still of Stardust in Aries (what a great title for something!), the images are fantastic educational entertainment. Each image is accompanied by an explanation by an astronomer that even a lapsed skygazer like myself can understand.

But that's enough talk from me. Warm your hands in front of the following photo of Spicules: Jets on the Sun:

Children and Teen Book Awards

This past weekend, many of our library colleagues converged on sunny San Diego for the American Library Association Midwinter Meeting. A highlight of this annual event is the announcement of award winners in Children's and Young Adult books, including the renowned Newbery and Caldecott medals.

Here is a list of some of the award recipients:

Newbery Medal: Moon over Manifest, by Clare Vanderpool.

Caldecott Medal: A Sick Day for Amos McGee, by Erin E. Stead.

Printz Award: Ship Breaker, by Paolo Bacigalupi.

Coretta Scott King Author Award: One Crazy Summer, by Rita Williams-Garcia.

Pura Belpré Author Award: The Dreamer, by Pam Muñoz Ryan.

Morris Award: The Freak Observer, by Blythe Woolston.

Stonewall Award: Almost Perfect, by Brian Katcher.

YALSA Award for Excellence: Janis Joplin : rise up singing, by Ann Angel.

Laura Ingalls Wilder Award: Tomie dePaola.

Margaret A. Edwards Award: Sir Terry Pratchett

For information about Honor Books (runners-up) and winners for additional medals and awards, check the official press release. For information about the awards themselves, the ALA has these links.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Closures

All branches of the Santa Fe Public Library will be closed on Monday, January 17 in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.


The libraries will be open regular hours over the weekend, January 15 and 16:

Main Library:
Saturday: 10 am - 6 pm
Sunday: 1 pm - 5 pm

La Farge Library:
Saturday: 10 am - 6 pm

Southside Library:
Saturday: 10 am - 6 pm

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Cancelled: Retablo Crafts

The Children's Retablo Craft Program scheduled for the following dates and times has been cancelled.

We apologize for any inconvenience.

Sat. Jan. 15
Main Library
10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
12:00 - 2:00 p.m.

Sat. Jan. 22
La Farge Library
10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
12:00 - 2:00 p.m.

Online Options:

When Vacation is Short and Class Assignments are Long

We often hear from students doing research projects that their teachers won't allow them to use sources from the Internet. However, online information has changed drastically in the last ten years, and even in the last two years. It is now easier than ever to access reputable references online, and to be able to evaluate what's good information and what's biased, untrue, or merely questionable.

The Library can help you access resources that you can use in your research, both online and in print. Many of these references are available in both formats. For example, we subscribe to Britannica Online and Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia, as well as having the print volumes in our reference collection. Our run of the Santa Fe New Mexican on microfilm goes back to 1849, and our Gale Magazine Database has it as far back as 1994. There's also the Opposing Viewpoints database, based on the popular and useful book series of the same name, but with added features of relevant and reliable online information. In fact, all our databases provide access to tons of print magazines, newspapers, and other useful sources, many of which we don't subscribe to in paper. You can use these databases in the library and from home with your library card.

If choosing which resource to start with seems overwhelming, you can start with Research Pro. This way you can search our catalog for print sources, and also get pertinent and helpful magazine, journal, and reference information. If you can use web sites as a source, try Sweet Search. This search engine is geared towards students, and all 35,000 websites have been selected by educators for reliable and useful content.

A few final tips for research success: make sure you know exactly what the assignment requires, and ask the teacher if you have any questions. Give yourself plenty of time, because not all sources, print or online, are instantly accessible. And last but not least, ask the librarian—aka the Human Search Engine—for help! We know of resources and tools you haven't even dreamed of.

Good luck with your project!

Change in Overdue Procedures

In order to better serve our community, the Santa Fe Public Library has made some changes to our overdue procedures and schedule of overdue notices.

Patrons will be able to renew an overdue item, even from home, within the first 14 days of the overdue process as long as there are no holds.

Patrons will be blocked from checking out other items if any item becomes 14 days overdue.

A bill will be mailed to patrons via United States mail for long overdue items. The bill will include an estimated replacement cost.

The Library works to serve our users. When materials are long overdue, the items are not available for other patrons to check out. The Library does not have a large enough budget to be able to purchase extra copies of items that are long overdue. We appreciate your working with us to get books and other materials back in a timely manner.

