Spring Preschool Story Time

Preschool Story time at Southside Library this spring was hopping! After the long winter we had, it was fun to read stories and sing songs about birds, bees, flowers and trees!

For Earth Day the children listened to songs about our Mother Earth. The children helped me demonstrate how clouds affect rainfall by using cottonballs and water and made penny banks out of recycled cans or made a clay creation.

There is some great stuff for Earth Day ideas on Kaboose.com. For our Arbor Day theme, we know children notice things that are high up, so when we talked about trees and how important they are, and the different changes they go through in the seasons, they were excited about designing their own tree, complete with leaves, birds, and blooms.

The Preschool story time families had a special treat when Library Services Director, Susie Sonflieth, did a presentation on planting using cups and seeds for the children to take home, and the kids helped plant some Marigold and Bachelor Button seeds for the library patio. It was really windy that day, but circulation staff helped Susie make it fun for the families to be able to make a little project for them to take home.

Our flowers in the patio are coming up already! Kudos to Susie who has a green thumb, and kudos to all the rain we are getting right now. Yay!

Post and photo by TT at SSL

Spring is a good time for...technology?

With the green buds and occasionally warm weather, you wouldn't think that Spring would be a great time to spend countless hours at the computer screen. Thankfully, with the cool breezes and occasional rain, not to mention pollen count, being inside to update the blog and library website is a great way to spend the day.

If you've been on the website lately, you may have noticed that the appearance is slowly changing. One thing we're trying is a different font, which has generated a discussion at the library about which font is the most readable on the screen. If you enjoy the finer points of web design, you might want to read this article from Usability News.

And since Spring is a season of constant change, we thought we'd open up our blog to comments from our readers. Please feel free to let us know what you think about our blog and website, and what changes you'd like to see!

We're Number One!

The Santa Fe New Mexican's Generation Next section has named The Library the #1 place to read a book!

Beating out coffee shops, trees, and lakes, the public library attracts teens with Young Adult book sections, graphic novels, manga, DVDs, Teen Programs and homework resources.

Best of all, when teens need a reading/homework break, they can get online at our computers!

Thanks for making us Number One, Generation Next!

Load up for Summertime Reading!

ONE DAY AND ONE DAY ONLY!
FRIENDS OF SANTA FE PUBLIC LIBRARY
SUMMER VACATION HALF-PRICE SALE

Saturday, May 17th

11 a.m.—3 p.m.

Southside Branch Library, on the Portal
6599 Jaguar Drive

Parking entrance on Valentine Way

Prices:

Paperback books, Audio music tapes, CDs: 3/$1.00 or 50 cents each
Hardcover books @ $1.00
Audio books @ $2.00 per title
Videos @ 50 cents each

First Lady Visit: Getting Buggy for Books

On Tuesday, May 6th, NM First Lady Barbara Richardson, along with State Library staff, visited the Southside Library to kick-off the statewide 2008 Summer Reading Program. Everyone loves this summer’s theme, “Catch The Reading Bug.”

The Children’s Room staff arranged for classes from Agua Fria and Cesar Chavez schools to participate in the festivities. From Cesar Chavez Elementary, Mr Rueda’s, and Ms. Rhodes fifth grade bilingual classes, and from Agua Fria Elementary, Ms. Love and Mr. Gorman’s 4th grade bilingual classes were able to attend the event.

Lydia Wren, Children’s Librarian, did a group rendition with the kids of “The Green Grass Grows all Around, all Around.” Mrs. Richardson read “The Diary Of A Spider” by Doreen Cronin and “Farfallina and Marcel" by Holly Keller. The Summer Reading Program is designed to motivate children and families to read during summer vacation, encourage use of the library by past and present users of the library, encourage new users and promote library services and materials. And most of all have fun!

The Summer Reading Program will have sign up starting June 9th. Registration will include a reading log that children will turn in to earn incentives. There will be Preschool Story time for ages 2-5 years along with a bug craft and also a school age craft every three weeks. There will be Free Programs for Entertainment every week during the Summer Reading Program, and a party for the participants at the end of the program in August. Flyers for the Program will be available during the first week of June. Come over to the library and get Buggy for Books!

Article and photo by TT at Southside

Main Library Media Services Open on Sundays!

Yes, we’re open on Sundays! Yes, even the Media Services area!

The Main Library has begun opening its Media Services area on Sundays. The area is open the same Sunday hours as the other parts of the Main Library, 1-5pm.

So when you’re downtown leisurely enjoying a Sunday afternoon, stop by to check out our DVDs, audiobooks, music CDS, and videotapes.

For more information, please call the Media Department at 955-6784.

