Events for the Week of May 1….

Events going on at the library during the week include…

• Make it Monday featuring Hawaiian stories and lei construction on Monday (5/2) at 4:00
• Toddler Storytime for those aged 1-3 on Wednesday (5/4) at 10:30
• PreSchool Storytime for those aged 3-5 also on Wednesday at 3:00
• STAR Reader on Wednesday at 3:00
• Baby Storytime for those 0-12 months on Thursday (5/5) at 10:30
• STAR Reader on Thursday at 3:00
• Drop in Computer Lab on Friday (5/6) at 3:30
• STAR Reader on Saturday (5/7) 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.

The Annihilation Score

In The Annihilation Score Charles Stross continues his Laundry Files series but switches viewpoints.  Here we get a story from Mo, wife of our previous series narrator.  Mo is a combat epistemologist who plays the violin --- a very special, possessed violin made of bone & capable of killing demons.  She works for a secret British agency known as the laundry and has lately been put in charge of creating a department to deal with an outbreak of superheroes that comes with a complimentary outbreak of super villains.   In the meantime her violin is beginning to require more and more from her.  

This is an exciting book that does not lack for interesting plot elements.  My quibble with it was that it was a bit too predictable.  It was kind of easy to figure out, in advance of the narrator, who  the villain behind the piece was though I was less on target with guessing motivation.  All in all definitely a book for fans of the series and I think accessible for those who haven’t been following the series.  Better, in fact, then some of the previous series books.  Give it a try.

Shrinky-Dinks & Fahrenheit 451

Memorialize your favorite book & turn the power of heat to good in our Fahrenheit 451 themed shrinky-dink program.  Join us on Saturday, May 14 at 2:00 and create a fun charm.  

Everyone is welcome.

Library Events in May…

(Mark your calendars accordingly)

The library has some interesting events planned in May.  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:

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5/2 @ 4:00
Make It Mondays: Hawaiian Stories & Leis
Listen to stories of Hawaii & make a beautiful lei.

5/3 @ 6:30
Club de Lectores

Hay café, pastel casero, ye conversación amena sobre el libro que estamos leyendo

5/9 @ 4:00
Make It Mondays: Building Blocks
Come wow everyone with your solution to the building block challenge.

5/10 @ 4:00
Manga Art Class for Teens
Learn how to draw your own manga style art.

5/10 @ 6:00
Computer Basics Class
This class is for the computer neophyte.  Join us as we learn to manipulate a computer, navigate through and use common software programs, and explore the Internet.

5/14 @ 2:00
Big Read: Shrinky Dinks & Fahrenheit 451
Memorialize your favorite book & turn the power of heat to good in our Fahrenheit 451 themed shrinky-dink program.

5/16 @ 4:00
Make It Mondays: Craft
Join us and make something interesting.

5/17 @ 6:30
Club de Lectores
Hay café, pastel casero, ye conversación amena sobre el libro que estamos leyendo

5/20 from 1:00-4:00
LA OIC Computer Boot Camp
This program puts low cost computers in the hands of low income people.

5/21 @ 3:00
Viva Poetry! A Lummis Day Event
Join us for our annual Lummis Day celebration of poetry.

5/23 @ 4:00
Make It Mondays: Building Blocks
Come wow everyone with your solution to the building block challenge.

5/26 @ 6:00
Word for Beginners
Join us for an introduction to MS Word.

5/28 @ 1:00
Author Talk by Luis J. Rodriguez
Come listen to the thoughts of LA’s Poet Laureate.

5/28 @ 3:00
Arroyo Book Club
Join us for a lively discussion of the Big Read book Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.

5/29 @ 2:00
Zen Out & Color
Relax! Mellow out! Reduce Stress...with COLORING FOR ADULTS! It's good for body and mind. Coloring patterns & instruments provided.

- - - - - - - - - -

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

Toddler Storytime - - - Wednesdays at 10:30
Little Ones’ 3 and under & their grownups are invited to join us for stories, music, & games.  

