Meeting our neighbors in the library July 8, 2009

We see people from all walks of life when we visit our libraries.  Library resources serve many purposes and help businesses, organizations, families and individuals. With this post we’re beginning a series of profiles about the people you see in your library and  how the library enhances and supports  lives and goals.  Liz White and her family visit Broadview branch. Her children are participating in Summer Reading. Since filling up their first reading lists both girls have read 80 books this summer. At this writing more than 4,000 children have signed up to participate in the the city wide Summer Reading program. Liz is currently reading craft books from the library to supplement her hobbies of beading and sewing. She writes:

I am extremely grateful for our community library.  My twin daughters, aged 7, go through about a dozen chapter books a week, and the Broadview Library is an important biweekly destination for us.  They get so absorbed in reading, and love to tell us all about the books when they are finished.  My husband takes the girls once a week to the library where he catches up on magazines we can’t afford to subscribe to.  I also take the girls once a week, browse the New Releases, and browse the Children’s books.  The girls make their own selections of books they will read on their own.  My husband and I choose a variety of children’s books to read to them, such as international folk tales; we really liked Nelson Mandela’s story collection.  I  also enjoy borrowing CDs.

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Got a picture and a story? What does the library mean to you?

SPL Sets Goal for Summer Reading of 125,000 Books! July 8, 2009

How many books can we read this summer?  The Seattle Public Library is keeping track of all the books read during the Summer Reading Program.  We are trying to reach a city-wide goal of 125,000 read between June 1 and August 31.  Each branch has its own goal and has a poster so visitors can track their progress.  I was at the Northeast Branch yesterday, and they have already read over 14,000 books! 

Be sure and sign up for summer reading at your branch and mark all the books you read in the reading log.  There are book logs for Adults and Teens in each branch and kids can fill out and turn in special Summer Reading Logs for prizes and then additional sheets if they read more than the 10 books on their log.

For more information on the Summer Reading Program visit the Library’s website at http://www.spl.org/.

Got a Question? July 1, 2009

Got a Question? Google is a window for the seeking mind’s eye. Through it is a world of information. Libraries, however, offer both online windows and doors .  For some, opening the door is preferable to peering through a window.  That’s why over 3 million people walked into a Seattle library this year.

Libraries ”translate questions into ideas and resources,”  says Secret Garden Bookshop owner, Christy McDanold.  Ask a librarian! Over 460,00 people did this year.  Librarians are available in branch libraries, via email and telephone, or live in 24/7 chat Wondering what it’s like to ask your questions via email or chat? Here are some comments from people who tried:

(chat format) This is a great service. With two small children it is very hard to go into the library and ask about materials I need to find. I will definitely be using this service again!!

(chat format)  it was way easier than i thought! andi think i willl be using it all the time now!

(email format) Thanks for the clear and concise response. It was exactly the info I needed and arrived in an amazingly short time. The people it directed me to were indeed the ones who knew how to help me.

(email format)  You found for me in less than a week what I had been looking for over a year.

Got Something to Say? June 29, 2009

Can’t wait to tell everyone about the satisfying mystery you just read?  Want to warn the general public about that overrated new album?  Now’s your chance!

Share your thoughts and opinions with the SPL community as part of the Summer Reading Program.   Post your review online or join one of the Read a Book/Share a Book events at your local branch.  Check out what your fellow Seattleites are reading this summer!

Happy Birthday to a Friend for Life! June 18, 2009

The Friends want to say “Happy Birthday!” to Mrs. Mildred Huehn Schwagerman Mandeville, who is turning 100 years young on June 21, 2009 (pictured here on her 99th birthday last year).  Mrs. Mandeville has been a member of the Friends for many years, and served on the Friends’ Board at one time.

She collected and enjoyed many older books about the Pacific Northwest, and flying.  One of her favorite books is “The Egg and I”  by Betty MacDonald, a humorous autobiography detailing the trials and tribulations of  life on a rustic chicken farm on the Olympic Peninsula in the 1940s.

Mrs. Mandeville was also the editor and publisher for a number of years of various editions of “The Used Book Price Guide:  an Aid in Ascertaining Current Prices:  Retail Prices of Rare, Scarce, Used and Out-of-Print Books.”  What a resource those guides must have been for book collectors and book sellers in the days before that information was readily available over the Internet!