May Day

This is one of those forgotten special days in the US. But in England and Ireland one can still dance around a maypole in small villages on the first of May and wear a crown of flowers.

When I was in kindergarten our teacher Mrs. Leng would have us work for days the week leading up to May Day making “baskets” of rolled construction paper cones to be hand colored with crayons and a pipe cleaner handle attached

Then on the day, she would line us up, have us put a handful of flowers from her garden and blossoming fruit tree twigs into the cups and march us up to the high school. There we would thread our way through the congested hallways to hang the “baskets” on the doors of each classroom. We were pretty pleased with ourselves and ignored the high school scoffers who viewed us “ babies with their baskets.” Some of those scoffers are now in assisted living or nursing homes and they welcome the visits of school children. Getting old changes one’s view.

I suggest that everyone give someone a flower or a basket of flowers on May Day—I know I am heading across the street to my 87 year old neighbor. She probably has more flowers than I do, but I make a mean paper cone basket. Now to find some pipe cleaners.

Happy May Day.

Top 10 list: What I’ve learned from working with teenagers

(with a nod to David Letterman)

10. There are different variations within the style known as Gothic.
9. Food is very helpful for loosening up a gathering.
8. Nobody likes to be told what to do.
7. Work only as much as you must and spend the rest of your time hanging with your friends.
6. Most people have their own favorite beverage and they are pleased if you remember what it is and provide it.
5. Sometimes you just can’t stop laughing.
4. Books about vampires and werewolves can teach us about making transitions in our own lives, especially those monstrous transitions involving hormones.
3. A sense of humor goes a long way.
2. Creative arts are a wonderful outlet, especially if you are feeling a lack of freedom in some area of your life.
1. Hug your friends when you say hello and goodbye.

Photo by LR at Southside.
Posted by LW at Southside.

Artist Round-up at the Southside Library

The Southside Branch Library, at 6599 Jaguar Drive, is accepting applications from artists interested in showing their work for one month. All applicants must be eligible for a Santa Fe Public Library card and live in the city of Santa Fe or Santa Fe County. Applications for exhibits are available at the Southside Reference desk and should be returned there. The Art Committee will then set a date to review and schedule art displays for 2008-2009 in the beautiful new branch of the Santa Fe Public Library.

For more information contact Christina Dunkin at 505-955-2823.

Posted by CD at Southside.

Clouds over Pedernal by Patricia Hodapp will be part of the May exhibit at the Southside Branch Library. Check the Library's News Page for more information on art exhibits.

Earth Day is Everyday

People get fired up for Earth Day, they start composting, reusing plastic bags or use reusable ones, and perhaps fill up that handy plastic water bottle from the tap or distilled water. Kudos to them.

But in my childhood, every day was earth day. This was nothing to be complimented, it just was a way of life. Never light a fire or candle from a match if there was already a source of fire already available—my mother would use a twig and catch a flame from the wood stove to light a candle. That was a match saved.

Peelings from carrots and potatoes and other vegetable matter was either fed to chickens or composted to help build up the soil. Even left over tea leaves from the pot were returned to the earth. In one of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s books, she mentions when out on the prairie her mother carefully buried the shells from boiled eggs, because it was important not to leave trash or a “footprint” where we have been on this earth.

The “junk drawer” at our house turned into a junk box, hidden under a small table in the kitchen. What a resource for any project or problem! Balls of twine, half candles, odd nuts and bolts and of course, rubber bands and twist ties. Popsicle sticks and the button box could be found there too. And of course we reused wrapping paper and bows. Nothing was wasted.

Even today I am reminded of her recycling as I search through her recipes for a special one, and find it written on the back of a used envelope.

To justify getting a plastic bag at the grocery store, mother felt she had to use it 9 times. “Just like the nine lives of a cat”; it was our responsibility to extend its usefulness in this world.

Her overriding philosophy was, if you wasted something in this life, it would be a part of your personal hell. She pictured being in hell needing a plastic bag and the devil laughing and showing her a time when she used a plastic bag once and threw it away.

So happy Earth Day to all. My mother did her part for everyone. Now it is our turn.

Santa Fe Public Library Southside Branch Recognized for Commitment to Environmental Awareness

In celebration of Earth Month 2008, Seattle’s Best Coffee at Borders-Sanbusco recognized the Santa Fe Public Library Southside Branch for their commitment to green and sustainable living. The new library branch, a true example of “green” architecture, is energy efficient with rainwater harvesting, cistern storage, radiant heat, and natural light, which all boost the energy efficiency of the building.