Preschool Storytime - - - Wednesdays at 3:00 
Get ready for kindergarten with stories, puppets, songs, stretches, and rhymes for children ages 3-5.

Baby Storytime - - - Thursdays at 10:30 
Bounces, rhymes and songs for prewalkers (age 0-12 months) and their caregivers.

STAR Volunteer Readers - - - Available on Wednesdays at 3:00, on Thursdays at 3:00, & on Saturdays at 2:00 
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.

May’s Arroyo Book Club Book…

In May the Arroyo Book Club will be participating in LA’s Big Read program.  In consequence, we will be reading Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.  Let me use one of the paragraph’s from the Big Read site as my book description…

When did science fiction first cross over from genre writing to the mainstream of American literature? Almost certainly it happened on October 19, 1953, when a young Californian named Ray Bradbury published a novel with the odd title of Fahrenheit 451. In a gripping story at once disturbing and poetic, Bradbury takes the materials of pulp fiction and transforms them into a visionary parable of a society gone awry, in which firemen burn books and the state suppresses learning. Meanwhile, the citizenry sits by in a drug-induced and media-saturated indifference. More relevant than ever a half-century later, Fahrenheit 451 has achieved the rare distinction of being both a literary classic and a perennial bestseller.

Check out Big Read’s page on the book (http://www.neabigread.org/books/fahrenheit451/).  You will find lots of additional information including discussion questions.

Because it’s the Big Read program, the book will be yours to keep ---- while supplies last so come early for your copy.

Events for the Week of April 24….

Events going on at the library during the week include…

• Zen out and Color program for adults on Sunday (4/24) at 2:00
• Make it Monday challenges you  to construct something with building blocks on Monday (4/25) at 4:00
• Toddler Storytime for those aged 1-3 on Wednesday (4/27) at 10:30
• PreSchool Storytime for those aged 3-5 also on Wednesday at 3:00
• STAR Reader on Wednesday at 3:00
• Baby Storytime for those 0-12 months on Thursday (4/28) at 10:30
• STAR Reader on Thursday at 3:00
• Drop in Computer Lab on Friday (4/29) at 3:30
• STAR Reader on Saturday (4/30) 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.

TOW becomes TOM…

Trivia of the Week is becoming Trivia of the Month.  Going forward I will aim to make the 15th of the month the “ask the question day” and the 30th “the answer the question day.”  Keep tuned & see how many you can answer without doing extra research.

TOW (& Answer)...

This week’s question was what is mawlid?  To quote directly from the source: 

Mawlid – Birthday, anniversary. The feast of the Prophet Muhammad’s birthday is an occasion of happy celebrations in the Muslim world.

The question (& answer) were taken from p. 167 of A Popular Dictionary of Islam by Ian Richard Netton.  The book was published in 1992 by Billing & Sons.

Make a contribution to our Big Read display…

The Arroyo Book Club will be participating in the Big Read project and reading Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 for the month of May.  (Visit the Big Read’s Fahrenheit 451 page for information about the book: http://www.neabigread.org/books/fahrenheit451/).  

One of the plot points of Fahrenheit 451 is that people choose to preserve books they consider important from their book destroying society by memorizing them.  So….

What book would you memorize?  

What book do you consider so good or so important or so primary to life for your fellow human beings that you would want to preserve it at all costs?

We are making a collaborative display of just these important books and would like to include yours.  So, let us know what the book is.  If you’d like to share your thoughts about why the book merits preservation and/or create a picture featuring your book that would be great … get super creative with it

• Email us at ayosco@lapl.org
• Tweet us @ArroyoSeco5
• Come by in person and drop off your book information at the Information Desk

Events for the Week of April 17….

Events going on at the library during the week include…

• Make it Monday challenges you to Make a Marshmallow Beekle on Monday (4/18) at 4:00
• Club de Lectores meets on Tuesday (4/19) at 6:30
• Toddler Storytime for those aged 1-3 on Wednesday (4/20) at 10:30
• PreSchool Storytime for those aged 3-5 also on Wednesday at 3:00
• STAR Reader on Wednesday at 3:00
• Baby Storytime for those 0-12 months on Thursday (4/21) at 10:30
• STAR Reader on Thursday at 3:00
• Drop in Computer Lab on Friday (4/22) at 3:30
• STAR Reader on Saturday (4/23) 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.