 And, while we’re not going to say that becoming a Friend will mean that you’ll live to 100, we’d love to have you join the Friends today! 

Game On! June 18, 2009

Looking for some good clean summer fun?  Try gaming at the Library!  The Seattle Public Library offers gaming programs at 12 branches throughout the city.  The fun for all ages starts at 2:30pm Friday June 19  at the Greenwood branch and continues throughout the summer.  For more information, check out the Summer Reading Program Guide online.

Mini Book Sale June 17, 2009

Girl on books

The Friends will be having a mini book sale in conjunction with the Best of the Northwest event produced by the Northwest Arts Alliance on Saturday and Sunday, June 27-28, in Hangar 30 at Magnuson Park. Best of Northwest is one of the premier arts and crafts shows in the area. Admission is free. The Friends booth will have a varied and plentiful selection of fiction, non-fiction, and children’s books, including some “Better Books.”

 

The event is 10 AM- 6 PM on both Saturday and Sunday.

 

Book Loving Dads – Tell Us About Yours! June 16, 2009

This Sunday, June 21^st, is Father’s Day.  Having a father who loves books can sometimes make shopping for Father’s Day easier, but sometimes not.  Collector Dads might have a very specific title in mind or just know it when they see it.  Dads turning to books to enrich their everyday experiences might, depending on the topic, have an overwhelming number of titles to choose from or one or two.  How to find the right book for Dad?  Maybe you’ve got a great story for us?  Read on for tips and share a story in the comments.

If you are shopping for the Dad looking to learn more about any and all subject matter, try the old fashioned method of asking a librarian.  If you can’t get to a branch to ask in person, The Seattle Public Library has got options for you.  Email your questions to SPL librarians, phone the SPL Quick Information Center at 206-386-4636 or contact live chat help online in English and Spanish(24/7, 365 days a year).  What you get is personal service from a person whose job it is to know books, maybe even better than Dad.

Collector Dads will be happy to wait one more week for their gift if you promise to take them to the mini book sale the Friends are planning.  There will be a mini-book sale held in conjunction with the Best of the Northwest event at Magnuson Park from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, June 27-28.  The Friends will have a booth at the event.  Admission is free.   And of course you could always renew Dad’s Friends membership, or buy him a new one, for the BIG Booksale coming up on September 25 – 27th.

And of course, for the Dad who has all the books he needs (is there such a Dad?) head on down to the FriendShop at Central where the Friends have all manner of book related merchandise. With all of these choices you can assure yourself and your Dad that it’s not just a gift for Father’s Day, it’s a gift to The Seattle Public Library itself.  Telling others about Library services helps The Library spread the word about its fantastic services.  The Friends use the proceeds from the BookSale and FriendShop to give grants to The Seattle Public Library and The Seattle Public Library Foundation.

Tell us about your book loving Dad, it’s a tribute he’ll appreciate.  Happy, happy Father’s Day!

Bree Loewen reads “Pickets and Dead Men” as Local Authors Series begins June 11, 2009

The Seattle Public Library, in a partnership with Mountaineer Books, begins its local author series featuring local writers who have written about the Northwest, its unique landscape and the adventurous people who live here.  The first featured authoris Bree Loewen, who reads from her work “Pickets and Dead Men:  Seasons on Rainier” at the Broadview Branch on Saturday June 13 at 3:00 p.m. and at the Columbia Branch on August 6 at 6:30 p.m.  Ms. Loewen shares her experience as a climbing ranger on Mount Rainier, where respect is hard won and on-the-job performance can be the difference between life and death.  Books will be available for purchase.  Ages 13 to Adult.

Other authors who will be featured in this series are Brenda Bryan (”Barking Buddha:  Simple Soul Stretches for Yogi and Dogi“), Karen Jurgensen and Shannon Borg (”Chefs on the Farm“) and Jennifer Worick (”Backcountry Betty Crafting with Style:  50 Nature-Inspired Projects).

Give Dad Some Peace June 10, 2009

Peace and quiet, a piece of pie, or piece of your mind…whichever it is, don’t forget Dad this Father’s Day- June 21.  Dynomighty wallets are a great way to pay back Dad for all those loans over the years; available for $14.95  in several designs at the FriendShop located in the Seattle Central Library.

Peace Mighty Wallet