ESL Book Club--A Tree Grows in Brooklyn 10/15/09

This book is long, so we are taking both September and October to read it. It is a wonderful, classic story about a young woman growing up poor in Brooklyn during the early 1900s. All ESL Learners are invited to attend our meeting on Thursday, October 15th at 1 pm. Contact the Almaden Branch Library to get a reading guide.

Text a Librarian!

From 1-6 pm, Mondays through Fridays, you can now text in your reference questions! Check out http://sjlibrary.org/services/reference/texting.htm to find out more.

Almaden Book-aneers are meeting this month!

The Almaden Book-aneers is a new book discussion group for ages 9-12. We will meet on the last Friday of every month. This month, the meeting will take place on Friday, August 28th, 4-5 pm. The book under discussion is Gennifer Choldenko's hilarious book, Al Capone Does My Shirts. A snack will be provided, courtesy of the Friends of the Almaden Library. Contact Barbara Gilbert (408) 808-3040, if you have any questions.

Calabazas closing

Just in case you are a fan of the Calabazas Branch Library (located on Blaney Ave.), you should know that it is closing at the end of the day on Saturday, August 15th. There will be special festivities from 11-5 that day for children. This is your last chance to see this building. Check it out!

VTA public meeting--tonight!

VTA Public Meeting - Proposed Service Reduction
There will be a public meeting sponsored by the Valley Transportation Authority regarding proposed bus reductions in the Almaden Valley. Please attend if you wish to make your views heard. This meeting takes place tonight, August 12th, 2009 at 6 p.m.

Container Gardening--this Saturday!

Small space? No problem! Join the Master Gardeners and the Almaden Library to learn how to maximize your space through container gardening. Grow vegetables, fruit trees, annuals, succulents and just about anything else your heart desires. You will learn about companion planting, fertilizing, the proper soil and irrigation techniques. Bring a favorite 8" pot if you have one to start your garden. A limited supply of pots will be available if you don't have one to bring.

This event will be held inside the Almaden Library in the Program Room this Saturday, August 1st at 11am.

Teens--want to be part of a puppet show?

Almaden Teen Puppet Show and Readers Theater - Rehearsal

This is a great opportunity to show your creative talents and be part of our Almaden Teen Puppet and Marionette Theater. The rehearsals are important and if you want to be in the Saturday, August 8 performance (3 p.m.) you need to be at all of the rehearsals (July 24, 31 and Aug 7). Talk with Youth Services Librarian, Ed Koetitz, if you have a problem making any of the required rehearsals. This event takes place in the Program Room each Friday (7/24, 7/31 & 8/7) at 4 p.m.

ESL Book Club reads Copper Sun, by Sharon Draper

All ESL learners are invited to attend our discussion of Copper Sun, by award winning writer, Sharon Draper. This is a historical fiction story, which uses fictional characters to explain actual places or events. Two fifteen-year-old girls--one a slave and the other an indentured servant--escape their Carolina plantation and try to make their way to Fort Moses, Florida, a Spanish colony that gives sanctuary to slaves. See the Information Desk for a reading guide, or speak to Kaye Moore if you have any questions.

Laura Stec is tomorrow!

Come to the library to hear Laura Stec speak on her book, and on environmentalism and eating. The program is at 11 am, and includes food!

Remember--Sustainable Gardening is this Saturday!

The Master Gardeners are back to do another fabulous program for us. This one is on Sustainable Vegetable Gardening. It starts at 1, and ends at 3. Come, and bring your friends!

What new books is the library getting?

Check out what new titles we have received at http://www.sjlibrary.org/services/readers/new.htm. You can even set up an RSS feed to stay on top of what's new!

Environmental Action Through Eating--Saturday, July 18th, 11 a.m.

Environmental Action Through Eating: Best Bang for the Bite

Laura Stec believes that, "One of the most positive effects you can have on your environment begins on your dinner plate." The final event in the summer FOOD FOR THOUGHT series features Laura Stec, as she talks passionately about the many topics covered in her book: Cool Cuisine: Taking the Bite Out of Global Warming. She will present a mini-culinary "how to class," featuring ways to move toward making food choices that benefit our bodies AND the environment. Laura is a San Francisco Bay Area chef who enjoys teaching about the artistry, health and energetics of cooking. She has 37 years combined experience in the food and environmental sectors and currently speaks and consults on ways to incorporate regionally responsible cuisine into institutional food systems, or what she calls green cuisine practices. She promotes this message throughout her many endeavors: private chef and caterer, Culinary Health Educator for Kaiser Permanente Medical Group, Consulting chef with the International Culinary School at the Art Institute of CA, Acterra (a Palo Alto environmental organization) and Eco-Eaters, one of the first food & environment education programs in the U.S. She will also create a California Cheese Platter for our taste and enjoyment. This event takes place in the Program Room.

Vegetable gardening with the Master Gardeners!

Sustainable Vegetable Gardening with the Master Gardeners--Saturday, July 11th 1 p.m.

Join the Almaden Library for the next presentation in our series of events called FOOD FOR THOUGHT that focuses on eating healthier while supporting the community and the environment.

