October 5, 2007

Off the Shelf

Halloween fun coming to the local library

By Tim Collins
Adult Services Librarian

Most everyone knows that Oct. 31 marks Halloween, when we dress up and trick-or-treat. Here at Tully, we will certainly have our Halloween-themed picture books prominently displayed in our Children’s area. Regular weekly storytimes will feature ghosts, goblins, and other scary themes. Plus, we’ll hold a Halloween festival on Oct. 27, from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., complete with crafts, games and prizes. Come in costume, win a prize!

But did you know that October also marks National Teen Read Week, Oct. 14-20? Gee, is it by design or coincidence that this almost identically coincides with Freedom From Bullies week, Oct. 15-21? Give your gila monster a hug on Oct. 20, Reptile Awareness Day! Can’t keep the dates straight? Don’t worry, be happy! The entire month of October is National Book Month! Celebrate it at your local San José Public Library.

Homework Center
The Homework Center has started at Tully! This grant-funded program is one of the most popular services offered by the library, and Tully is fortunate to be one of the twelve SJPL locations offering it. Hillview and Seventrees are two other library locations within the broader readership area of the Evergreen Times that also offer homework centers. After school, students may drop in at the Homework Center and receive assistance with their homework. Stymied by spelling? Mystified with math? Flummoxed by fractions? Harried by history? Addled over art? Stumped by social studies? Vexed by vocabulary? Troubled by trig’? Jinxed by geography? Suffering over science? Riled up while reading? Wrestling over writing? Our Homework Center can help!

We have hired three knowledgeable tutors, who can assist students grades K through 12. As of this writing, Tully’s homework center operates Monday through Thursday afternoons, 3 to 5 pm. Due to the popularity of this service, we may extend the hours as funding permits. Tutors of course will not do homework for the student, but they will assist with the concepts and understanding the subject matter. Tully’s Homework Center is held in the Family Learning Center classroom, although if attendance or a need for more quiet or privacy comes into play, we can also have one of the tutors and a few students move into a nearby group study room.

The Family Learning Center area includes four computers. At other hours of the day these computers are kept aside for English learners, because of special software programs installed on them. But during the hours the Homework Center is operating, students will be encouraged to use the databases and other information resources accessed through the library website www.sjlibrary.org, especially Live Homework Help.

To access Live Homework Help from your home computer, go to our library website, and then click on either the “Kids” or the “Teens” link on your left. On the next page that pops up, you’ll see the icon for Live Homework Help. This service operates like an “instant messenger” service, with a student asking questions and a knowledgeable tutor at the other end providing guidance in finding the answers. Live Homework Help is offered from 1 to 10 pm daily for English assistance, and from 1 to 7 pm Sunday through Thursday for Spanish assistance regarding math and science questions.

San José Public Library offers a similar service for adults via the library website….. Ask Now: Live Online Reference. This is accessed from www.sjlibrary.org via the “Research” link towards the top of the page. Because Ask Now is a cooperative venture staffed by librarians throughout California and the United States, it operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Whether you can best be served by our on-site Homework Center, or our online Live Homework Help or Ask Now services, remember San José Public Library when you have homework or information needs.

Yoga Workshop;
Tuesday evenings, Oct. 9-30
Several months ago, we offered a health and wellness program focusing on yoga. It was so well-received that we’re holding the series again. This four-week series, taught by the Art of Living Foundation, takes place in our Community Room on Tuesday evenings, Oct. 9 through 30 starting at 6:30 pm.
Each session starts off with yoga asanas, a series of stretching exercises that relax the body and mind, followed by a guided meditation session, then by talks focusing on various subjects as follows:

- Oct. 9: Stress, Breath, and You

- Oct. 16: Healthy Nutrition through Ayurveda

- Oct. 23: Yoga and Your Health

- Oct. 30: Empowering our Youth (tools to handle emotions and stress)

Bookmark Contest
Celebrating Teen Read Week, Tully library invites everyone to join our “My Favorite Book” Bookmark Contest on Oct. 19, from 3:45-5:30 p.m. Everyone is invited to make bookmark(s) illustrating his/her favorite book using our provided supplies such as cardstock, colored papers, paints, glitter, colored pencils, and crayons.

Pick and choose carefully and submit your best “My Favorite Book” bookmark to win $20 in cash prize. Three hundred (300) black and white copies of the winner’s bookmark will also be published and distributed at Tully Community Branch Library.

Other Teen Events
teensReach Meeting- speaker from Police Auditor’s office- The teensReach meeting on Oct. 17, at 5 p.m. features a crime prevention presentation by Diane Doolan, JD, a public relations and education specialist from the Office of the Independent Police Auditor.

Reading Buddies volunteer training- Teens, share your talents and make a difference! Read with a buddy for one hour once a week, Thursdays at 4 p.m. If you’re between 13-17, and enjoy reading and working with children, then have fun, help young readers, and fulfill community service hours. To attend the next one hour orientation and training on Oct. 25, at 3 pm, sign up at the Info Desk.

Calendar of Events
For a listing of all upcoming Tully events, pick up a calendar in English or Spanish, or check the Events section of the SJPL website www.sjlibrary.org. 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 McLaughlin and Senter. The Library’s phone number is 808-3030. For more information about events and services provided by San José Public Library, including the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.Library downtown, visit sjlibrary.org.