March 23, 2007

Off the Shelf

Celebrating poetry, diversity and the young child in April

By Tim Collins
Adult Services Librarian

April: celebrate Poetry Month! Diversity Month! The Month of the Young Child! Here at Tully Community Branch Library, we recently rearranged the furniture, and now have a regular display area for monthly and seasonal celebrations. In February, we honored African-American History Month, in March we celebrated Women’s History Month. In April we may need to split the display between Poetry and Diversity! So check it out. Whatever you’re celebrating, your local San José Public Library is a great place to find interesting resources and information.

Tully Library’s Calendar
For Children and Families
- Tuesdays, 11:30 a.m. – Fun for Ones, followed by Stay & Play
- Tuesdays, Apr. 3, 10, 24, 6:45 p.m. – Family Storytimes
- Tuesday, Apr. 17, 6:45 p.m. – Rainbow the Clown

- Thursdays, 10:30 a.m. - Toddler Time, followed by Stay & Play

- Fridays, 10:30 a.m. – Preschool Storytime followed by Stay & Play, followed by “Bring Me a Book” workshops on Mar. 30 and Apr. 6
- Fridays, 4 p.m. – Children’s and Teen activities

Apr. 6 – Easter Egg Hunt

Apr. 13 – Reading Buddies

Apr. 20 –Teen Idol Contest

Apr. 27 – Game Day

- Saturdays, 11:30 a.m. – Family Storytimes
- Saturdays, 10 a.m. - noon – Cambodian language class
- Saturdays, 1 and 3 p.m. – Vietnamese Language class
- Saturdays, 10:30 and 11:30 a.m., Apr. 7, 14, 21 – Visual Arts classes for children, ages 4-5; Registration forms available at the library or at www.vietarts.org.

- Friday, Apr. 13, 5:30-7 p.m. – Cambodian dance lesson

- Sunday, Apr. 22, 1-4 p.m. – Cambodian New Year celebration

- Saturday Apr. 21, 4 p.m. and Thursday, Apr. 26, 3:30 p.m. - Snack Smart for Kids, 4th-8th grades
- Saturday, Apr. 28, noon (after story time) – New Parent’s Kits, demonstration by First 5

For Young Adults and Adults
- Sundays, Tai Chi classes- Advanced 1-3 p.m.; Beginning 3-5 p.m.

- Tuesdays 5 p.m. and Saturdays 11 a.m. - Computer tutoring

- Wednesdays at 1 p.m. and Saturdays at 2 p.m. – Family Learning Center orientations
- Wednesdays at 5 p.m. – Conversation Group for English learners
- Wednesdays, 6 p.m. – Beginning Computer Classes in Vietnamese

- Fridays, Mobile One Stop, job search assistance
9:30 a.m. –noon (Tully Library)
1:30 – 4 p.m. (Evergreen Library)

- Saturdays, 1 and 3 p.m. – Vietnamese/English Citizenship classes
- Saturday, Apr. 7 and May 5 – starting at 10 a.m. – Special Booksales

- Tuesday, Apr. 17, 6 p.m. – Tully Friends of the Library meeting
- Tuesday, Apr. 17, 6 p.m. – Citizenship Advice in Spanish

- Wednesday, Apr. 18, 6 p.m. – TeensReach Meeting and Orientation

- Thursday, Apr. 19, 4 p.m. – Databases for Students

- Friday, Apr. 13 and Saturday, Apr. 14, 2-4 p.m. – Words in Motion, poetry workshop for older teens

- Saturday, Apr. 14, 2-3:30 p.m. – VietREADS! author Andrew Lam
- Saturday, Apr. 28, 2-3:30 p.m. – VietREADS! author Vinh Hoang

- Last Wednesday of the month, Book Discussion, 7 p.m.

Mar. 28 – Memoirs of a Geisha, Arthur Golden

Apr. 25 – Tis, A Memoir, Frank McCourt

Join Partners in Reading
Do you enjoy reading and helping others? Consider a richly rewarding volunteer opportunity as a tutor in San José Public Library’s adult literacy program Partners in Reading. Work one-to-one or lead a small group of English-speaking adults who read or write below a ninth grade level. Help them achieve their learning goals.

Sign up now for the April 18 orientation. Training will be on April 21 and 28. Fourteen hours of training, instructional materials, and on-going support are all provided free of charge. No experience necessary. However, there is a required commitment of two hours per week for six months. Call Partners in Reading at (408) 808-2361 to register or for more information.

Free New Parents Kits; April 28 at Noon
Your child’s first years are very important. As such, First 5 of Santa Clara County offers parents of children prenatal through age five a short presentation and a free New Parents Kit. The Kit includes practical information. Topics covered include good health, loving relationships and learning opportunities. The Kit contains six videos (parenting tips; finding quality child care; health and nutrition; child safety; early learning and speaking; discipline), a parenting resource guide and a children’s book.

Easter Egg Hunt, Friday, April 6
We will hold an Easter Egg Hunt at 4 p.m. on April 6, the Friday before Easter. Whether we hold it inside or outside depends on the weather, so stay tuned. It’s been a very popular, well-attended event in past years. The TeensReach members sponsor the event. Kids between ages 5 and 10 can hunt eggs and enjoy other fun activities, such as face painting, string painting, and hide-and-seek art. Don’t know what hide-and-seek art is? Come, participate and find out for yourself!

Are You a Poet and Don’t Know It?
We particularly celebrate National Poetry Month on April 13 and 14, Friday and Saturday, from 2 to 4 p.m. That’s when we offer the free two-part workshop Finding Your Poetic Voice for high school students, co-sponsored with the Association for Viet Arts. Here at Tully, we’re honored that Bao Phi, two-time Minnesota Grand Poetry Slam champion and individual finalist at the 2000 National Poetry Slam will be attending. Space is limited, so register in advance; contact Vina Tran at vinatran@yahoo.com, or call (408) 483-3446.

VietREADS! Author Appearances
The multi-author VietREADS! Series continues in April, exploring the literature, food, music and arts of Vietnam. Both Tully appearances take place on Saturdays from 2 to 3:30 p.m.:

April 14: Andrew Lam examines the history of Vietnamese-American migration and reads from his book Perfume Dreams : Reflections on the Vietnamese Diaspora

April 28: Vinh Hoang introduces his poetry and unique art creations.

The VietREADS! series is part of the California Cultural Crossroads initiative supported by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provision of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the State Library.

Chinese Story Time at Evergreen Library
Evergreen Library introduces Chinese story time on March 24. The year 2007 being the Year of the Pig, stories at this initial Chinese storytime will include “Long-Nosed Pig”, “Three Little Pigs” and similar-themed stories. Also, we’ll explore the Chinese Zodiac, with stories explaining why the cat hides from the mouse, and how the 12 zodiac animals were chosen. In addition to the stories, we’ll have finger plays, songs and crafts. The story time will mainly be delivered in Mandarin, but all children and parents are welcome.

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 website at sjlibrary.org.