Events for the Week of January 31….

Events going on at the library this week include…

• Make it Mondays features a craft on Monday (2/1) at 4:00
• PreSchool Storytime on Tuesday (2/2) at 10:30. Bring your 3-5 year old & enjoy.
• MediCal/Calfresh Information Table also on Tuesday from 1:00-5:00
• STAR Reader on Tuesday at 3:00
• Toddlers’ Storytime on Wednesday (2/3) at 10:30. Bring your 1-3 year old for stories, etc.
• STAR Reader also on Wednesday at 3:00
• Baby Storytime on Thursday (2/4) at 10:30. This is for you & your 0-12 month old child.
• STAR Reader on Thursday at 3:00
• Drop in Computer Lab on Friday (2/5) at 3:30
• Movie Showing --- Part of our African American Film Series --- on Saturday (2/6) at 3:00

You can always check the Branch Page (http://www.lapl.org/branches/arroyo-seco) on the LAPL website for upcoming events or check out the Master Calendar (http://www.lapl.org/whats-on/calendar) where you can search for something specific across multiple branches.

Library Events in February…

(Mark your calendars accordingly)

The library has some interesting events planned in February.  I thought I’d take a minute and give you a run down so you can plan ahead.  Let’s start with the non-repeating events:

- - - - - - - - - -
2/1 @ 4:00
Make it Mondays: Craft Project
Come make something crafty (& fun).

2/2 from 1:00-5:00
MediCal/CalFresh Information Table
Eligibility specialists from the LA County Department of Public Social Services will be on hand to help you and your family sign up for Medi-Cal, Covered California, CalFresh, and other government assistance programs. Easy, convenient, and at your service.

2/6 @ 3:00
African American Film Series
Join us for the first film in our African American Film Series.  Find title details here: http://www.lapl.org/whats-on/events/african-american-film-series

2/7 from 1:00-5:00
MediCal/CalFresh Information Table
Eligibility specialists from the LA County Department of Public Social Services will be on hand to help you and your family sign up for Medi-Cal, Covered California, CalFresh, and other government assistance programs. Easy, convenient, and at your service.

2/8 @ 4:00
Make It Mondays: Building Blocks
Come wow everyone with your solution to the building block challenge.

2/9 @ 4:00
Teen Program
Come and join us for our monthly teen program.  Do something fun and share your thoughts about life & the library.

2/13 @ 2:00 
UCLA Gluck Percussion Ensemble
The four members of the UCLA Gluck Percussion Ensemble will be here to delight you with a variety of instruments and songs. Join us for a musical experience with beat.

2/13 @ 2:00 
Drop in Computer Lab
Bring your questions about computers, tablets, eReaders, or other electronic devices.  We will do our best to help you figure out answers.

2/13 @ 3:00
African American Film Series
Join us for the second film in our African American Film Series.  Find title details here: http://www.lapl.org/whats-on/events/african-american-film-series-1

2/14 @ 2:00
Zentangle a Valentine
Make your valentine a delightful card while simultaneously de-stressing as you explore the art of Zentangle.

2/17 @ 6:00 
Drop in Computer Lab
Bring your questions about computers, tablets, eReaders, or other electronic devices.  We will do our best to help you figure out answers.

2/20 @ 3:00
African American Film Series
Join us for the third film in our African American Film Series.  Find title details here: http://www.lapl.org/whats-on/events/african-american-film-series-0

2/22 @ 4:00
Make It Mondays: Building Blocks
Come wow everyone with your solution to the building block challenge.

2/25 @ 12:00
Drop in Computer Lab
Bring your questions about computers, tablets, eReaders, or other electronic devices.  We will do our best to help you figure out answers.

2/27 @ 11:00
Storytime at the Park
Join us for an outdoor storytime (weather permitting).  We will be in York Park.

2/27 @ 3:00
Arroyo Book Club
Join us for a lively discussion of the book Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass.

- - - - - - - - - -

Each month the library also has a number of ongoing classes & events.  They are:

Preschool Storytime - - - Tuesdays at 10:30 (NO session on 2/9)
Get ready for kindergarten with stories, puppets, songs, stretches, and rhymes for children ages 3-5.

