Holiday Music with Andy Mason

Andy Mason will perform fascinating Christmas History and Trivia through music. It’s an opportunity for the whole family to sing along to their Holiday Favorites and get in the mood to celebrate the Season.

Thursday, December 8
La Farge Library
3:30 - 4:30 pm

Friday, December 9
Main Library
3:30 - 4:30 pm

Saturday, December 10
Southside Library
10:30 - 11:30 am

This free program is open to the public.

Sponsored by the Friends of the Santa Fe Public Library.

Holiday Arts and Crafts Fair

Saturday, December 3
9:00 am - 2:00 pm

Mary Esther Gonzales Senior Center
1121 Alto St.

Call 955-4715 for more information.

Holiday Paper Jewelry Craft

Monday, December 12
Main Library
3:30 - 4:30 pm

Tuesday, December 13
Southside Library
3:30 - 4:30 pm

Thursday, December 15
La Farge Library
3:30 - 4:30 pm

Children ages 6-12 will enjoy making custom decorated paper brooches, charms, rings, or hanging mobiles and window ornaments for yourself or as a gift this holiday season.

All materials are provided for this free craft. Registration is required. Call your branch to register two weeks before the program.

Sponsored by the Friends of the Santa Fe Public Library.

Recycle Holiday Lights

As you and your family decorate your home this year, you may need to get rid of broken or unwanted holiday lights. Now, you can recycle these lights for free! Rather than tossing them in the trash, these lights can be stripped for their valuable metals and recycled, keeping them out of the landfill.

All types of string lights are accepted, including icicles and LEDs. The bulbs can be left on the string. Drop them off for no charge at any of the following locations:

Buckman Road Recycling and Transfer Station (BuRRT) – 2600 Buckman Road, Santa Fe

Capital Scrap Metal Inc – 1162 Cooks Lane, Santa Fe. Capital Scrap will pay $0.80 per pound.

City of Santa Fe, Environmental Services Division – 1142 Siler Road, Santa Fe

County Transfer Stations – All transfer stations are accepting lights.

For more information on what can be recycled and where to take it, please visit http://www.santaferecycling.org/

Santa Claus and the Annual Toy Drive

Friday and Saturday,
November 25 & 26
10 am to 4 pm

The Santa Fe Fire Department will be kicking off its Annual Charity Holiday Toy Drive with photo opportunities of Santa on the Plaza. Stay for the annual tree lighting on Friday which begins with songs by the Girl Scouts at 3:30 pm. The tree will be lighted at 6 pm. There will be refreshments and entertainment throughout the event.

Parents can bring cameras and take a picture of their children (or themselves) with Santa on the SFPD 1934 La France Fire Engine. There is no cost to take the picture—but a donation to the toy drive is encouraged.

New unwrapped toys can be donated to:
Fire Station 5 at 1130 Siler Road
Pak Mail at 369 Montezuma Street
Queen’s Ransom in De Vargas Mall (Anyone who donates a toy at Queen’s Ransom will receive 15% off their purchase)

All toys and donations will be given to Esperanza Women’s Shelter, Villa Therese Catholic Clinic and Team Builders. Monetary donations will be used to buy gift cards in $10 increments to give to the older kids who are a bit too old for toys.

Last year, through fundraising and contributions, $2000 was collected and approximately 500 toys were given away.

Thank you, Santa Fe, for your generosity!

Santa Claus icon not the actual Santa Claus, and is courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Holiday Sale

Main Library
145 Washington Ave.

One Day Only!
Saturday, December 3
10 am to 4 pm

Open to the Public
No memberships required for any hours of this sale.

Quality books only, all individually priced.
Good for gifts or to add to personal library.

For more information, call 955-2839.

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.

The Thanksgiving Table Tradition

Thanksgiving wasn't Thanksgiving at our house until our mother carefully lifted down the glass fruit compote from the high shelf in the dining room, gently washed it and placed it on the sideboard, waiting to be filled. The compote was clear, pressed glass with faces of three Greek muses on the cover. It was nothing fancy, but it had been a wedding gift to our grandmother in the 1800s. It is perfect, not a chip or a crack, which is a miracle in itself as the compote has travelled with our family for over 125 years, and has resided in many states.

No matter how tight money was, mother always found enough money to purchase fruit for the footed fruit compote. She managed to do this during the Depression--even if it was just one piece of each kind of fruit. It was tradition; it was always placed in the center of the Thanksgiving dinner table.

