Catching up... at the Library

Last year, most of the staff dressed up for Halloween because it fell on a Friday when we were all here. This year, however, Linda was the only one who really got into the spirit of things. She started her day by reading stories at one of our local elementary schools. She then came to the Library, and graced us with her "witchy" presence. Except for the fake moles on her face, she actually was a very glamorous witch. Check out that hat!








Jenn also stopped by with her "dinosaur," Miles. This was Jenn's last day as a visitor to the library, because she came back to work on Monday, after her maternity leave. Be sure to stop by the Children's Desk and welcome her back.









Henry has introduced a new Bestseller Collection: DVDs!
They are located in the DVD section on a top shelf. Don't be surprised, though, if the shelf looks pretty empty most of the time. Henry put the DVDs out on Friday afternoon, and within two hours only two were left!
They are first come, first serve, and holds can't be placed on them. So when you come in, make sure to check the shelf to see what has just been returned.

SF Chronicle and NYT Best Seller lists

SF Chronicle and NYT Best Seller lists are now available as a sub-link in our online catalog! It even tells you what number on the list the book is, but we have not figured out how to make then sort in order yet.

Something "New"... at the Library

Who is this man, and what is he looking at so intently? His name is Philip K. Dick, and I think he is looking at the great new display that Henry recently created near the Adult Reference Desk. Dick died in 1982, but he is best remembered for science fiction like Blade Runner, A Scanner Darkly and Minority Report.


Although Dick has been dead for over 20 years, his books continue to be read and appreciated by millions.

So, the next time you visit the Library, come on downstairs, and take a look at Henry's display. You might "discover" a new favorite author.

Knitting Excellence... at the Library

Our Read One, Knit Too group has been meeting for several years at the Library on Tuesday evenings. As the group has grown, we have held the meeting in several different places in the Library. We've met near the DVDs, near the CDs, and in the Children's Room. While we all loved the tables in the Children's Room, the chairs were a little hard, and the tables were a little short. But now, I think we've found the perfect spot!

Sandra showed us the beautiful shawl she made for her daughter. Her daughter is going to college in Chicago, and the shawl will certainly come in handy during the cold winter months. The picture doesn't do it justice, but the color is a gorgeous burnt orange. Great job, Sandra!

Among knitters, there is a lot of interest in learning new knitting techniques, and the Library has a good collection of knitting books to help with this process. Roz made this amazing afghan, with the help of the book, Tech Square Afghan. I especially like the sheep in the top center square!




There was so much interest in Roz's afghan, that I've ordered the book for our collection. It should be here in the next few weeks. It has a picture of the afghan on its cover, but I think Roz chose prettier colors. What do you think?

Generosity... at the Library

This morning, Heidi and I went to Borders to pick up 10 boxes of books that the wonderful people of Los Gatos bought at the store and then donated to the Library. When we got there, we saw 25 boxes full of donated books! Thank goodness Heidi had her truck.

We unloaded Heidi's truck, and stacked the boxes next to the elevator. We brought the boxes downstairs a few at a time, but pretty soon, our little office space was crowded with books.
Heidi and Sue looked at every single book, and even took time to read and enjoy a few of them.

Heidi was especially pleased there were several board books and atlases among the donations. She had given Borders a list of books that the Library needed, and people used the list as a guide when they were choosing their donations.

Thank you Borders and Los Gatos residents for your generosity.

Oh, and thank you, Borders, for the bunnies! Heidi is still trying to decide how to use them in a program.

Let's Review... at the Library

We have had a busy summer here at the Library. Henry's Internet class met most Wednesday mornings, and the participants were enthusiastic and eager. The class has started using these little notebooks, so they are no longer "chained" to the computers downstairs.

Heidi had several great Children's Programs this summer, including Big Truck Day, and Jeni Swerdlow and Drummm, but I think my favorite event was the Carnival at the end of the Summer Reading Program. Hundreds of people attended, several staff members helped Heidi (that's Henry in the green shirt), and there were teen volunteers doing face painting and balloon animals. Check out that big red octopus!

We also added Transparent Language Flash Drives in twelve different languages. Learning a new language has never been more simple!

And of course, we have continued our Tuesday afternoon kids knitting program, as well as the Tuesday night Read One, Knit Too for adults. Anyone who knits, crochets or needlepoints is welcome to join us. Janet is still the only member who exclusively crochets. Many of us dabble in it, but Janet is really a pro, and does incredible work. Of course, we are still encouraging her to take up the "pointy sticks" and learn to knit.

Although summer is officially over, there are plenty of great Children's programs planned for the fall. Plus we are receiving new books, DVDs, CDs almost daily. In fact, we just got the new Beatles Stereo Box Set today. Each CD comes with a great booklet with amazing photos of the "Fab Four," and a mini-documentary that plays on your computer. What a great addition to our CD collection. Thanks, Carol!

Past, Present, and Future... at the Library

The Los Gatos Cooperative Winery was built in 1886 on Winery Road (now known as Villa Avenue).


Last spring the area was cleaned up and surveyed in preparation for building the new library.





I love our current library, and look forward to coming to work each day. But, I am also excited about the beautiful new library that our architects have envisioned. It is open and spacious and very inviting.


The next time you come to the library, be sure to take a look at the drawings of your new library!