Spooky Poetry Made Easy

If you're inspired to wax rhapsodic about this dark and dying season but don't know where to start, try the Goth-O-Matic Poetry Generator ™! Using drop-down menus, you can easily craft verse with themes such as The Supernatural Violence & Horror Darkly Gothic Poem or the Black Abyss of Righteous Hatred Darkly Gothic Poem. In fact, there are so many choices, that you could probably keep yourself busy "writing" bad gothic poetry until next All Hallows Eve!

So fire up your laptop, fire up your black candles, and create images that would make Anne Rice shiver...

...like this one:



Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go warm my chilly soul...

LibraryThing Redux!

Many of you may already use LibraryThing to organize your own home or business libraries. We've now added some of LibraryThing's features to our catalog to help enhance your browsing and searching experience.

The features we have are:

• Shelf Browse: you can see book covers arranged by call number
  
• Tags: see and click on different labels for each item
  
• Similar Items: see recommendations for both fiction and non-fiction
  
• Series & Awards: see if this title has won awards, or if it’s part of a series
  
• Lexile Reading Level: For select Children's and Teen titles

Tags and Book Recommendations for The Tiger's Wife by Téa Obreht

The best thing about LibraryThing is that all of the information is right in front of you. You won't need to search a separate database or check out different websites to get reading recommendations or series information. Just click on the book covers or links and get all the info you need!

As always, come visit us at any library branch, call our reference desks, or email library@santafenm.gov if you have questions about this or any other resource.

El Día de Los Muertos Procession

Giant Puppets! Music! Fun! Costumed Characters! Outdoor Community Altar dedicated to Air, Water, Food and Energy! Bring Families and Friends!

Create something artful and political (in the spirit of the season) to carry in the Procession, dealing with the Serious Issues of Air, Water, Food and Energy: (like) The Tar Sands (and Pipeline)! Fracking! Nuclear Power! Genetic Engineering! Coal! Corporate Control of Air, Water, Food, Energy and Everything! You Know What The Issues Are! Think in images or poetry. Come in costume — wear your best calavera (skeleton) gear.

Can't think of anything to make? Don't want to wear a costume? No problem! Just come on out and join the procession!

Bring a candle to carry (protected in some way from wind, etc) and water from your home to place on the altar (label it with where it is from). You may also bring offerings : food that a loved one who has passed on was fond of, a poem, an image — please do not bring anything valuable, as this altar will be outdoors.

The Procession will start at the old Borders parking lot at Sanbusco (look for the big puppets). Please arrive by 5:45PM. The Procession starts at 6PM.

We will wind through the Railyard and end up at El Museo Cultural at the site of the community altar (taking about 30 minutes).

Questions? Need more information? Call Bobbe at 505-988-9244

Southside Half-Price Sale

Everything in the Store is Half-Price


Southside Library
6599 Jaguar Dr.

One Day Only
Saturday, October 29

Open to public: 10 am - 4 pm

Hardcover books - $1 each
Paperback books - 50 cents each or 3 for $1
Children's books - 25 cents each
Videos & DVDs - $1 each
Cassettes - 25 cents each

Cash / checks only. No plastic.
Scanners now allowed but please be courteous and no hoarding.
Sponsored by the Friends of the Santa Fe Public Library.
All proceeds from the sale of these donated books are used to purchase new books for the Library.

True Brit Book Signing

Artemesia Publishing is proud to announce the release of its tenth book in print and Rosemary Zibart's first installment of the Far and Away series, True Brit: Beatrice, 1940, about young people displaced and relocated during World War II.

What would it be like for an English girl to come from rainy, war-torn England in 1940 and arrive in sunny bohemian Santa Fe? In True Brit: Beatrice, 1940, a spoiled English girl, Beatrice Sims, comes to Santa Fe to live with a practical, hard-working nurse, Clementine Pope. At first, the twelve-year-old hates the dusty little town, and is accused of being “faceta” – stuck up. But soon Beatrice makes friends with goofy Arabella, develops a crush on handsome Esteban, aids Ana, a shy Indian girl, and learns that she has more courage and ability than she ever imagined.

Join Artemesia Publishing and Ms. Zibart for a book signing and special presentation of book excerpts on Sunday, October 30 from 2-4 pm as part of the Dia de los Cuentos (Day of Stories) at the Santa Fe Children's Museum on 1050 Old Pecos Trail. Admission is free with museum entry.

