January 9, 2009

Off the Shelf

Celebrate Martin Luther King Jr., Chinese New Year at the local library

By Joy Kim
Special to the Times

Celebrate the diverse cultures that make up our community this month at the Evergreen Branch Library! We have some wonderful events for families scheduled for the coming weeks to recognize Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Chinese New Year.

Come to the library on Saturday, Jan. 17, and enjoy a special film screening in the community room to mark Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The film will explore themes related to the civil rights struggle of the 1960s; while it is not rated, it is recommended for ages 10 and up. After the screening, we’ll be doing a special group craft project.

The library will also be bustling on the following Saturday, Jan. 24. In the morning, starting at 11:30 a.m., we’ll have a bilingual Chinese-English storytime in honor of Chinese New Year, followed by a craft for kids. In the afternoon, starting at 2:00 p.m., we’ll have a special program presented by Jeli-Tyme for families and children that will introduce attendees to African-American art and literature through folk tales, music and movement, and arts and crafts.

We hope to see you at the library for one or all of these events. For more information on what is going on at Evergreen Branch Library, be sure to browse our calendar of events below or to pick up our monthly brochure the next time you are in the branch.

Evergreen Branch Library’s Calendar

For Adults and Teens

- Integral Tai Chi Classes
Mondays, 7:00-8:00 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.

- 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, first and third Tuesdays by appointment, at 7:00 p.m. Classes will be in English and Spanish and taught by Pastor John and Judith Goldstein.

- Evergreen Library, Study Room A, first and third Tuesdays, at 7:00 p.m. Classes will be taught in English and Vietnamese.

- Evergreen Library, Study Room A, Saturdays, 2:00-4:00 p.m. Classes will be in Hindi, Panjabi and English. Taught by staff from the Sikh Gurdwara.

- District 8 Roundtable
Thursday, Jan. 15, 7:00-9:00 p.m. in the Community Room
Come together with Evergreen community members and neighborhood associations to discuss on-going issues in our district.

- teensReach Meeting
Friday, Jan. 16, 3:30-4:30 p.m. in the Community Room
Join our teensReach group and learn about volunteering in the library, earning community service credit and helping make the library great. Teens ages 13-18 can pick up a teensReach application at the information desk.

- Friends of the Evergreen Library Booksale
Saturday, Jan. 24, 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. in Group Study Room B
Find great bargains on used books and media. All proceeds of the sale benefit the library.

For Children and Teens

Wii gaming events for school-age children and teens.

- Wii Wednesday, Wednesdays, 3:30-5:00 p.m. in the Teen Room

For Children and Families

Storytimes

- Preschool Storytime (plus Stay & Play), for ages 3-5, Tuesdays at 11:30 a.m.

- Mother Goose Time (plus Stay & Play), for ages 0-2, Wednesdays at 11:30 a.m.

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

- Toddler Storytime (plus Stay & Play), for ages 2-3, Fridays at 11:30 a.m.

- Reading Buddies
Thursdays, 4:00-5:00 p.m. in the Family Place
Children in grades K-3 can come to the library and practice their reading skills with a teen buddy.

- Music and Movement with Preschoolers
Saturday, Jan. 10, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. in the Community Room
Parents will learn to use music to enhance their children’s learning experience. Music games such as the parachute, bean bags, scarves and rhythm sticks will add to this fun-filled family activity.

- Martin Luther King Jr. Day Film Screening
Saturday, Jan. 17, 3:00-5:00 p.m. in the Community Room
Join us for a film screening in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The movie is not rated but recommended for viewers ages 10 and up. After the movie, we’ll be doing a special craft project.

- Chinese-English Storytime
Saturday, Jan. 24, 11:30 a.m-12:30 p.m. in the Family Place
Join us for a special bilingual storytime in English and Chinese. Stories, songs and fun.

- Jeli-Tyme Story and Craft
Saturday, Jan. 24, 2:00-3:30 p.m. in the Community Room
Join us for a 90-minute production of music and arts and crafts in the community room. This program will highlight African-American literary and artistic works through the vehicles of folk tales/lore, music and movement, arts and crafts.

- Library Closures
Monday, Jan. 19 – All libraries

For news of other library activities, including those at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library visit: http://www.sjlibrary.org/about/events/. For links to RSS feeds of library events; visit http://www.sjlibrary.org/rss/index.htm.

Joy Kim 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.