The Master Gardeners program will provide instruction and demonstration techniques as they guide us through sustainable preparation, planting and maintaining of a home vegetable garden. Come and be a part of the growing number of vegetable gardeners...there is nothing more restorative than running your hands through your own soil, planting a seedling you've grown from a seed and watching it grow through your own efforts, then harvesting it and serving it with pride to your loved ones, and knowing all the while that you are doing so in a sustainable way that is good for you and good for the earth. This event takes place in the Program Room inside the Almaden Library.

Be water wise

Check out San Jose's Environmental Services website to get some great tips on water conservation at http://www.sanjoseca.gov/esd/water-conservation/default.asp.

Saturday, June 13th, 10:30-12--Farmers Markets

Eating Locally and Seasonally--the Whys and Hows of Farmers Markets

Join the Almaden Library for the third event in the FOOD FOR THOUGHT series that focuses on eating healthier while supporting the community and the environment. Our presenter for this event, Laurel Miller, is a food & travel writer AND a culinary educator based in the Bay Area and Colorado. Laurel grew up on a California ranch, which ignited her passion about the need to educate people about SEASONAL EATING and SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE. She feels that cooking is a fun and logical way to learn about both. Visit http://www.sustainablekitchen.com/ ® to learn more.

The Sustainable Kitchen® is Laurel's independently-owned contract culinary business that offers writing services, cooking classes, and farm tours that allow students a hands-on education in harvesting and foraging ingredients before using them in on-site cooking classes. LAUREL writes a food travel column for the Oakland Tribune called "Fork in the Road," and contributes to Outside, culture, Gourmet, American Cowboy, Diablo, Napa Sonoma, and Edible Aspen. She has been featured in a number of publications and on radio and television shows including Bay Area Backroads & Evening Magazine, and is currently working on her first book, a food travel memoir.

As part of the presentation, Laurel will demonstrate a farmer's market seasonal salad.

Stroke Awareness Program, June 12th, 10 a.m.

Join the Almaden Library and Community Center and the Stroke Awareness Foundation of Santa Clara County to learn about risks and warning signs that could save the life of you or someone you love. The guest speaker, Ben Parsons, will share his personal story of having suffered a stroke, which led to his passion to educate others that treatment options do exist, and many strokes can be prevented with learning how to identify risk factors and early warning signs.

Check out the winning graphic novel!

SJPL just finished up a graphic novel contest for teens, and 17 year old Jane Liu won the grand prize for her amazing story called Vitus. You can view it at our Teen Talent page: http://sjlibrary.org/gateways/teens/talent/index.htm.

Eating Whole Foods for Your Health-Saturday, June 6th

Join the Almaden Library for the second event in the FOOD FOR THOUGHT series that focuses on eating healthier while supporting the community and the environment on Saturday, June 6th at the Almaden Library, 11:00 a.m.

Our presenter for this event, Bari Mandelbaum, is a Certified Holistic Nutritionist, Herbalist & Wellness Consultant. She attended Stanford University and Bauman College acquiring four levels of Nutrition credentials. Her professional services include pathways to proper diet, use of herbs, exercise, vitamins and supplements, menu-planning and lifestyle improvement to maintain and promote optimal health. She believes that great health is possible at all ages, sizes and physical ability. Bari says, “I want to improve the way people feel by helping them improve the way they eat, live and make choices.”

Bari will speak on the importance of eating healthy foods for healthier bodies and general well-being. She will include a discussion on organic vs. conventionally-grown foods, whole foods vs. processed foods, home-cooking (slow food) vs. fast food, and very importantly, how to incorporate better food-buying and eating habits that are realistic and practical for the everyday working person.

Understanding Stroke: Do you know your risk?

May is National Stroke Month. Stroke is the No. 1 cause of adult disability and the No. 3 cause of death in the United States. However, did you know that it is largely preventable? Find out how to reduce your risk. Also, learn the warning signs of stroke to minimize the chances of disability when it strikes a spouse, relative, friend – or you. Bring your questions and join Sherril Hopper, El Camino Hospital's stroke program coordinator, on Tuesday, May 19, in the Program Room at 1 p.m. Sherril’s talk will begin at 1:30 p.m. Pick up informational brochures that can help save a life. For more information, contact Lena Difasi at the American Stroke Association at 408.977.4950.

The Future of Food, Film Screening and Discussion

Sat, May 23 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Join the Almaden Library for the first event in a series that we will be focusing on this summer, Food for Thought. After the viewing the film The Future of Food, environmental law graduate Maria Ryan will lead the discussion.

"There is a revolution happening in the farm fields and on the dinner tables of America...a revolution that is transforming the very nature of the food we eat. THE FUTURE OF FOOD offers an in-depth investigation into the revealing truth behind the unlabeled, patented, genetically engineered foods that have quietly filled our grocery store shelves for the past decade. The film gives a voice to farmers whose lives and livelihoods have been negatively impacted by this new technology. Shot on location in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, THE FUTURE OF FOOD examines the complex web of politics and corporate control of the world's food system, while exploring the alternatives of organic and sustainable agricultures as real solutions".