Toddlers' Storytime - - - Wednesdays at 10:30 (NO session on 2/10)
Little Ones’ 3 and under & their grownups are invited to join us for stories, music, & games.  We offer two sessions, pick the one that is convenient for you.

Baby Storytime - - -  Thursdays at 10:30 (NO session on 2/11)
Bounces, rhymes and songs for prewalkers (age 0-12 months) and their caregivers.

STAR Volunteer Readers - - - Available on Tuesdays at 3:00, on Wednesdays at 3:00,  & on Thursdays at 3:00 
STAR readers present the fun of storytelling and reading to children one-on-one or in small groups. Kids earn a free book to keep after 3 visits.

Drop in Computer Lab - - - Fridays at 3:30
Bring your questions about computers, tablets, eReaders, or other electronic devices.  We will do our best to help you figure out answers.

- - - - - - - - - -

Please do not hesitate to call the library at 323-255-0537 if you have any questions or would like more information.  Remember that you can always check the Branch Page (http://www.lapl.org/branches/arroyo-seco) on the LAPL website for upcoming events or check out the Master Calendar (http://www.lapl.org/whats-on/calendar) where you can search for something specific across multiple branches.

TOW (& Answer)...

The week’s question is what is gauged brick? To quote from the source gauged brick is:

1. Any brick that tapers in the direction of its length; used in a curved arch or circular construction.  2. Brick that has been manufactured to close tolerances or that has been roughly sawn or cut and then ground to accurate dimensions.

The question (& answer) were taken from p. 147 of American Architecture: An Illustrated Encyclopedia by Cyril M. Harris.  The book was published in 1998 by W. W. Norton & Company.

Websites I like...

Do you need an accent mark while you’re typing?  If you’re like me you do not have the list of alt keycodes for accents memorized.  So just go to this website for a nice list of them http://symbolcodes.tlt.psu.edu/accents/codealt.html.  Handy when you want to accent someone’s name correctly or otherwise prove that you are cosmopolitan.

February’s Arroyo Book Club Book…

February is African-American Heritage Month at the library.  This has given the Arroyo Book Club impetus to select Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass as the title for their February meeting.  In this book, published before the Civil War, Douglass tells of his childhood and experiences as a slave as well as providing “a harrowing record of his dramatic escape to the North and eventual freedom.”  The book is “admired today for its extraordinary passion, sensitive descriptions, and storytelling power.”

Stop by the library for a copy of the book and plan to join us for discussion on February 27 at 3:00.

Events for the Week of January 24….

Events going on at the library this week include…

• Make it Mondays features a building block challenge on Monday (1/25) at 4:00
• Tax Information Seminar on Monday at 6:00
• PreSchool Storytime on Tuesday (1/26) at 10:30. Bring your 3-5 year old & enjoy.
• STAR Reader on Tuesday at 3:00
• Toddlers’ Storytime on Wednesday (1/27) at 10:30. Bring your 1-3 year old for stories, etc.
• STAR Reader also on Wednesday at 3:00
• Baby Storytime on Thursday (1/28) at 10:30. This is for you & your 0-12 month old child.
• Drop in Computer Lab on Thursday at 2:00
• STAR Reader on Thursday at 3:00
• Drop in Computer Lab on Friday (1/29) at 3:30
• Storytime in the Park (next door) on Saturday (1/30) at 11:00
• STAR Reader on Saturday at 2:00

You can always check the Branch Page (http://www.lapl.org/branches/arroyo-seco) on the LAPL website for upcoming events or check out the Master Calendar (http://www.lapl.org/whats-on/calendar) where you can search for something specific across multiple branches.

LAPL Fine Amnesty Program….

LAPL has announced a fine amnesty program that will run from February 1 through February 14.  During this period you will be forgiven for any fine accrued on your card and for any fines on items returned during the period --- even if it’s the book you’ve guiltily kept for the last two years.  As long as the items are returned the fines will be waived.  If you’ve lost a book check with your librarian…you can probably bring us a replacement and we will waive the usual processing fee.  If you’ve lost your library card you can get a new one without the usual fee.  Find the FAQ with additional details here: http://www.lapl.org/lapl-misses-you-faq.  

The LAPL very rarely has amnesty programs so this is something to take advantage of.  Hurry down to the library anytime within that two week period and get your account cleared.  Then visit us frequently.  