For more information, call 505-603-2656.

How women won the vote

Few people know the term “Iron jawed angels” or to whom it refers, but it is a testament to strong women and about one of the most compelling times in America. My mother could have told you as she first got to vote at 21, the year after the women’s right to vote amendment was passed, and never missed voting the rest of her life. She got the vote because of these brave women.

Who were the iron-jawed angels? Just women. Just like your mother, grandmother and sisters. Just women who gave up a lot to get the vote. Many people do not even know that women were not allowed to vote until the Constitution was amended—and it did not come easily.

There are protests today against Wall Street and banks, but this protest was for basic rights for women and it was not pretty. Few today know of the brutal tactics that were taken toward mothers, grandmothers and young women in their fight for the Vote.

A group of women picketed the White House and were defenseless, but they were jailed nonetheless for carrying signs asking for the vote.

On November 15, 1917 they were arrested and by the end of the night, they were barely alive. Forty prison guards wielding clubs and their warden's blessing went on a rampage against the 33 women wrongly convicted of 'obstructing sidewalk traffic.'

They beat Lucy Burns, chained her hands to the cell bars above her head and left her hanging for the night, bleeding and gasping for air.

They hurled Dora Lewis into a dark cell, smashed her head against an iron bed and knocked her out cold. Her cellmate, Alice Cosu, thought Lewis was dead and suffered a heart attack. Additional affidavits describe the guards grabbing, dragging, beating, choking, slamming, pinching, twisting and kicking the women.

Thus unfolded the 'Night of Terror', when the warden at the Occoquan Workhouse in Virginia ordered his guards to teach a lesson to the suffragists imprisoned there because they dared to picket Woodrow Wilson's White House for the right to vote. For weeks, the women's only water came from an open pail. Their food--all of it worse than pig slop--was infested with worms.

When one of the leaders, Alice Paul, embarked on a hunger strike, they tied her to a chair, forced a tube down her throat and poured liquid into her until she vomited. She was tortured like this for weeks until word was smuggled out to the press.

In the new HBO movie, Iron Jawed Angels, a reporter stated that it was jarring to watch Woodrow Wilson and his cronies try to persuade a psychiatrist to declare Alice Paul insane so that she could be permanently institutionalized. And it is inspiring to watch the doctor refuse. Alice Paul was strong, he said, and brave. That didn't make her crazy. The doctor admonished the men: 'Courage in women is often mistaken for insanity.'

The 19th Amendment passed in 1920—New Mexico was the thirty-second state to ratify it.

So, refresh my memory. Some women won't vote this year because…? We have carpool duties? We have to get to work? Our vote doesn't matter? It's raining? If nothing else, vote because of Alice Paul, Lucy Burns and Dora Lewis. It is the least we can do to honor them.

By PCH at Main. With thanks to HBO.


Photo of Alice Paul courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Native-Inspired Sand Painting

With FACT: Fine Arts for Children and Teens

A Free Art Workshop For Children Ages 6-12
In honor of Native American Heritage Month

Tuesday, November 8
3:30-5:00 p.m.
Main Library
955-6783

Tuesday, November 15
3:30-5:00 p.m.
Southside Library
955-2828

Tuesday, November 22
3:30-5:00 p.m.
La Farge Library
955-4863

Make your own native-inspired sand painting. FACT instructor Robin Samadhi brings her solid experience as an artist and educator to guide children through a positive art-making experience.

Space is limited. All materials for the workshop will be provided.
Please call your library to register. Registration begins 2 weeks before the workshop.

Sponsored by The Friends of the Santa Fe Public Library.

Powalawu Sand Mosaic courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Spooky Stories

Autumn has arrived and for those of us who work with the under 18-years-old crowd, October is all about Halloween and having scary, candy-obsessed fun. At the Southside Library every Thursday afternoon there is a Teen program from 4:30-5:30 pm. The first Thursday of the month is the Teen Book Club.

In honor of scary fun, the teens spent most of the meeting creating their own short horror story. The teens’ read a few examples from the short story collection Half Minute Horrors, edited by Susan Rich, to jump start their creative thinking. The stories in this collection are a maximum of two pages long. The story, “An Easy Gig” by M.T. Anderson received the highest gross out rating but I’m not certain if that is due to the horrendous nature of the crime or the fact that the guilty parents framed an innocent teen for said crime.

