August 10, 2007

Off the Shelf

Aug. 19: celebrating renowned scribes, Coco Chanel, National Aviation Day and Star Trek

By Tim Collins
Adult Services Librarian

Aug. 19 marks National Aviation Day, the birth anniversary (1871) of Orville Wright of Wright Brothers fame, who piloted the famous “first flight” in 1903 at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

Before our Santa Clara Valley became generally known as “Silicon Valley,” aviation was a big presence here, and it still is - witness Lockheed, now Lockheed-Martin, in Sunnyvale. Coincidentally, Aug. 19 also marks the birth anniversary of Gene Roddenberry (1921), creator of the Star Trek franchise.

Here down on Earth, Aug. 19 marks the birthday or birth anniversaries of Malcolm Forbes, publisher; Ogden Nash and Frank McCourt, writers; Coco Chanel, fashion designer and fragrance maven; and our immediate past president, William Jefferson Clinton.

Whether your interests take flight to the stars, or center on fashion, politics, writing or other earthbound pursuits, we have the information resources for you right here at your local San José Public Library.

Computer classes at Tully
Computer classes for seniors on Tuesdays starting Aug. 21
East Side Adult Education will be conducting a regular computer class starting on Aug. 21, held in our computer lab, and extending through June of 2008. Time will be from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., before the library is open to the public generally. Enrollment is limited, so register early. Sign up at the Iola Williams Senior Center, 2072 Lucretia Avenue, open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays. The phone number is 292-6592.

Other library computer trainings/classes
We offer other opportunities to learn basic computer skills, ranging from one-on-one hour-long tutoring sessions (Tuesdays at 5 p.m., Saturdays at 11 a.m.), to somewhat more formal classes in Vietnamese (Wednesdays at 6 p.m.) and Spanish (Tuesdays at 6 p.m.).

ESL classes
East Side Adult Education likewise provides English as a Second Language instruction. They will conduct classes here at the Tully Library Community Room four mornings a week: Tuesday through Friday, 9 a.m. to noon starting on Aug. 21. Different people are at different levels in learning English, so for placement, registration and other information about the class, call the Overfelt Adult Center at 254-8101.

Our Saturday citizenship classes have become so popular that we are adding a midweek citizenship class: Wednesday evenings, 6 to 8 p.m. Instructors are trained volunteers, supported by Services, Immigrant Rights and Education Network (SIREN), and are fluent in English and Vietnamese.

Parenting Workshops on Aug. 18
Kids in the kitchen 1
1:30-12:30 p.m.
Parents and preschoolers will learn ways to eat healthy foods, get answers to questions about making good food choices, and prepare fun, delicious, healthy snacks. Registration is encouraged, but not absolutely necessary. Come to the library or call 808-3030.

Keeping parents informed 3-6 p.m. (in Vietnamese)
San José police and a CalWORKS counselor cover issues of concern to parents: child safety, truancy, gang awareness, traffic laws, emergency contact, etc. Program will be presented in Vietnamese.

Storytimes in Spanish and Vietnamese; teensReach performers
Regular Tully customers know that we offer a full slate of storytimes in English (although we are taking an August hiatus). This library is centered in a very diverse neighborhood, however, so we are pleased to announce the start of regular bilingual storytimes in Spanish and English, and other special bilingual storytimes in Vietnamese and English.

The Spanish/English storytimes will take place on Wednesday evenings at 7 p.m., starting Sept. 5; our first guest presenter will be Janice Garcia, a librarian now based at our Educational Park Branch.

The series Lotus in the West takes place at multiple locations up until Dec. 1. Stories will be read in English and Vietnamese by well-known community members. Arts and crafts follow the story time. The program is designed encourage pride in cultural heritage among Vietnam-ese-American children. Families with children from preschool to seventh grade are welcome. In San Jose, the series will be presented on Saturdays, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at:

Tully Community Branch Library; Aug. 11, Sept. 8, Oct. 6 and Nov. 10

Evergreen Branch Library; Aug. 18, Sept. 15, Oct. 13 and Nov. 3

Hillview Branch Library; Aug. 25, Sept. 22, Oct. 20 and Nov. 17

This is a collaborative program brought to you by San José Public Library and VNHELP (Viet Nam Health, Education and Literature Projects)

Our regular weekly storytimes - Fun for Ones, Toddler Times, Preschool Storytimes and Family Storytimes - return in September.

Our teensReach group contains an active contingent of thespians. Accordingly, every now and then they present a skit as a special storytime. To kick off the resumption of our regular storytimes, the teensReach group will be presenting a folktale skit, “The Ram and the Pig Build a House.” Date and time: Sept. 1, 11:30 a.m.

Friday Fun
We regularly offer Friday Fun activities at 4 p.m. Sometimes, the activity will be somewhat focused on children, other times on teens, still others on families as a whole. Once a month the activity will be the showing of a family-oriented movie, so on that Friday, we start at 3:30 p.m. in order to accommodate running time. Other activities include craft projects and game days.

On Sept. 7, we have a particularly intriguing craft planned: “color resist.” This will involve wax and dyes and water resistant substances: kind of a mini-version of tie-dying T-shirts at summer camp. Come, participate and see for yourself.

For a complete calendar of Tully events, pick up one of our hand-out calendars in English or Spanish the next time you visit the library, or check the Events section of the SJPL website www.sjlibrary.org. Whether it’s Friday afternoon, or any other time of the week, you can always find something fun and interesting at your local San José Public Library!

Tim Collins is the Adult Services Librarian at the Tully Community Branch Library, 880 Tully Road, between Mc-Laughlin 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 www.sjlibrary.org.