January 27, 2006

Off the Shelf

Celebrating February and other tidbits

By Tim Collins
Special to the Times

February… the shortest month of the year: scrutinize groundhogs, celebrate love and honor presidents. February 1, Freedom Day (this day in 1865 Abraham Lincoln approved the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery) ushers in National Black History Month.

In addition to these better-known occurrences, February marks Bird Feeding Month, Cherry Month, Parent Leadership Month, Youth Leadership Month, Relationship Wellness Month, and the last word…..Library Lover’s Month. Whatever month you’re celebrating, come celebrate it here at the library!

Free ESL Classes (English as a Second Language)
Starting this month we are offering free English classes here at Tully for adults for whom English is not a first language. These classes take place Tuesday through Friday, 8:50 a.m. to 12:00 noon. Do you or someone you know have need of this sort of service? Please contact us if you have questions. Or better yet, show up for the class. The Overfelt Adult Center, part of the East Side Union High School District, is offering the class here at the Tully Community Room. . Their phone number is 408-254-8101.

Silicon Valley Reads – Author Visit Feb. 25
It’s not often an author visits a branch library. So the following notice from last month’s column deserves a repeat.

2006 marks the fourth year for the group Silicon Valley Reads. This year two books were selected, The Souvenir: A Daughter Discovers Her Father’s War by Louise Steinman, and When the Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka. Here at Tully Community Library, author Louise Steinman will come to our Community Room for a discussion on February 25 at 1:30 p.m. Read the book and mark the date on your calendar!

Both books present unique highly personal perspectives on World War II. In The Souvenir, Louise Steadman relates how after the deaths of her parents, she finds more than 400 letters written by her father while he was stationed in the South Pacific during World War II. It reveals a man she did not know, and experiences he had never shared. She also finds a Japanese soldier’s flag, which she returns to his family while on a journey to visit the places where her father fought. In When the Emperor Was Divine, Julie Otsaka’s debut novel tells of a Japanese American woman and her two children who are forced to leave their Berkeley home for an internment camp in Utah following Pearl Harbor.

Join in the community experience. If you can’t make it to the February 25 discussion/author visit at Tully, check with the library. We can provide you a listing of the many locations Ms. Otsuka and Ms. Steadman will be visiting throughout the area during February.

Science Experiments
At a loss for what to do for your school science fair project? Visit the library’s website for some ideas. Follow this path:
Go to www.sjlibrary.org.

Click on “Web Links by Subject”

Click on “Science”

Click on “Science Projects”

This will bring you to various websites with a wealth of science experiment activities, geared to students at various levels.

Biography Resource Center
One of the library’s databases that I use most often for customers is the Biography Resource Center. If you know the name of the person you’re looking for, great. But if you are after information more general in nature, but haven’t decided on a specific person yet- for example, you need a Greek architect, or a Bolivian scientist, or an American female social rights activist- this is the source for you. It’s available on your home computer as long as you have a San José Public Library card. Go to www.sjlibrary.org, then click on “Articles and Databases.” Depending on the person, you will end up with possibly several encyclopedia-like articles. If you need help accessing or navigating our databases, give us a call. We’re here to serve!

Tim Collins is the Adult Services Librarian at the Tully Community Branch Library, 880 Tully Road, between McLaughlin and Senter. It is one of the branches of the San Jose Public Library. The Library’s phone number is 808-3030. For more information about the library, visit the Web site at sjlibrary.org.

Tully Library’s Calendar

For Children and Families
Sundays, 1:00-1:45 p.m. and 2:00-2:45 p.m. – Vietnamese dance and music classes

Tuesdays, 11:30 a.m. – Fun for Ones, followed by Stay & Play
Tuesdays, 6:45 p.m. – Family Storytimes

Wednesday, Feb. 1, 3:30 p.m. – Movie for Kids

Thursdays, 10:30 am - Toddler Time, followed by Stay & Play (Feb. 2)
or Parenting University (Feb. 9, 16 & 23)

Fridays, 10:30 a.m. – Preschool Storytime followed by Stay and Play
Fridays at 4:00 p.m. – Fun for Youth activities
(Feb. 3 & 17 – Game Day; Feb. 10 – Valentine Craft; Feb. 24 – Runescape Party)
Fridays, Feb. 10, 17 & 24, 4:00 to 6:00 pm – Cambodian Cultural Dance

Saturdays, 11:30 a.m. – Family Storytimes
Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 12 noon – Cambodian language class
Saturdays, 1:00-3:00 p.m. and 3:00–5:00 p.m. – Vietnamese language classes

For Young Adults and Adults
Sundays, 3:00-6:00 p.m. – Integral Tai Chi class

Tuesdays, 5:00 p.m. - Computer tutoring
Tuesdays at 6:00 p.m., and Wednesdays at 12:00 noon – Conversation Groups

Wednesdays, Feb. 1, 8 & 22, 6:00 p.m. – Beginning Internet classes in Vietnamese

Saturdays, 1:00-3:00 p.m. – Citizenship classes
Saturday, Feb. 4, 3:00-5:00 p.m. – “Get Real, Get Fit” Teen Nutrition Workshop
Saturdays, Feb. 4 and Mar. 4 - 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. – Big Booksales

Wednesday, Feb. 15, 3:30 p.m. – Movie for Teens
Wednesday, Feb. 15, 6:00 p.m. – TeensReach meeting and orientation

Saturday, Feb. 25, 1:30 p.m. – Silicon Valley Reads author visit: Louise Steadman, The Souvenir

Library Closures
Feb. 19 and 20 – President’s Day Holiday