Jon Klassen’s “The Legend of Alexandra & Rose” was the most influential story for our group. This story is a single image with a legend describing the locations of events. Through these legend descriptions a terrible crime and petty motivation are elegantly revealed. Klassen’s story inspired many of our participants to draw their own tale of murder and mayhem. Enjoy the original art created by one of our Southside teen participants. While you can’t read an entire story in this image, it does convey the malicious glee of a successful “trick”.



by AB @SS

Calligraphy with Sherry Bishop

A Free Workshop for Adults


Wednesday, November 2
5:30 - 7:30 pm
Southside Library
6599 Jaguar Dr.
955-2820

Wednesday, November 9
5:30 - 7:30 pm
La Farge Library
1730 Llano St.
955-4862

Wednesday, November 16
5:30 - 7:30 pm
Main Library
145 Washington Ave.
955-6781

This hands-on, two-hour workshop for adults is filled with tips and techniques for learning and working with calligraphy. Professional calligrapher Sherry Bishop will teach upper and lower cases of the Italic style of calligraphy. You will also learn about a variety of pens and their uses. Come and enjoy an engaging, interactive class. All supplies are provided.

Seating is limited. Registration begins 2 weeks prior to the class. Call your library to register.

Sponsored by the Friends of the Santa Fe Public Library.

Calligraphy image by Jazzmanian courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

2011 State of the City Address

Preparing for a Prosperous Future

Wednesday, October 19
6 p.m. in Ballroom F
Santa Fe Community Convention Center

Join Mayor Coss for the annual State of the City Address. There will be entertainment beforehand and a reception afterwards.

Ten who make a difference

The Santa Fe New Mexican gives out a very special award annually. It is the “Ten who make a difference” award for volunteers and non-profits in our community who truly make a positive difference. It was easy for me to make a nomination. I nominated the Friends of the Library book sorters and book store volunteers. They are our cheerleaders, educational outreach and fund raisers.

The Friends of the Library support the Library by selling donated books in the two Library bookstores and holding book sales at least twice a year at the three branch libraries. All of the “staff” who haul and sort books, categorize books and get them ready for the shelves and conduct the sales are volunteers. The recruiting, training and scheduling of volunteers is done by volunteers!

Many individuals have worked to set up this project and maintain it. In FY2010-11, 138 volunteers donated 8,496 hours to the project. Their volunteering goes on year round to sort and get books ready for sale. Some of the volunteers work close to 40 hours a week to get the job done.

Funds from the sale of the used books are donated to the Library to purchase new books which the Library would not have had funds for. The bookstores and sales annually raise approximately $50,000 for the Library. They sell thousands of books every year to reach their goal.

Friends of the Santa Fe Public Library was founded in 1974 to help provide books and programs that weren't covered by funding from the city. Group members raise money through the organization's membership dues and charitable contributions as well as through the book stores at Main and the Southside Branch and their regularly-scheduled weekend book sales.

"Every library I've ever been in has had tremendous and dynamic Friends with a capital 'F' organization, and Santa Fe is no different," Patricia Hodapp, Director of Libraries said. Hodapp explained that the city's budget for libraries is "a budget that provides for all the main basic needs of the library, and the additional funding needed is where the Friends come in."

"It's just a tremendous boost for the library to be able to add those extra books,” Hodapp said.

Want to be a part of this dynamic group? Just call 955-2839 or email Friends@Santafelibraryfriends.org and volunteer!

by PCH @Main

Día de Los Muertos Craft

Tuesday, November 1
3:30 - 4:30 pm

Celebrate the Day of the Dead with a family craft. Each branch will offer a different spoooooky activity!

Día de Los Muertos is celebrated in Mexico and by Mexican Americans throughout the United States. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. Traditions connected with the holiday include building private altars honoring the deceased using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed and visiting graves with these as gifts.

Space is limited. All materials are provided.
Registration is open two weeks before the craft.

Call your local branch to register:
Main: 955-6783
Southside: 955-2828
La Farge: 955-4863

Sponsored by the Friends of the Santa Fe Public Library.

Image courtesy of Nathaniel C. Sheetz.

Ancient Mathematics

A Free Class Series for Adults and Teens

Oliver La Farge Library
1730 Llano St.