Trivia of the Week...

This week’s question is what is mawlid?

Working for Bigfoot

In the slim book Working for Bigfoot Jim Butcher brings us three short stories featuring his wizard private eye Harry Dresden.  In each of these stories Harry is engaged by Strength of a River in His Shoulders (a bigfoot) to help his half human son out.  Harry, in his usual fashion, manages to sort things out, with varying levels of collateral violence in each story. 

Definitely recommended for fans of the series.  I think it is accessible even if you haven’t been following the series so if you like a detective story and don’t mind wizardly overtones give it a try.

TOW (& Answer)....

This week’s question was what was Rita Hayworth’s real name?  Rita Hayworth was born Margarita Carmen Cansino in Brooklyn, NY.

The question (& answer) were taken from p. 59-60 of Hispanic Firsts by Nicolas Kanellos. The book was published in 1997 by Visible Ink Press.

Events for the Week of April 10….

Events going on at the library during the week include…

• Make it Monday with a building block challenge on Monday (4/11) at 4:00
• Teen Program on Tuesday (4/12) at 4:00
• Toddler Storytime for those aged 1-3 on Wednesday (4/13) at 10:30
• PreSchool Storytime for those aged 3-5 also on Wednesday at 3:00
• STAR Reader on Wednesday at 3:00
• Baby Storytime for those 0-12 months on Thursday (4/14) at 10:30
• STAR Reader on Thursday at 3:00
• Resume Preparation Workshop also on Thursday at 6:00
• Drop in Computer Lab on Friday (4/15) at 3:30
• STAR Reader on Saturday (4/16) at 2:00
• Crea un Currículum en sábado a las 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.

OIC Computer Boot Camp

The OIC of Los Angeles (http://laoic.org/) has a program aimed at putting computers in the hands of low-income individuals & families for a low cost.  The computer in question is a core 2 duo desktop with flat screen monitor and the low cost in question is $149 plus tax.  Participants must provide proof of low-income status.  Such proof includes documentation showing earnings less than $23,000 a year or receipt of Medicaid, SSI, TANF, GA-U, DSHS support, or free school lunches.

The program begins with a 3 hour boot camp.  We are offering those boot camps here at the Arroyo Seco Library.  The first one will take place on Friday, May 20th from 1:00-4:00.  Call us at 323-255-0537, or stop by, to sign up.  

If you have questions about the program please call OIC at 323-754-3116.

April’s eResource of the Month….

AccessScience is the April electronic resource of the month.  AccessScience is a resource for high school and adult users which covers all major scientific topics.  It contains 8,500 articles written by experts in science.  In addition to articles, the online resource also includes biographies, videos, images and definitions.  Find a flyer with more detailed information about AccessScience here: http://www.lapl.org/sites/default/files/articles-and-information/pdfs/eb1a-2fc60-df9e5000_0.pdf 

AccessScience can be accessed through the library’s website (http://www.lapl.org/) on any computer (though you will need your library card number in PIN).  Simply go to the Research & Homework page and scroll down the alphabetical list to find it (http://www.lapl.org/collections-resources/research-and-homework#A).

Trivia of the Week....

This week’s question is what was Rita Hayworth’s real name?

Events for the Week of April 3….

Events going on at the library during the week include…

• Story Circle/Círculo de Historias on Sunday (4/3) at 2:00
• Make it Monday with a seed theme on Monday (4/4) at 4:00
• Club de Lectores on Tuesday (4/5) at 6:30
• STAR Reader on Wednesday (4/6) at 3:00
• STAR Reader on Thursday (4/7) at 3:00
• Drop in Computer Lab on Friday (4/8) at 3:30
• Fish Puppet Making Workshop on Saturday (4/9) at 2:00
• STAR Reader on Saturday at 2:00
• Genealogy Class 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.