Music in December

We have a couple of music opportunities in December that I want to make sure you know about it.

First…. The UCLA Gluck Cello Quartet will be performing on December 10 at 3:30.  You can always expect an excellent show from Gluck musicians.

Second… Holiday Lights, a local chorus group, will be performing on December 17 at 3:30.  They invite a choral presentation of seasonal music.  Sing along to the songs you know, enjoy the songs you don't know.

So plan to join us for either performance.  Better yet, join us for both.  Everyone is welcome.

Trivia of the Month (answer)...

This month’s question put your Disney chops to the test… It was harken to the film Lady and the Tramp and list the names of the dogs in the pound.

The dogs in the pound scene included Toughy (an American mongrel), Boris (a Russian wolfhound), Pedro (a Mexican Chihuahua), Bull (an English bulldog), Dachsie (a dachshund), Peg (an old showgirl of a dog), and Nutsy (the unfortunately doomed dog).

The question (and answer) were taken from page 257 of The Encyclopedia of Walt Disney’s Animated Characters by John Grant.  The book was published by Hyperion in 1998.

The Arroyo Book Club’s December Pick…

For the second year, this is fast becoming a habit, the Arroyo Book Club has decided to read a work by Shakespeare for their December meeting.  This year we will be reading Richard III.  PBS’ In Search of Shakespeare program described Richard III with the following:

As one line ends, so another shall begin. In blood.
A crooked back. A twisted mind. / A warped
ambition. He can kill those who oppose him, but
he cannot kill their ghosts.

"Richard III": Portrait of a serial killer.

Pick up a copy from the library --- we’ve selected an edition that offers both the original text and the corresponding modern English translation --- and join us to discuss it on December 23 at 3:00.

Library Events in December…

(Mark your calendars accordingly)

The library has some interesting events planned in December.  As always, 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:

- - - - - - - - - - 
12/1 from 2:00-5:00
LA OIC Computer Boot Camp
This program puts low cost computers in the hands of low income people.  This session is in Spanish. Call or drop by to sign up.


12/2 from 2:00-4:00
Craft Supply Exchange
Bring your good condition craft supplies that you are no longer using and swap them for someone else’s. A way to recycle materials you’re no longer interested in using and ignite a new passion simultaneously.

12/3 @ 12:45
NELA Holiday Parade
Join the library and march in Highland Park’s Holiday Parade.  Call or drop by the library to sign up so we know to expect you.

12/4 @ 4:00
Make it Monday
Learn all about color & light with today’s program.

12/5 @ 3:00
Teen Program
Join us for a fun activity just for teens.  

12/5 @ 6:00
Club de Lectores
Hay café, pastel casero, ye conversación amena sobre el libro que estamos leyendo

12/8 @ 3:00
Community Birthday Party
Come celebrate the birthdays of those born in December.

12/10 @ 3:30
UCLA Gluck Cello Quartet
Join us for a lively, musical afternoon.

12/11 from 2:00-4:00
LA DOT TAP Information Table
Questions about the transit system and TAP cards? Want to fill up your card? Swing by and talk to the folks from LA’s Department of Public Transportation.

12/16 @ 3:00
Shrinky-Dink Craft Fun
Come make tchotchkes to keep or share.

12/17 @ 3:30
Holiday Lights
Join us for a choral presentation of seasonal music.  Sing along to the songs you know, enjoy the ones you don't know.

12/18 @ 4:00
Holiday Storytime & Craft
Very self-explanatory event title. Join us for a little crafty fun with a story accompaniment themed for the holiday season.

12/19 @ 6:00
Club de Lectores
Hay café, pastel casero, ye conversación amena sobre el libro que estamos leyendo

12/23 @ 3:00
Arroyo Book Club
Join us for a lively discussion of Shakespeare’s Richard III.

- - - - - - - - - -

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

Grupo de apoyo para la familia - - - Mondays at 10:00

Toddler Storytime - - - Wednesdays at 10:30 
Little Ones’ 3 and under & their grownups are invited to join us for stories, music, & games. (No session on 12/6).

STAR Volunteer Readers - - - Available on Wednesdays at 3:00, on Thursdays at 3:00, and 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.

Events for the Week of November 26….

Events going on at the library during the week include:

• Grupo de apoyo para la familia on Monday (11/27) at 10:00
• Toddler Storytime on Wednesday (11/29) at 10:30
• STAR Reader on Wednesday at 3:00
• LA OIC Computer Bootcamp on Friday (12/1) from 2:00-5:00 – this session will be in Spanish
• Drop in Computer Lab on Friday at 3:30
• Craft Supply Exchange Program on Saturday (12/2) from 2:00-4:00
• 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

Thanksgiving....

The library will be closed today, November 23rd, and tomorrow, November 24th, to celebrate the Thanksgiving Holiday.  Please remember that you can always find a plethora of library materials available online at www.lapl.org. 

In the meantime, let me leave you with the image of a Thanksgiving menu from the Glendale restaurant Chateau de Qualite dated 1924.  Amazing the meal you could get for $1.50.  The menu can be found in LAPL's menu collection.

NELA Holiday Parade

The Northeast Los Angeles Holiday Parade will march down Figueroa Street from about where the library lives (York Blvd) to Sycamore Park on Sunday, December 3rd.   This year the library will be participating and we invite you (& your family & friends) to join us. We will meet up in the Library parking lot at 12:45 on the fourth.

Please get in touch if you plan to join us so we can know to expect you.  Call us at 323-255-0537, email us at ayosco@lapl.org or drop by and sign up in person.  The more the merrier so pass along word of the event to everyone you know who might be interested.