Trivia of the Week...

This week’s question is what is gauged brick?

The Martian

I hadn’t heard of The Martian by Andy Weir before they made a movie out of it.  Not having seen the movie I was intrigued enough to pick up the book and found it a very rewarding experience --- in fact it drove me to the theater to see the film --- something I don't generally do.  The premise of the book is simple enough, a manned mission to Mars encounters a sandstorm severe enough that the mission is aborted and in the rush to escape one man is left behind.  The book follows both the man’s attempts to survive and everyone else’s attempts to rescue him.  Truly fascinating and highly recommended.

TOW (& Answer)...

The week’s question is what is a False Widow?  A False Widow is a spider, abundant locally, and much maligned because of its resemblance to the Black Widow.  The False Widow actually preys upon Black Widows as well as sow bugs.  It lacks the red hourglass mark that characterizes the Black Widow and has a marbled purplish-brown abdomen.  They are found in and around houses, under the loose bark of trees, and in rock and wood piles.

The question (& answer) were taken from p. 372 of Insects of the Los Angeles Basin by Charles L. Hogue.  This edition of the book was published by the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County in 1993.

Tax Information Program…

If you have tax related questions join us for an informative program on Monday, January 25 at 6:00 to get them answered.  The knowledgeable presenter will discuss things like the ACA, Tax Identity Theft aka fraud, life changing events and their impact on your taxes, questions revolving around self-employment, and more.

Come brush up on your tax knowledge before diving into your own tax prep.  Bring any questions with you.

Events for the Week of January 17….

Please note that the library will be closed on Monday (1/18) in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr.  Events going on at the library during the remainder of the week include…

• PreSchool Storytime debuts on Tuesday (1/19) at 10:30. Bring your 3-5 year old & enjoy.
• STAR Reader on Tuesday at 3:00
• Teen Program also on Tuesday at 4:00
• Drop in Computer Lab same day (Tuesday) at 6:00
• Toddlers’ Storytime on Wednesday (1/20) at 10:30. Bring your 1-3 year old for stories, etc.
• STAR Reader also on Wednesday at 3:00
• Baby Storytime debuts on Thursday (1/21) at 10:30. This is for you & your 0-12 month old child.
• STAR Reader on Thursday at 3:00
• Drop in Computer Lab on Friday (1/22) at 3:30
• ACA Information Table on Saturday (1/23) from 1:00 to 5:00
• STAR Reader on Saturday at 2:00
• Arroyo Book Club meets on Saturday at 3:00

You can always check the Branch Page (http://www.lapl.org/branches/arroyo-seco) on the LAPL website for upcoming events or check out the Master Calendar (http://www.lapl.org/whats-on/calendar) where you can search for something specific across multiple branches.

Points of Departure

Points of Departure by Patricia C. Wrede & Pamela Dean is a collection of stories that share setting and characters.  The stories are set in Liavek, a “hot, busy trade city, situated on the southern shore of the Sea of Luck at the mouth of the Cat River.”  Magic works in Liavek and each person’s magic centers on their birthday & the amount of time their mother was in labor.  The stories focus principally on Granny, who turns out to be a fairly powerful magical guardian type, and a family of aristocratic refugees struggling against integrating into their new society.  The stories do a lovely job of world building and introduce us to some interesting characters.

I would recommend it to lovers of sedate, domestic fantasy.

History of Highland Park (& Area)…

If you’ve ever wondered about the origins and history of Hermon check out this 5/31/1986 article --- Free Methodists Helped Settle Hermon at the Turn of the Century (http://dbase1.lapl.org/webpics/calindex/documents/10/520400.pdf) by Greg Hart and Cecil Smidderks.  The article looks at the early days of Hermon and traces the impact of the church (Methodist), the local school, and the Los Angeles Seminary (located in Hermon) on the area’s development.

Trivia of the Week...

This week’s question is what is a False Widow?

Events for the Week of January 10….