Health Screenings at Southside

Tuesday, January 11
10:00 am - 3:00 pm
Southside Branch Library
6599 Jaguar Drive.

The Santa Fe County Mobile Health Van will be conducting FREE health screenings for all ages tomorrow.

Please share this information with family and friends.

Culturomics

Librarians have had a sometimes contentious relationship with the Google Books project. However, having this wealth of information in digital format is a great boon to various types of research. One emerging field is Culturomics, tracking and evaluating "human culture through time" via the published linguistic record. You can read this article for more information, or try it out yourself with this search interface.

I started out with a simple search comparing the popularity of vanilla and chocolate. Chocolate always wins, natch. Then I did another search, adjusting the time span to the late 20th Century, to see who was mentioned more: The Beatles or the Rolling Stones. The Beatles won. You can also input longer phrases; switch from "English" to "American English" or "English Fiction"; or try out Chinese, German, Russian, French, or Spanish. The search is case-sensitive, however, and plural forms or alternate spellings of words aren't taken into account.

One interesting search I did was boy vs. girl. While both words decline in usage around 1950, "girl" permanently overtakes "boy" in 1970. I'll leave it to the linguists and social scientists to figure that one out.

Retablo Craft Program

Local artist Mike Ortega will conduct Retablo Workshops for children ages 8-13.

Sat. Jan. 15
Main Library
10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
12:00 - 2:00 p.m.

Sat. Jan. 22
La Farge Library
10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
12:00 - 2:00 p.m.

Retablos are traditional paintings of saints or other religious scenes done on wood. The tradition of retablos was brought into New Mexico by Franciscan monks.

These workshops are free, and all materials will be provided.
Registration is required: call Main at 955-6783 or La Farge at 955-4863.

Sponsored by The Friends of the Santa Fe Public Library.

New PreSchool Story Time!

Now that the holidays are over, we're ready to resume our popular PreSchool Story Time Series at all the libraries. Bring kids ages 2-5 along to this weekly event, where they'll enjoy stories, songs, finger games, puppets, and crafts. Best of all, it's free and no registration is required!

Tuesdays, at the La Farge Library
January 11 - May 3
10:30 am to 11:15 am

Wednesdays, at the Southside Library
January 12 - May 4
10:30 am to 11:15 am

Fridays, at the Main Library
January 14 - May 6
11:00 am to 11:45 am

For more information, call:
La Farge Children's: 955-4863
Southside Children's: 955-2828
or Main Children's: 955-6783

Appreciate a Dragon Day

Tue. Jan. 11
Southside Library
3:30 - 5:30 p.m.

Wed. Jan. 12
Main Library
3:30 - 5:30 p.m.

Thu. Jan. 13
La Farge Library
3:30 - 5:30 p.m

For Children 6-12 Years Old
All crafts are free and supplies are provided.
Registration is required.

January 16th is Appreciate a Dragon Day, a celebration of the noblest of creatures, the dragon! As symbols, dragons have existed for centuries. Some sociologists believe that dragons of myth and legend were the result of our ancestors' combining the lizards and alligators they knew about with the few, fossilized skulls and dinosaur remains they'd encountered.

For more information, call:
La Farge Children's: 955-4863
Southside Children's: 955-2828
or Main Children's: 955-6783

Sponsored by The Friends of the Santa Fe Public Library.

Hansel & Gretel Opera: NEW TIME!

Saturday, January 8, 2011
2:00 p.m.
Southside Branch Library
6599 Jaguar Drive

The Santa Fe Concert Association will perform an hour long, semi-staged performance of the opera Hansel and Gretel.

The opera is the classic Grimm's fairy tale and will be sung in English. The singers will include Santa Fe Opera Apprentices, a member of the Santa Fe Opera's Young Voices Program, in addition to other singers from around the country. This is a charming show and appropriate for all ages.

This is a free event open to the public.

January Art in the Library

Main Library
Magic Moments
Oil on Canvas
by Theresa Unfug Sarasvati

& In the Glass Cases:
Jewelry and Drawings
by Mary Lake

La Farge Library
Abstract Art, Mixed Media
by Emilee Lord

Southside Library
Through Their Eyes and Mine
Interpretations of E.S. Curtis photographs in watercolor
by Lori Sontag

For more information, check our Art page.

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