Events for the Week of November 19….

Thanksgiving is this week which means the library is closed Thursday and Friday.  Events going on at the library during the remainder of the week include:

• Grupo de apoyo para la familia on Monday (11/20) at 10:00
• Thanksgiving Storytime and Craft on Monday at 4:00
• Circulo de Lectores on Tuesday (11/21) at 6:00
• Toddler Storytime on Wednesday (11/22) at 10:30
• STAR Reader on Wednesday at 3:00
• STAR Reader on Saturday (11/25) at 2:00
• Arroyo Book Club 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

The Perplexing Theft of the Jewel in the Crown

Vaseem Khan continues the story of the cases of Inspector Chopra and his elephant ward in The Perplexing Theft of the Jewel in the Crown.  The story begins with Chopra and his wife at a special exhibit of the British Royal Jewels, featuring India’s own Koh-i-Noor diamond when a daring robbery takes place.  An old colleague of Chopra’s is made the scapegoat and so he hires Chopra to find out who is really responsible and to recover the jewels.  Chopra takes on an old colleague in his detective agency to help with his caseload and Ganesha (the elephant) undergoes his own adventure.

The series continues to be entertaining and engaging.  Recommended.

Trivia of the Month....

This month’s question puts your Disney chops to the test… Harken to the film Lady and the Tramp and list the names of the dogs in the pound.

Events for the Week of November 12….

Events going on at the library during the week include:

• Grupo de apoyo para la familia on Monday (11/13) at 10:00
• LA DOT Tap Information Table on Monday at 2:30
• Teen Henna Program on Tuesday (11/14) at 3:00 (Limited to first 20)
• STAR Reader on Wednesday (11/15)  at 3:00
• STAR Reader on Thursday (11/16) at 3:00
• Drop in Computer Lab on Friday (11/17) at 3:30
• SAT Practice Test on Saturday (11/18) at 10:00
• STAR Reader on Saturday at 2:00
• Native American Film Exploration 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

Library Closed....

The Library will be closed today, November 10, and tomorrow, November 11, in honor of Veteran's Day. 

Do not forget that the library remains open online at www.lapl.org all the time.  Visit us online and find a plethora of resources available for your use.

In the meantime enjoy this photo taken from the LAPL Photo Collection showing the headline of the Los Angeles Evening Herald on November 11, 1918... the reason for the holiday we now call Veteran's Day.

The Big Sheep

The Big Sheep by Robert Kroese is a mystery story with a SF setting.  The setting is 2030’s Los Angeles.  A Los Angeles that has recovered from a massive period of economic unrest by creating “no-go zones” that are free from the burdens & protections of government.  Our narrator works for an eccentric private investigator or as he would prefer to be called a phenomenological inquisitor.  As the story opens they’ve been hired to find a stolen sheep.  This is, of course, no ordinary sheep.  Soon they have taken on a case investigating threats against a well-known young media star.  Surprisingly the cases seem to intersect.

The book has interesting characters and a reasonable amount of action.  It is, however, one of those books where the reader figures out what is going on quicker than the characters of the story.  As a reader you’re left to kind of shout at the characters about what they should be doing….

I would recommend this book to lovers of SF who don’t mind a Chandleresque mystery.

Craft Supply Exchange

Are you a crafty person, always looking for new things you can try your hand at? Do you have a plethora of half used materials from previous crafts you’ve tried that you’d like to get into the hands of someone else?  Join us for our inaugural Craft Supply Exchange program on December 2.  The program will run from 2:00-4:00.  

Basically this program is exactly what the title says.  Bring in some of your unused craft materials and exchange them for someone else’s.  This can include the materials for paper crafting, sewing or quilting, embroidery, any of the arts, metalwork or jewelry making.  Really whatever your craft is.  We do ask that you only bring in materials that are in a usable condition.  

Since this type of program can only get better with greater participation spread word of it widely among all the people you know who craft and prod them to come too.

Events for the Week of November 5….

Let me begin by noting that the library will be closed two days this week.  We are closed on Friday 11/10 and Saturday 11/11 in honor of Veteran’s Day.  Events going on at the library during the remainder of the week include:

• Sunday Afternoon Movie on Sunday (11/5) at 2:30
• Grupo de apoyo para la familia on Monday (11/6) at 10:00
• Make it Monday features a building block challenge on Monday at 4:00
• Circulo de Lectores meet on Tuesday (11/7) at 6:00
• Toddler Storytime on Wednesday (11/8) at 10:30
• STAR Reader on Wednesday  at 3:00
• STAR Reader on Thursday (11/9) 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

November eResource of the Month

If you are looking for an excellent slate of online magazines in a beautifully laid out format or you are seeking a source of downloadable audiobooks then November’s eResource is the tool you need. November’s eResource is RBdigital.  RBdigital provides access to two e-media products that you may already know and love, specifically Zinio Magazines and OneClickDigital Audiobooks.  

Zinio Magazines is now called RBdigital Magazines and it offers almost 400 full color, interactive digital magazines.  Browse from a collection of popular titles with no holds, no checkout periods, and no limit to the number of magazines you can download.  You will need to create a user account the first time you use the product.  

OneClickDigital is now called RBdigital and offers audiobooks for download and transfer to selected devices.  You will need to use your library card to set up an account the first time you use the product.

You can find RBdigital on the library’s e-media page at http://www.lapl.org/collections-resources/e-media.  It is accessible from home and from the library’s internet computer stations with a valid library card.