When we were little, my sister and I would polish apples for the bowl, but only mother would place the fruit and arrange it. Apples, bananas, grapes and tangerines were the staples. Each piece was placed as if it were a gem or fragile glass ball. Once it was filled and placed on the lace covered table cloth, no one was allowed to touch it until dinner was over.

When our mother passed away, the compote went to my older sister in the family "lottery." Each year, it was the centerpiece of her Thanksgiving dinner, always with the same kinds of fruit and the same care at filling the bowl, but it was done by my niece in the last few years.

Last year I received a package marked "fragile" in so many places I was surprised that our address could be found for the delivery. There in a flimsy, half broken box filled with foam peanuts was the compote. The attached note from my niece read, "I know you love this bowl and I just cannot move it with me again. Will you take care of it for me?" Somehow it had again survived a 1,500 mile trip in one piece.

This year in Santa Fe, the bowl has already been washed and put on the side board waiting to be filled. I know what I need to purchase—bananas, apples, grapes and tangerines. Friends who come to dinner now know why it has a special place. It is nothing special, but it means home to me. It has lived through over 125 family Christmases. May it survive 100 more.

by PCH @Main

From a different perspective

I've always loved history, but as much as I read about it, dates and places don't always stick in my head. What I like about history are the stories, and part of me feels that no matter what time and location these stories took place in, there's something about the best stories of history that we can all relate to.

Another way of looking at history is through objects and artifacts. Museums of all stripes specialize and excel at presenting a physical retelling of a story, whether its of art, technology, eating, music, or growing up. While we have exceptional museums here in Santa Fe, it's also neat to see how other museums tell the human story.

The British Museum and the BBC have collaborated on A History of the World, a timeline using objects from as long ago as 2 million years ago to the present day. You can swoop through the timeline on a grand scale, or filter the objects by limits such as location, culture, and material. You can even limit by color, in case you want to gauge the popularity of purple throughout the ages. When you find objects of interest, you can click and get more information about the society and times that formed it.

While this site might not be the most useful if your history project is due tomorrow morning, it's a fantastic way to explore a certain time period, civilization, or just all of human history at once. You might even find yourself remembering some of those dates as well!

Image is Stone handaxe from Pontnewydd Cave, Denbighshire. © Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales

Thanks to the Santa Fe Community College Library for the tip about this great resource!

A healthy leap

Today is the Great American Smokeout! If you or a loved one is addicted to the nicotine, today is the day to try and cut that tie. The American Cancer Society has a Stay Away from Tobacco page with a bunch of useful resources. The CDC has a listing of sites to help you quit smoking, and SmokeFree.gov has interactive tools to make sure you quit and stay quit. My favorite resource for cold turkey tips is WhyQuit.com. The library also has a number of books about smoking and smoking cessation.

Even if the Great American Smokeout snuck up on you too soon and you're just not ready today, you can always pick a day that works for you, and just keep trying. It's rough at first, but it gets easier. Good luck!

Taking a Break

Happy Winter!

Our wildly popular Children's and Teen programs will be taking a break for the holidays.

For the week of November 21-25, Thanksgiving Week, there will be no PreSchool Story Time at all three branches. Also, the Teen Program at Southside will not be held on Thursday, November 24.

PreSchool Story Time is taking a winter break starting the week of December 19. Storytime will resume after the new year starting the week of January 9, 2012.

The Teen Programs are taking a break as well. The last one of the year will be on Thursday, December 15. They'll resume on Thursday, January 5, 2012.

In the meantime, check out the Children's page for some special holiday events that are fun for the whole family!

Photo of the Winter Wonderland courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Thanksgiving Closings

For the Thanksgiving Holiday, all Library Branches will be closed on Thursday and Friday, November 24 and 25.

The Libraries will resume normal hours on Saturday, November 26.

Main Library
145 Washington Ave.
505-955-6780
Saturday: 10 am - 6 pm
Sunday: 1 - 5 pm

La Farge Library
1730 Llano St.
505-955-4860
Saturday: 10 am - 6 pm
Closed Sunday

Southside Library
6599 Jaguar Dr.
505-955-2810
Saturday: 10 am - 6 pm
Closed Sunday

Photo courtesy of NWTF

Main Art Committee Hiatus

The Art Committee at the Main Library will be on hiatus in December, 2011, and January, 2012. Meetings will resume on Wednesday, February 1, 2012, at 2:00 pm in the Pick Room at the Main Library.

The Art Committee selects the artwork for the Tybie Davis Satin Gallery on the 2nd floor of the Main Library. For more information, call 955-6717.

