August 25, 2006

Off the Shelf

It’s back to school time at the branch library

By Tim Collins
Special to the Times

September is Backpack Safety Month, National School Success Month and Library Card Sign-Up Month! Hmm, do I detect a common theme here? Whatever your back-to-school needs may be, a San José Public Library card will always be a valuable item in your purse, wallet or keychain!

Tully Library Calendar

For Children and Families
- Tuesdays, Fun for Ones, followed by Stay & Play: Sept. 12, 19, 26 at 11:30 a.m.
- Tuesdays, Family Story times: Sept. 12, 19, 26 at 6:45 p.m.

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

- Fridays, Preschool Story time followed by Stay and Play: At 10:30 a.m.
- Fridays at 4 p.m. – Crafts & games for kids
Sept. 8 – Make a Button
Sept. 15 – Runescape Party
Sept. 22 – Ice Cream Social
Sept. 29 – Game Day

- Fridays, Cambodian dance lessons
Sept. 8, 15, 22, 29 from 4-6 p.m.

- Saturdays, Family Story times: At 11:30 a.m.
- Saturdays, Cambodian language class; From 10 a.m. to 12 noon
- Saturdays, Vietnamese Language class; At 1- and 3 p.m.

- Wednesday, After school movie for kids: Sept. 6 at 4 p.m.

- Saturday, Free Jazz Concert by Eddie Gale; Sept. 9 from noon – 1 p.m.
- Saturday, Moon Festival Celebration; Sept. 30 from 3- to 5 p.m.
For Young Adults and Adults
- Sundays, Tai Chi classes: Beginning 1-3 p.m.; Advanced 3-5 p.m.

- Tuesdays, Computer tutoring; at 5 p.m.
- Tuesday, Citizenship legal advice in Spanish; Sept. 19 at 6:30 p.m.

- Wednesdays Conversation Group: At 5 p.m.
- Wednesdays, Beginning Computer Classes in Vietnamese; At 6 p.m.

- Saturdays, Vietnamese/English Citizenship classes; At 1- and 3 p.m.
Sept. 2 – 1 p.m. session is a class, 3 p.m. session is legal advice presented by SIREN
- Saturday, Citizenship Interview Information; Sept. 2 from 5-6 p.m.
- Saturdays, Special Book sales
Sept. 2 - 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Oct. 7 - 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

- Tuesday, Friends of Tully Library Meeting: Sept. 19 from 6-7 p.m.

- Wednesday, Movie for Teens; Sept. 20 at 3 p.m.
- Wednesday, TeensReach Meeting and Orientation; Sept. 20 at 6 p.m.

- Saturday, –Citizenship Practice Interviews; Sept. 9 from 3-5 p.m.
- Saturday, Free Medical Workshop: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Sept. 23 from 11 a.m. – noon

Library Closures
- Monday, Sept. 4 – Labor Day Holiday
- Friday, Sept. 22 – Staff In-Service in the morning, library open 1-6 p.m.

New Evergreen Library’s Grand Opening – Sept. 16
September16 marks the grand opening of the new Evergreen Library. If this opening day follows the recent pattern of other library grand openings, there will be speeches by local luminaries starting at 11 a.m., with…… TA DA! ….. the ribbon cut at noon, and the eagerly awaiting crowd pours in, marveling at the terrific new library.

What will you see inside the new building?
Well, from the San José Public Library Web site, the “bond projects” section, it tells us this new building is 21,000 square feet, as opposed to the previous Evergreen Library’s 7,448 square feet. There will be 41 computers, 124 seats, group study room capacity for 16 persons, a story telling area that can comfortably accommodate 50 persons, a community room and 87 parking spaces.

Speaking of the parking lot, that’s another nice change. Drivers on Aborn, approaching the library from the direction of Capitol, will no longer have to make that U-turn. The light at Kettmann will offer a convenient left turn going right into the driveway of the library.

I’m looking forward to seeing a photomontage depicting San José generally and the Evergreen area particularly, past and present, somewhere near the entrance. Thanks to the generosity of the good folks at Evergreen Valley College, there will probably be some vintage scenes of Evergreen included, as it was approximately 100 years ago.

This new library has been a long time in the making, from the “Yes” vote on the bond measure in 2000, to the groundbreaking ceremony in January 2005, till now. You, the Evergreen community, have participated throughout the process. I’m sure it will be everything you hoped for, and more!

Moon Festival
On Sept. 30, from 3 to 5 p.m., we celebrate the Moon Festival at Tully Library, complete with a children’s parade, lanterns, moon cakes, music and games. The Moon Festival is celebrated throughout East Asian countries: China, Korea and Vietnam. In Vietnam, it’s largely recognized as a holiday geared toward children, but with plenty of adult children-at-heart having fun as well.

Legend says that hundreds of years ago, the Emperor took his Empress to a lake called Thai Dich on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month where they admired the moon. When the moon was at its brightest, the Emperor composed a poem and explained it to his wife.

Join Partners in Reading
Do you enjoy reading and helping others? Consider a richly rewarding volunteer opportunity as a tutor in the adult literacy program-Partners in Reading. Work one-to-one or lead a small group with English-speaking adults, who read and/or write below a ninth grade level, to achieve their learning goals. Sign up now for the Sept.27 orientation. Training will be on Sept. 30 and Oct.7. 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 the San Jose Public Library at (408) 808-2361 for more information and other training dates.

Personal Note – This Column
Many customers have been kind enough to ask if I am going back to the Evergreen Library. Thank you for your interest, and the tacit compliment! However, the answer is no, I will be staying here at Tully. Among other considerations, it’s approximately five miles closer to where I live. As for this column, I will continue writing news of Tully, and an Evergreen staff member at some point soon will be writing a column about news of the Evergreen Library. We plan to alternate issues of the Evergreen Times. Of course, both Evergreen and Tully are San José Public Libraries. Your library card is good at both locations, and any of the other library locations in the city. Come see us!

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.