The Santa Fe Public Library was recognized at a small reception on Wednesday, April 9^th where Borders Sales Account Representative Ramon Ernesto Cruz presented the library leadership team with the “Earth Month Community Stewardship Award.” As a special treat, library staff were able to celebrate their hard work with coffee and bakery goodies.

“Seattle’s Best Coffee is proud to recognize the Santa Fe Public Library Southside Branch as an outstanding community organization,” said Seattle’s Best Coffee district manager Kim Novak. “The Library’s environmental efforts help make a difference in the greater community for today and our future.”

Photo by TT at Southside
Left to right: Harvey Monroe, Jr., Architect; Haley Wigent; Patricia Hodapp, Director of Libraries; Ernesto Cruz; Susie Sonflieth, Director of Branches..

Ballistas and Onagers and Catapaults -Oh My!

The other day I was at the Information desk at Southside and a young 12 or 13-year-old boy walked up and said, "I want a book about Ballistas and catapults and Roman Army siege equipment."

And I thought, ah, what a sophisticated young boy, he already knows basic Roman Army equipment tables. It was the kind of reference question we librarians crave. Now it just so happens that in our new books, we just received The Rise and Fall of Ancient Rome, which sure enough, has the information on Ballistas, and Onagers, and other catapults. So it was instant gratification time, as he got the book he wanted. I already had it in mind when he asked.

And it was also a lesson for me as a librarian to never underestimate the sophistication of the reading public. One may think one has an idea about what the general public goes for, in terms of reading material, and general interest vs. more scholarly works, and then one meets with daily surprises.

As a matter of fact not only have we received some new books on Ancient Rome and Greece, a plethora of new books have been coming in recently. Some of them are new in the sense of coming out in 2007 or 2008. Some of them are new in the sense of being a new addition to the Southside collection. And there are some that are new in the sense of the whole Santa Fe Library system has not had these titles before. We have many new DVDs, new Spanish books, and other new nonfiction and fiction. So whether you are interested in finding out about Onagers, or want to see some new fiction titles, check out what’s new at your library.

PS: For those who haven’t been staying on top of the weapons of the Roman Army, a Ballista is like a very large man-sized crossbow that shot 6 foot spears and rocks. An Onager is a medium sized catapult which could be operated by 3 men. Each century, a group of 100 men, had one ballista assigned to it.

Posted by JP at Southside.

National Library Week

Those who are avid library users don’t really need to be reminded that April 13-19 is National Library Week, for them it is always Library Week!

This year’s theme is “Join the circle of knowledge @ your library”, and renowned actress Julie Andrews is the honorary chair. The Southside Library has a special display to celebrate this week. More information is at the American Library Association website

Did you know that the Santa Fe Public Library owns 317116 books and

6492 DVDs, 3304 Books on CD and 3267 music CDs?

Did you know that you can borrow books from other libraries (InterLibrary Loan) for free?

Did you know the Library has a total of 46 internet connected computers for your use at the three branches?

Be sure to stop in a library this week to enjoy all there is to offer.

Posted by AEM@Main

Wright May Not Be Right for All

When growing up on a subsistence farm, with no running hot water and an outdoor toilet, even cutting our own wood for an old furnace, I never even thought about the differences between my friends’ homes and mine. Friends were friends, some rich and some middle class, but none as poor as our family was.

Recently while reading about Frank Lloyd Wright, I remembered the wide gap between my friends’ homes and my farm home, in southern Michigan. My best friend lived in a Frank Lloyd Wright house in the Acres, outside of Kalamazoo, Michigan. The house wrapped around a hillside and had all the Wright trademarks, stone floors, stone walls, high windows—it looked like it was a part of the hillside. Her neighbor’s house, one of eight in the planned Wright community, had an oak tree in the center of their house, glassed in with the rooms surrounding it. Classic Wright.

How odd it must have been for my friend AW to have visited me and have had few amenities, plus having to help feed the calves and chickens. She never commented, and on my part, I think I preferred our rag rug covered floors and creaky stairs to the second floor bedroom over the cold, stone floors of Wright’s masterpieces. I sometimes wonder if my friend is as nostalgic about her Wright home as I am about the 1920’s white clapboard farmhouse under the walnut trees where I was raised.

Wright is described as creating organic homes, the real view of American architecture. That may be true, but the heartland is dotted with clapboard farm houses, not as integrated with the landscape as Wright’s, but surely as important in the lives of those who lived there.

If you are interested in learning more about Frank Lloyd Wright come into the Library and check out the many titles,(non-fiction and fiction) we have about his architecture and life.

THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU

One of my favorite times of the week is Friday afternoon. Many years ago, I started setting time aside on Friday afternoons, when most people are thinking ahead to the weekend, I look back over the week to thank those who made my week easier or special.

