We are a branch of the Los Angeles Public Library located in Highland Park. Keep yourself updated on our doings here...
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
History of Highland Park…
Well if you’ve been in Highland park for any
length of time you’ve probably heard of Lummis Day. You may have heard of the Lummis House. You may have a vague association of Lummis to the Southwest
Museum. If you’re library oriented (and
this one’s a bit of a long shot) you may know that Lummis was City Librarian
for a while. But who exactly was
Lummis? Check out this 7/20/72 article
from the Highland Park News Herald & Journal (http://dbase1.lapl.org/webpics/calindex/documents/11/520744.pdf)
for a nice in-depth look at the man.
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
TOW (& Answer)...
This week’s
question was what is an MTB? An MTB is
a Motor Torpedo Boat. This was a “class
of naval vessels displacing about 100 tons, capable of up to 40 knots and armed
with torpedoes.” They were used
extensively in WWII.
Sunday, March 16, 2014
Events for the Week of March 17…
Things going on at the library during the week include:
- Resume Workshop on Tuesday (3/18) at 6:00
- Little Ones’ Storytime on Wednesday (3/19) at 10:30
- STAR Reader also on Wednesday at 3:00
- Covered California Information Table sets up on Wednesday at 4:30
- Fun w/ Tablets program on Thursday (3/20) at 4:00
- Drop in Computer Lab on Friday (3/21) at 3:30
- ACA Enrollment Assistance is available on Saturday (3/8) from 10:00-2:00
- Arroyo Book Club meets on Saturday at 3:00
Saturday, March 15, 2014
Battle Magic
One of my favorite writers for tween and teen agers is
Tamora Pierce. She writes books set in
a world where magic is possible, tells very interesting & adventurous tales
(her books are entirely suitable for adults too), and peoples them with
believable characters … particularly with girls & women who are fully
realized and not pigeonholed into roles.
Overall any of her books has much to recommend it. She tends to write in cycles of three or
four where some peripheral character in one series will become the central
character in another. Anyway, in Battle Magic we pick
up the adventures of Briar, Rosethone, and Evvy as they cope with war between
(their world’s analogs of) Tibet and China.
You don’t need to have read the previous books featuring these
characters to enjoy this book.
Friday, March 14, 2014
HeritageQuest Online….
The e-resource for March is the HeritageQuest Online
database. The HeritageQuest Online
database is a collection of research materials for tracing family history and
American culture. You can use these
primary sources, local and family histories, and finding aids (with coverage
back to the late 1700’s) as well as over 28,000 books from your home or the
library. Included materials cover all 50 states and Canada.
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Starhawk
Jack McDevitt returns to his tale of Priscilla Hutchins in
Starhawk. This book covers a much earlier part of her
life. She has just completed her pilot
training and is on her test mission when the book starts. We follow her for the next year of her life,
in typical McDevitt fashion, as she and the people around her deal with issues
of terraforming other planets, exploring local (astronomically speaking)
mysteries, and dealing with the fact that people (as always) are insane… there
are a number of terrorist acts in this book.
The book is a nice “slice of life” look at life in 2195-6.
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Sunday, March 9, 2014
Events for the Week of March 10…
Things going on at the library during the week include:
- Thor’s Reptile Family puts on a show on Tuesday (3/11) at 4:00
- Little Ones’ Storytime on Wednesday (3/12) at 10:30
- STAR Reader also on Wednesday at 3:00
- Covered California Information Table sets up on Wednesday at 4:30
- Fun w/ Tablets program on Thursday (3/13) at 4:00
- Drop in Computer Lab on Friday (3/14) at 3:30
- ACA Enrollment Assistance is available on Saturday (3/15) from 10:00-2:00
- Lis the Clown will do a Spring themed show also on Saturday at 3:00
- UCLA Gluck Concert Performance on Sunday (3/16) at 2:00
Friday, March 7, 2014
TOW (& Answer)...
This week’s
question: Is it a crime or a misdemeanor to take more than 25 copies of a free
newspaper? It is indeed a
misdemeanor. Section 490.7 of California’s
Penal Code states that “No person shall take more than twenty-five (25) copies
of the current issue of a free or complimentary newspaper if done with the
intent to do one or more of the following:
- Recycle the newspapers for cash or
other payment.
- Sell or barter the newspaper.
- Deprive others of the opportunity to
read or enjoy the newspaper.
- Harm a business competitor.”
First violation of
this law results in a fine of up to $250.
The question (and
answer) were taken from p. 336 of the 2011 edition of California Penal Code published by West.
Thursday, March 6, 2014
Arroyo Book Club Pick for March…
The March Arroyo Book Club book is Tinkers by Paul Harding. This is a Pulitzer
winning title about (to quote from the book jacket)
An old man lies dying. Propped up in his living room and surrounded by his children and grandchildren, George Washington Crosby drifts in and out of consciousness, back to the wonder and pain of his impoverished childhood in Maine. As the clock repairers time winds down, his memories intertwine with those of his father, an epileptic, itinerant peddler and his grandfather, a Methodist preacher beset by madness. At once heartbreaking and life affirming, "Tinkers" is an elegiac meditation on love, loss, illness, faith, and the fierce beauty of nature.
Stop by the library for a copy and plan to join us on
March 22 at 3:00 for discussion.
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Research Guides…
Were you aware that the library provides a
variety of research guides on its website?
These research guides are designed to help you with common research
tasks. They include things like
“History of your House, Searching for the,” “Grants,” “Genealogy,” “Obituaries
in Los Angeles County,” “Representative Maps in Los Angeles History and
Growth.” Visit the Research Guides page
(http://www.lapl.org/collections-resources/research-guides)
and see if there is one that will help you with a research project of yours.
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
Robopocalypse
In Robopocalypse Daniel H. Wilson tells the tale of the
day when all of our advanced technology unites against us and moves in an all
out war to take us (human beings) out of the picture. It almost goes without saying that this is a very suspenseful
book. I enjoyed it and would recommend
it to both people who like science fiction or those who enjoy stories of all
out war.
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Events for the Week of March 3…
Things going on at the library during the week include:
- Little Ones’ Storytime on Wednesday (3/5) at 10:30
- STAR Reader also on Wednesday at 3:00
- Covered California Information Table sets up on Wednesday at 4:30
- Fun w/ Tablets program on Thursday (3/6) at 4:00
- Drop in Computer Lab on Friday (3/7) at 3:30
- ACA Enrollment Assistance is available on Saturday (3/8) from 10:00-2:00
Saturday, March 1, 2014
Furies of Calderon
Jim Butcher is one of my favorite authors. Furies of Calderon is the first of
his Codex Alera series. Here we meet
Tavi and watch him struggle to overcome challenges made worse by his lack of an
ability prized in his society, furycrafting.
The world he lives in has elemental furies that most can communicate
with. This communication confers
advantages to people. A person who
can communicate with air elementals, for example, can fly. Our boy triumphs despite his shortcomings
(always heartening in a book) and has adventures that make for some very good
reading. The world building done in
this book is very thorough and very interesting. I would strongly recommend this book to lovers of fantasy
fiction.
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