Monthly Trivia Question…

 This month let’s ask what are the fasting growing jobs?

How to Preserve Photo Albums

 

When was the last time you *really* looked at your photo album? Over time, albums can degrade and residue from plastic and glue can damage photos. What can we do to make sure our photos and albums last for future generations?

Join our workshop Tuesday 10/7 at 6 p.m. to learn some basic tips on preserving photographs. We will explore different storage options, labeling, and care in a hands-on, communal setting. 

Bring some photographs or an album and get ready to think like an archivist!

The Arroyo Book Club’s October Pick….

October is a non-fiction month for us in the Arroyo Book Club…. The book we’ll be reading is Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown.  Per the catalog description:

First published in 1970, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee generated shockwaves with its frank and heartbreaking depiction of the systematic annihilation of American Indian tribes across the western frontier. In this nonfiction account, Dee Brown focuses on the betrayals, battles, and massacres suffered by American Indians between 1860 and 1890. He tells of the many tribes and their renowned chiefs—from Geronimo to Red Cloud, Sitting Bull to Crazy Horse—who struggled to combat the destruction of their people and culture.

This time around we will be using our own questions as prompts. So… as you read note down questions for discussion and bring them with you to share when we meet.

Stop by the branch to pick up a copy to read. You will find them in the usual location, just ask if you don’t know where that is.  

It is available as an ebook from Hoopla, find it here

We will come together to discuss the book on Saturday, October 25 at 3 p.m. It will be a hybrid meeting so you have the option of attending in person or via Zoom. If you’d like to join us via Zoom let us know at ayosco@lapl.org so we can get the link to you

Programming Coming up This Week

Find the in person programs at our branch during the week below (all programs are in person at our branch unless otherwise noted). Visit our online calendar for our complete program selection….

Sunday
1:00-5:00 Tech Help

Monday
4:00 Watercolor Shapes
6:30 Parent & Caregiver Education Talk: Understanding Ayres Sensory Integration® (in person OR online / ayosco@lapl.org for link)

Tuesday
10:00-3:30 Tech Help
3:00 STAR Reader: Jeffrey

Wednesday
10:30 Baby & Toddler Storytime
12:00 Budgeting: Developing Your Spending and Saving Plan (LAPL YouTube)
3:00 STAR Reader: Miss Katherine
4:00-6:00 Walk-In Tutoring

Thursday 
10:00-3:30 Tech Help
10:30 Baby & Toddler Storytime
4:00 Breakdance With Eric Nishimoto

Saturday
11:00 STAR Reader: Jeffrey

Catch up with us on various sites...

LAPL platforms:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/lapubliclibrary/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/lapubliclibrary/
YouTube: www.youtube.com/losangeleslibrary

Arroyo Seco Social Media:
Blog: arroyoseco5.blogspot.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ArroyoSecoLibrary
Instagram: www.instagram.com/arroyosecolapl

LAPL’s Digital Collection: Travel Posters

 

Today’s travel poster incites you to “See Bali.” Drawing shows Balinese Dancers in costume against a tropical backdrop.  View the full image here: https://tessa2.lapl.org/digital/collection/travel/id/169/rec/6

The Witness for the Dead

 

Katherine Addison’s Witness for the Dead takes one of the characters from her previous world of The Goblin Emperor and spins off to tell the tale of his life.  Thara Celehar, who figured out who had killed the previous emperor and his older sons, is now working as the eponymous witness for the dead in the city of Amalo.  A case involving a dead opera singer, another centering on a contested will, the discovery of a man with a history of dead wives, not to mention the appearance of a ghoul and the consequences of political maneuvering all beset our Witness. What he does about all of these things is what makes the book so satisfying.

Another wonderful story that showcases Addison’s excellently built world.  Heartily recommended.

Programming Coming up This Week

Find the in person programs at our branch during the week below (all programs are in person at our branch unless otherwise noted). Visit our online calendar for our complete program selection….

Sunday
1:00-5:00 Tech Help

Monday
4:00 Regulate and Recharge: Sensory Play and Community Support

Tuesday
10:00-3:30 Tech Help
3:00 STAR Reader: Jeffrey
6:00 Intro to iNaturalist: Get Ready for Nature Quest (Register)

Wednesday
10:30 Baby & Toddler Storytime
3:00 STAR Reader: Miss Katherine
4:00-6:00 Walk-In Tutoring
6:00 Círculo de Lectores

Thursday 
10:00-3:30 Tech Help
10:30 Baby & Toddler Storytime

Saturday
11:00 STAR Reader: Jeffrey
3:00 Arroyo Book Club (in person OR online / ayosco@lapl.org for link)

Catch up with us on various sites...

LAPL platforms:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/lapubliclibrary/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/lapubliclibrary/
YouTube: www.youtube.com/losangeleslibrary

Arroyo Seco Social Media:
Blog: arroyoseco5.blogspot.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ArroyoSecoLibrary
Instagram: www.instagram.com/arroyosecolapl

Monthly Trivia Question (Answer)….

 

This month’s question was what are some of the common plants that can be used in the distillation of spirits?  To quote from our question’s source:

“Distilled spirits (or, simply, spirits or liquors) are the alcohol-containing fluids (ethanol, also called ethyl alcohol) obtained via distillation of fermented juices from plants. These juices include wines, distillates of which are termed brandies. The most commonly used plants are sugarcane, potatoes, sugar beets, corn, rye, rice, and barley; various fruits such as grapes, peaches, and apples are also used.”