Clouds over Pedernal by Patricia Hodapp was part of the May 2008 exhibit at the Southside Branch Library.

Enchanting Autumn

In addition to the foliage from aspens, the bright blooms of Halloween costumes and Día de Los Muertos altars, and the hues of harvested fruit and vegetables, autumn in New Mexico has some of the most striking skies around. Whether it's the sapphire blue of midday, or the play of light and shadow at sunset, simply stepping out your front door is a steady reminder of Enchantment.

Thanks to a SFPL librarian for recording this often ephemeral event for posterity:



by JP @SS

13th Annual Recycle Santa Fe Art Festival

Friday - Sunday, November 11-13
El Museo Cultural de Santa Fe
555 Camino de la Familia
in the Railyard District

Friday November 11
5:00 - 9:00 pm
Fashion Show and Art Opening
Admission on Friday is $5
Fashion Show: separate $5 admission

Saturday, November 12
9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Free Admission

Sunday, November 13
10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Free Admission

The Recycle Santa Fe Art Festival is held in conjunction with America Recycles Day on November 15. Activities continue over the weekend with 68 artists selling wares made out of at least 75 percent recycled or reused material. During this nationwide event citizens are encouraged to complete a pledge form and commit to recycling.

Sponsored by Keep Santa Fe Beautiful and the City of Santa Fe.

For more information call Gilda Montaño at 955-2215, or email gjmontano@santafenm.gov. Visit Keep Santa Fe Beautiful at http://keepsantafebeautiful.org/ and on Facebook.

Pre-Thanksgiving Sale

November 19 & 20
La Farge Library
1730 Llano St.

Discount Books Only

Open to public:
Saturday: 10 am - 4 pm
Sunday: 1 pm - 4 pm

Sunday is Bag Day - $3 a bag!

Discount Books & Items:
Hardcover books $1.00 each
Paperback books 50¢ each or 3 for $1.00
Children’s books 25¢ each
CDs 50¢ per disc
Videos & DVDs $1.00 each
Cassettes 25¢ each

For more information, call 955-2839.

Veterans Day Closings

All branches of the Santa Fe Public Library will be closed on Friday, November 11, in observance of Veterans Day.

All branches will be open for regular hours on Thursday, November 10, and will resume regular hours on Saturday, November 12.

This year's Veterans Day Parade begins at 10 a.m. at Fire Station 1 on Murales Road, continues down Bishop’s Lodge and Washington and winds around the Plaza. It ends at the Bataan Memorial building where the Veteran’s Day ceremony will begin at 11 a.m.

Change Your Clocks!

Daylight Saving Time will end this Sunday, November 6 at 2:00 am. If you're not sure which way the clock goes, remember the phrase:
Spring Forward, Fall Back.

That's right, this Sunday we will all gain an hour. This one time a year, we've got an "extra" hour to play, work, or sleep with. So at 2:00 am Sunday morning, set your clock to 1:00 am, and you're all set!

Clipart from Clipartheaven.com

OneClickDigital Update

While there are still a couple of glitches in our OneClickDigital downloadable audiobooks system, many of you have been successfully using it. For the past two months over 400 audiobooks were downloaded and listened to. While there are still some issues if you're using a Mac, if you're using a Windows system we highly encourage you to log back in and try it out.

If it's still not working for you, please be sure to email support@oneclickdigital.com. The only way they're know what to fix is if you tell them what isn't working.

Since we're still a beta-testing site for this software, the Santa Fe Public Library is not paying for this product while Recorded Books brings it up to speed. Thank you for your patience throughout this transition.

Happy Halloween!

What are some of your favorite spooky stories?

Johnny Moon

And the Magic Hats Comedy Magic Show!

La Farge Library
Tuesday, November 8
3:30 - 4:30 pm

Southside Library
Wednesday, November 9
3:30 - 4:30 pm

Main Library
Thursday, November 10
3:30 - 4:30 pm

A funny, interactive and educational show with amazing magic effects and Krazy Komedy for Kids.

This program is free and open to the public.

Sponsored by the Friends of the Santa Fe Public Library.

November Art in the Library Galleries

Main Library
Multi-Image Panoramics
Film/Digital/B&W/Color
by Jack Hizny
&
Oldies But Goodies
by The Santa Fe Public Library Children's Department

La Farge Library
Nature's Whimsies
by Jon Price

Southside Library
Coast to Coast and In Between
Oil Paintings
by Doug Bootes

For more information, check our Art page.

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