At that particular job, a colleague laughed when I suggested she write thank yous and said “no one deserved thanks, no one had helped her” that week. Really?

I reminded her of the UPS man who was only obligated to deliver to the first floor and took 20 boxes to her office. Oh, and the restaurant owner next door to our office who treated us to cheese enchiladas, even bringing them to our office on a snowy day. Oh, and not to forget that I had baked homemade cake for the staff for Monday’s staff meeting. I don’t think any of that made an impression on her, she was one that felt people SHOULD do things for her. I disagree.

This past week Councilor Miguel Chavez awarded the Southside Library’s Endowment with $5,000 from the distribution of his remaining campaign funds. A big thank you.

An artist who showed in the Main Library’s art gallery gave the funds from the sale of three of his paintings to the Library.

A big thank you.

A poet who provided a reading to an enraptured public thanked the Library for hosting him by writing a check. A big thank you.

Seattle’s Best Coffee named the Southside Branch an award winner in their Green Buildings awards. A big thank you.

Legislators Representatives Lucky Varela, Jim Trujillo and Peter Wirth who supported the La Farge Branch renovation with $80,000 in funding.

But, thank you’s are not always just for money or awards. They are written to those who go a step beyond. Like the staff members who are always there when there is an event or bakes a cake for a staff person’s birthday or whose husband is always supportive, even hauling stages and boxes!

It’s never too late to write a thank you.

National Poetry Month

I thought about PH’s blog entry about the daffodil and William Wordsworth and it took me back to last summer when I visited Grasmere in the Lake District of England. The daffodils were long since gone but William Wordsworth's home still stands.

I also thought this would be fitting since April is National Poetry Month.

VII - I wandered lonely as a Cloud

I wandered lonely as a Cloud
That floats on high o'er Vales and Hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd
A host of dancing Daffodills;
Along the Lake, beneath the trees,
Ten thousand dancing in the breeze.

The waves beside them danced, but they
Outdid the sparkling waves in glee:--
A Poet could not but be gay
In such a laughing company:
I gaz'd--and gaz'd--but little thought
What wealth the shew to me had brought:

For oft when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude,
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the Daffodils.

Posted by MVS

Hug a Rug

This last Wednesday Southside Library finally received the area rug for the Children’s area. Our LenguaLink Bilingual carpet arrived just after Preschool story time program. The carpet introduces children to a second language. Familiar pictures with both Spanish and English words surround the rug, while children can learn to spell and count with the Spanish alphabet and number lines. We are proud to show off our new carpet to all our patrons and are looking forward to introduce the rug to the families in our Preschool story time program Wednesday morning. The carpet was generously purchased by the Friends of the Library.
Posted by TT at Southside

Earth Day

Celebrate Earth Day with your family and children on Saturday, April 19. Choose your branch or attend all the programs!

ALL EVENTS TAKE PLACE ON SATURDAY, APRIL 19.

11:00 am to 12 noon
Demonstration & Education
Assistant Dogs of the West
La Farge Branch Library
1730 Llano Street
955-4863

12 noon to 3:00 pm
Demonstration &
Adoption Opportunities
SF Shelter & Humane Society
Southside Branch Library
6599 Jaguar Drive
955-2828

2:00 pm to 3:00 pm
Demonstration and Education with live birds
Santa Fe Raptor Center
Main Library
145 Washington Avenue
955-6783

VOLUNTEER DAFFODIL

I know the calendar says it is Spring and the temperatures being in the high 60s during the day, but it wasn’t really Spring to me until this past weekend.

A lone, volunteer daffodil came up under my red plum trees. I had not planted it there nor have I seen one there in the past two Springs I have been in this house. It is as magical to me as the fields of daffodils of Wordsworth fame

To add to the color in the yard, the small-flowered yellow and white blossom forsythia burst into bloom this past weekend. It is always the first color I have around the house and I carefully clip three branches and bring them into the house. Can flowering fruit trees be far behind?

Happy Spring, Santa Fe.

"Lines and Circles: a Celebration of Santa Fe Families"

Santa Fe’s new poet laureate, Valerie Martínez, has developed “Lines and Circles: a Celebration of Santa Fe Families”. This is a 2 year art project that solicits participation from local families. If your family has 3 generations living in Santa Fe, and is interested in creating or composing a family artwork, such as a short story, film, photograph or pottery, you’re encouraged to apply for this project.

The deadline to apply is May 2008. More information can be found at http://www.csf.edu/csf3/pix/alumni/poet_laureate_vmartinez.pdf

Families who wish to participate can pick up an application at their nearest public library!

posted by aem@ssl