The question (and answer) were found in the Encyclopedia of Drugs - Alcohol and Addictive Behavior. This is a Gale Virtual Reference e-Book. It is intended for the student and layperson, covers the social, medical and political issues related to drugs and alcohol, 4 volumes.  Find it on the library’s Research & Homework page under “E” and access it with your library card.

Point of Sighs

 

Melissa Scott continues her Astreiant series with Point ofSighs.  The Astreiant series is a detective series set in a fantasy world that is pre-industrial.  The social structure is matriarchal (as an aside, it’s fun to read a book where the default pronoun used by all the characters is she/her and “all women” is a stand in for “all people”) with a rigorous class structure. Our main characters are Philip Eslingen, who’s currently a member of the newly established city guard, and his leman (or lover) Nicolaus Rathe, an Adjunct Point, essentially a policeman.  The story starts with a man accused of murdering a ship’s captain. Rathe sets out to find who really did the killing and stumbles across a larger crime that eventually involves the return of a goddess from myth and a sacrificial cult. 

The book can be read as a standalone, though the characters will be far richer if you go for the entire series.  The series has long been a favorite of mine. I recommend it to those who like a good detective story, enjoy fantasy world building, and have a taste for different worlds.

Programming Coming up This Week

Find the in person programs at our branch during the week below (all programs are in person at our branch unless otherwise noted). Visit our online calendar for our complete program selection….

Sunday
1:00-5:00 Tech Help

Monday
4:00 Colorful Paper Sculptures

Tuesday
10:00-3:30 Tech Help
10:30 USC's Insp!re Lab Presents: Sensory Storytime
3:00 STAR Reader: Jeffrey

Wednesday
10:30 Baby & Toddler Storytime
3:00 STAR Reader: Miss Katherine
4:00-6:00 Walk-In Tutoring

Thursday 
10:00-3:30 Tech Help
10:30 Baby & Toddler Storytime

Saturday
10:30 Toy Rescue Challenge for Early Learners
11:00 STAR Reader: Jeffrey
3:00 Take Me to Your River: Oral History in Motion

Catch up with us on various sites...

LAPL platforms:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/lapubliclibrary/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/lapubliclibrary/
YouTube: www.youtube.com/losangeleslibrary

Arroyo Seco Social Media:
Blog: arroyoseco5.blogspot.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ArroyoSecoLibrary
Instagram: www.instagram.com/arroyosecolapl

Take Me To Your River: Oral History in Motion

 September 20, 2025 

3:00 PM at the Arroyo Seco Library

Please join us for an oral history workshop and a subsequent short film screening. In collaboration with local non-profit Clockshop and LAPL’s new archiving initiative, CommUnity, we invite you to come learn about the tools available to you at the library to undertake your own oral histories. We will be demonstrating the professional equipment available to patrons in the new Oral History Backpacks and highlighting Take Me to Your River, an oral history project with an emphasis on Northeast LA. As a part of this project, Clockshop has created four short films that speak to the experiences of residents in these Los Angeles neighborhoods. 

This one hour program is an introduction to the exciting world of oral history, you will not want to miss it! Light refreshments provided.

The Los Angeles Public Library offers this workshop as part of Community: Your Archive, Your Legacy, an initiative supported by the Library Foundation of Los Angeles and funded by the Mellon Foundation.

LAPL’s Digital Collection: Fashion Plates

 

Today’s fashion plate shows a walking dress. A purple velvet shawl edged in lace worn over an empire waist white dress. Accessories include a purple parasol and a straw hat with white plume. The plate was published in Ackerman’s Repository on October 1, 1809. Find the full image here: https://tessa2.lapl.org/digital/collection/fashion/id/198/rec/5

Autumnal Shrinky-Dinks

 

Feeling crafty? Swing by on September 13 at 3 pm and design your own amulet or magnet out of shrinky-dink plastic and then watch the power of heat transform them.  We have plenty of material for this program so bring all your friends.

Everyone is welcome!

Programming Coming up This Week

Find the in person programs at our branch during the week below (programs in person at our branch unless otherwise noted). Visit our online calendar for our complete program selection….

Sunday
1:00-5:00 Tech Help

Monday
4:00 Kids’ Program
6:30 Back to School Tools for Neurodiverse Students: Online Panel Discussion for K-5 Parents and Caregivers (register here)

Tuesday
10:00-3:30 Tech Help
3:00 STAR Reader: Jeffrey

Wednesday
10:30 Baby & Toddler Storytime
3:00 STAR Reader: Miss Katherine
4:00-6:00 Walk-In Tutoring
6:00 Círculo de Lectores

Thursday 
10:00-3:30 Tech Help
10:30 Baby & Toddler Storytime

Saturday
11:00 STAR Reader: Jeffrey
3:00 Autumnal Shrinky-Dinks

Catch up with us on various sites...

LAPL platforms:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/lapubliclibrary/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/lapubliclibrary/
YouTube: www.youtube.com/losangeleslibrary

Arroyo Seco Social Media:
Blog: arroyoseco5.blogspot.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ArroyoSecoLibrary
Instagram: www.instagram.com/arroyosecolapl