November 16, 2007

Off the Shelf

Plan for the holidays at the library

By Vanessa Menor
Librarian at the Evergreen Branch Library

Everyone has a favorite holiday; the most popular top choices are Christmas, Easter and Halloween. Growing up my favorite holiday was Christmas for three reasons – presents, presents and two weeks off from school. As an adult, my favorite holiday is Thanksgiving. Delicious food, time off work, and great sales at the mall -- makes me wonder why it’s not everyone’s favorite holiday. If you’ve got big plans for Thanksgiving, or you still need to make them, the library can help. We have a wide variety of craft, decorating and cook books.

The Evergreen Branch Library would like to thank our local Target store for the Early Childhood Reading grant we received to help fund our “Let’s Learn to Read” program. Our “Let’s Learn to Read” program promotes the development of literacy and reading skills, both of which are critically important for school success. The grant funding will help us purchase needed supplies and materials for the librarian to use during our storytimes, book clubs and other special events. Developing community partnerships is an important goal for the library, and we’d like to thank Target for helping us achieve this.

Evergreen Library’s Calendar

For Adults and Teens

Integral Tai Chi Classes
Mondays, 7 -8 p.m. in the Community Room

Integral Tai Chi is a self-healing system that integrates tai chi, yoga, relaxation and meditation to heal the mind, body and spirit.

Conversation Club
Wednesdays, 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. in Study Room A

Adults are invited to join our Conversation Club to practice their English language skills.

Citizenship Class
Prepare for the citizenship test with others in a class setting. We will be learning about American history and government. Practice tests will be available.

Class Schedule
Grace Church, Classroom One, 1st & 3rd Tuesdays, at 7 p.m. Classes will be in English and Spanish and taught by Pastor John & Judith Goldstein

Evergreen Library, Study Room A, 1st and 3rd Wednesdays, at 7 p.m. Classes will be in English and Chinese and taught by Librarian Shu-Hua Liu

Sikh Gurwara, Saturdays, 2 – 4 p.m. Classes will be in Hindi, Panjabi and English and taught by Dr. Sraon

Evergreen Garden Club Lecture
Wednesday, Nov. 21, 7 – 8 p.m. in the Community Room

At this month's meeting, the Evergreen Valley Garden Club will be presenting a lecture "Making Your Own Holiday Centerpieces: Holiday Centerpieces That Will Transform From Thanksgiving to Christmas" by club member and owner of Bella Fiori - Vicki Rasmussen.

Citizenship Q & A Program
Saturday, Dec. 1, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. in the Community Room

Do you have questions about your citizenship application or application process? Check out the Citizenship Q & A session.

Evergreen Adult Book Club - An Evening of Poetry
Wednesday, Dec. 5, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. in the Community Room.

Join us for a lively discussion of poetry. Bring your favorite poem, works by your favorite poet, or something that you've written to share with the group.

For Children and Families

Storytimes
*Preschool Storytime, for ages 3-5, Tuesdays at 11:30 a.m.

*Mother Goose Time, for ages 0-2, Wednesdays at 11:30 a.m.

Family Storytime, for children of all ages, Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m.

Reading to Children volunteer Grandma Carol, for ages 3-5, Thursdays at 11:30 a.m.

*Toddler Storytime, Fridays at 11:30 a.m.

*After these storytimes, there will be Stay & Play. Stay & Play is an opportunity for parents to socialize while their children play with educational toys.

Our fall 2007 Storytime session has been a great success. Thank you moms, dads, grandparents and caregivers; your participation has been invaluable. The Storytime break will begin in December, and storytimes will resume Jan. 8, 2008.

Fabulous Friday Craft
Friday, Nov. 30 , 3:30 – 4:30 p.m. in the Community Room

Come make a special craft to take home! For ages 6+ please.

Fabulous Friday Flicks – Hoot
Friday, Dec.7, 3:30 – 5:30 p.m. in the Community Room

Some of the best movies are based on books, and the books are usually better! Come watch the movie Hoot by Carl Hiaasen. When a boy moves from Montana to Florida with his family, he's compelled to engage in a fight to protect a population of endangered owls.

Holiday Closures
Thanksgiving - November 22 - 23, 2007

For news of other library activities, including those at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library, visit: http://www.sjlibrary.org/about/events/

Vanessa Menor is a Librarian at the Evergreen Branch Library, 2635 Aborn Rd, between Capitol Expressway and White Rd. Evergreen Branch is part of the San Jose Public Library. The Library’s phone number is 408-808-3060. For more information about the library, visit the website at sjlibrary.org.