Events going on at the library this week include…

• CalFresh/MediCal Information Table on Sunday (1/10) from 1:00 to 5:00
• Make it Monday features a building block challenge (1/11). Starts at 4:00
• STAR Reader on Tuesday (1/12) at 3:00
• Little Ones’ Storytime on Wednesday (1/13) --- sessions at 10:30 & 11:30
• STAR Reader also on Wednesday at 3:00
• STAR Reader on Thursday (1/14) at 3:00
• Drop in Computer Lab on Friday (1/15) at 3:30
• STAR Reader on Saturday (1/16) at 2:00

You can always check the Branch Page (http://www.lapl.org/branches/arroyo-seco) on the LAPL website for upcoming events or check out the Master Calendar (http://www.lapl.org/whats-on/calendar) where you can search for something specific across multiple branches.

My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry

Fredrik Backman is a Swedish writer with a talent for domestic stories featuring flawed, eccentric, yet understandable characters.  My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry is one of these.  Here we have Elsa, her parents and their partners, the other dwellers in her apartment building, her grandmother, and a wurse.  Her grandmother was a woman ahead of her time and Elsa is “different” so the grandmother, upon her death, sets Elsa up with a quest.  It is in the course of this quest that we the readers are exposed to the fuller stories of all the people in Elsa’s life.

The book is a rewarding read that I would highly recommend.

TOW (& Answer)...

This week’s question was what might a Native American in New Mexico use as a remedy for a backache?  To quote from our source: “[they] still use the traditional remedy for backache, a plaster of pitch and powdered verbena.”

The question (& answer) were taken from p. 116 of A Treasury of American Indian Herbs by Virginia Scully.  The book was published in 1970 by Crown Publishers.

January’s eResource of the Month….

The eResource of the Month for January is PressReader.  I have written about this database before but it is one of my favorite’s so I’m happy to have this opportunity to talk about it some more.  PressReader, also known as PressDisplay, is a digital newspaper and magazine resource.  It provides full page, as it is published coverage of more than 4,000 titles from 100 countries in some 60 different languages.  So if you’re longing for a look at today’s paper from back home where home is virtually anywhere in the world, this is the database for you.  As a side note it includes the Los Angeles Times and has an excellent article snip/print feature so I often use it to print myself a copy of the day’s crossword puzzle.

You access the database on any computer with internet access by going to the library’s website and finding the Research & Homework link.  From their scroll down to the P’s (http://www.lapl.org/collections-resources/research-and-homework#P).  Please note that you will need to have your library card and PIN to access the resource.

Find a flyer describing additional features here: http://www.lapl.org/sites/default/files/articles-and-information/pdfs/13-04flyer.pdf.  

One of Us

In One of Us Åsne Seierstad tells the story of Anders Breivik and the horrific killing spree he undertook in Norway.  She begins with Breivik’s birth and picks up covering the lives of selected victims as they arrive in the chronological time line continuing all the way through his conviction.   For those who don’t remember, Breivik set off a bomb outside Norway’s parliament building killing 8 before going to the island of Utøya and shooting 69 people (mostly teenagers) dead.  

Seierstad provides an in depth look at both the perpetrator and a selection of his victims and a disturbingly thorough look at the actual man hunt Breivik undertook.  Literalists will quibble with the amount of subjective detail she provides about that day but I tend to look at it as a way of providing a voice for the dead.  All in all this is an interesting book that attempts to shed some light on an horrific event and manages to provide a serendipitous look at Norway and Norwegian culture.  I’d recommend it, though it’s not for the squeamish.

Events for the Week of January 3….

Events going on at the library this week include…

• Create Edible Jewelry at Make it Monday on Monday (1/4). Starts at 4:00
• STAR Reader on Tuesday (1/5) at 3:00
• Little Ones’ Storytime on Wednesday (1/6) --- sessions at 10:30 & 11:30
• STAR Reader also on Wednesday at 3:00
• STAR Reader on Thursday (1/7) at 3:00
• Drop in Computer Lab on Friday (1/8) at 3:30
• Drop in Computer Lab on Saturday (1/9) at 12:00
• ACA Information Table also on Saturday from 1:00-5:00
• STAR Reader on Saturday at 2:00

You can always check the Branch Page (http://www.lapl.org/branches/arroyo-seco) on the LAPL website for upcoming events or check out the Master Calendar (http://www.lapl.org/whats-on/calendar) where you can search for something specific across multiple branches.