Four Two-hour classes:
Wednesday evenings
Oct. 26 & Nov. 2
5:45 - 7:45
&
Saturday mornings
Oct. 29 & Nov. 5
10:00 am - noon

An examination of the origins and history of Mathematics and how it relates to our current society, aka MATHROPOLOGY!
Presented by Professor D. Robert Fant and the Oliver La Farge Public Library

Topics include:
Mayan Calendar—The meaning of 12-21-12
Pyramids & Earthworks—Informing math models
Mathematical interpretations of—Ancient symbols and myth

Call 505-955-4862 for more information and to sign up.

Photograph of Mayan Zodiac Circle courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Raptor Center Visit

The Raptor Center is coming to the Santa Fe Public Library!

Main Library
Friday, October 21
3:30 - 4:30 pm

La Farge Library
Saturday, October 22
10:30 - 11:30 am

Southside Library
Saturday, October 22
1:00 - 2:00 pm

Seeing live raptors up close and personal is an exciting experience people of all ages never forget! Come and learn about these fascinating animals.

This program is free and open to the public.

Photo of the Northern Red-Tailed Hawk courtesy of Scot Campbell via Wikimedia Commons.

Places and Faces

Technological issues have been causing a lot of headaches lately. So it's nice and headache-erasing when a tool comes along that reminds me of how cool, unique, and useful technological advances, such as The Internet, can be. Last week I came across such a tool: WhatWasThere, a site that matches Google Maps to uploaded historical or personal photos.

We're often getting patrons, both locals and visitors, who want photos of how things in our ancient city used to look. WhatWasThere is a good place to start before heading to the Santa Fe history books or the Palace of the Governors Photo Archive. What's also neat about this site is that it doesn't differentiate between personal and "official" history. Locales are made by the memories of those who inhabit them, so you can upload your pictures of family and friends enjoying the Fourth of July Pancakes on the Plaza and bring the personal touch to the pictorial history.

So far, there are only 4 photos when you search for "Santa Fe, NM". It's great that none of them are newer than the 1950s, but let's get uploading. Santa Fe is a photogenic city, and a memorable city, and a website like WhatWasThere seems made for us.

Southside October Book Sale

Southside Library
6599 Jaguar Dr.
October 15-16

No Members Only Hours!
Open to public:
Saturday: 10 am - 4 pm

Sunday: 1 pm - 4 pm
$3 Bag Day!

Quality books individually priced.

Large quantity of discount books:

Hardcover books - $1.00 ea.
Paperback books - $0.50 ea. or 3 for $1.00
Children's books - $0.25 ea.
Videos & DVDs - $1.00 ea.
Cassettes - $0.25 ea.

Cash / checks only. No plastic.
Scanners now allowed but please be courteous and no hoarding.
Sponsored by the Friends of the Santa Fe Public Library.
All proceeds from the sale of these donated books are used to purchase new books for the Library.

Sex, Lies, and Menopause:

The Shocking Truth About Hormone Replacement Therapy

Wednesday, October 19
6:00 - 7:30 pm
Main Library Community Room
145 Washington Ave.

Turning thirty years of medical and cultural wisdom on its head, Sex, Lies, and Menopause challenges both the medical establishment and modern feminists to prove that menopause does not have to lead to potentially deadly conditions. The research presented in Sex, Lies, and Menopause will at last allow women to create their own plan of action to put themselves on the path to better health and hormonal balance at any stage of life.

An anthropologist and cultural theorist, T.S. Wiley is a member of the New York Academy of Sciences and has been a guest investigator at Sansum Medical Reserch Institute. She lives in Santa Fe.

This program is free and open to the public.

Another way for the Santa Fe New Mexican

The Santa Fe Public Library has the Santa Fe New Mexican in paper format, Main Library offers it on microfilm going back to 1870, and the paper is also available for searching in our Gale database from 2000-present.

Now, you can also access the Santa Fe New Mexican through our NewsBank New Mexico Newspapers database, from 9/07/1994-present, from in the library and from home with your library card. Just click on one of the NewsBank links, then New Mexico Newspapers, and you'll be able to search and access full-text New Mexican articles.

So now you can stay up-to-date on local and statewide news, as well as having another option to dip into the recent backfiles. If you have trouble accessing this database, please see or call your reference librarian, or e-mail us at library@santafenm.gov.

Columbus Day Library Closures

All branches of the Santa Fe Public Library will be closed on Monday, October 10 in observance of Columbus Day.

All libraries will be open regular hours, 10 am - 6 pm, on Saturday, October 8.

Main Library will be open regular hours, 1-5 pm, on Sunday, October 9.