Join Altadena Library staff and other members of the community at a "Design Camp" from 10 AM - 4 PM on Sat., Oct. 4 in the library's community room. Have some input on the renovations and improvements planned for the main library. For more information, contact Erica Metoyer at 626-798-8338.
UPDATE 9/20: Please note the lengthy comment from Altadena Heritage in the comments section.
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Author Kerry Yo Nakagawa will discuss his acclaimed book,
Through a Diamond: 100 Years of Japanese American Baseball as part of the Altadena Library's Distiinguished Speaker's Series.
Following his talk will be a screening of American Pastime, the
award-winning PG-rated film that he produced. This powerful film tells
the story of the dramatic impact WWII had on the home-front as Japanese
American families were uprooted from their everyday lives and placed
into internment camps in the Western US in the early 1940's. Faced with
a country that now doubted their loyalty and struggling with their new
situation, they turned to baseball as a way to handle their plight and
find the strength to stand up for themselves becoming a true symbol of
honor and pride. Copies of this award winning film on DVD will be
available for sale the evening of the program.
The library is located at 600 E. Mariposa.
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... it's not an election ... it's not a cage match .. it's not to find the next American Idol. What it IS: Theater Americana of Altadena is putting together this card as a fundraiser for Friends of the Altadena Library. The title card starts at 3 PM Sun., Oct. 12, at the library's Community Room, 600 E. Mariposa. Donation is $5, for members of the Friends $2.
In other library news: "Read for the Record" deadline has been extended to Sept. 19. Details here.
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All local homeschooling families are invited to the Altadena Library on Wed., Sept. 10 at 2 PM in the library’s community room for a focus group meeting with the Children’s Services staff and other home schooling families. This meeting is designed to gather information about how well the Altadena Library is serving the needs of local homeschooling families and what we could do to improve our services. Light refreshment will be served and activities for the children will be provided.
The award winning Main Library is located at 600 E. Mariposa Street. The address of the Bob Lucas Memorial Branch Library is 2659 North Lincoln Avenue. The libraries offer many services including programs for children, teens and adults, a book club, teen advisory board, literacy classes, online tutoring, internet tutoring, passports, public computers and wireless access. To find out more call 626-798-0833 for the main, 626-798-8338 for the branch, or visit the library’s website at http://altadenalibrary.org.
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Our Altadena Library looks like it has another outstanding schedule of authors and speakers this fall: memoirs, Mt. Lowe, Japanese American Baseball, and raising G-rated kids.
The library is located at 600 E. Mariposa. Details after the jump:
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Fri., Aug. 29, is the last day to register to participate in the national Read for the Record event, to be held Thurs, Oct. 2.
The Altadena Library District, in cooperation with Jumpstart, is organizing the local National Read For The Record (RFTR) Event to encourage hundreds of thousands of children across the country to read the same book on THE SAME DAY. This year’s date is Oct. 2 and the book is Corduroy. The goal of the National Read for the Record campaign is to raise public awareness about the crucial need for early reading education.
THe event will be held at the libraries, schools, parks, day care centers, etc., throughout Altadena. Volunteer positions include, readers; on-site verifiers; event facilitators, event photoraphers, and administrative assistants -- or you can be a reading site provider
For more information log onto the Library's website or call: 626.798.8338
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The library's summer movie extravaganza (for teens and older!) is Will Smith's version of "I Am Legend," today at 3 PM at the main library. (For all fellow geeks: spot the "Batman and Superman" movie poster in the overgrown Times Square!")
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The Altadena Library's summer reading program comes to a close tomorrow afternoon, 2-3 PM, at the main library, 600 E. Mariposa. Prizes for the summer's champion readers, and ice cream for all!
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The library sends us this:
Renowned storyteller Carl Weintraub will perform Breadcrumbs Along the Trail, a collection of stories that nourish and enchant including fables, Russian folk tales, fairy tales and more at the Altadena Library on Mon., August 11 at 7 PM.
Carl Weintraub is the founder of the well-known theatre troupe, We Tell Stories, and a recipient of the prestigious PASA Award for lifetime achievement by professional artists in schools. The program is free and open to the public. All ages are welcome.
The award winning Altadena Library is located at 600 E. Mariposa Street. The address of the Bob Lucas Memorial Branch Library is 2659 North Lincoln Avenue. The libraries offer many services including programs for children, teens and adults, a book club, teen advisory board, literacy classes, online tutoring, internet tutoring, passports, public computers and wireless access. To find out more call 626-798-0833 for the main, 626-798-8338 for the branch, or visit the library’s website at http://altadenalibrary.org.
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Musician Melissa Green will be presenting her upbeat music at the libraries this week in a kid-friendly performance: 2 PM today at the Main Library, and 3 PM Thurs. at the Bob Lucas Branch.
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Music, puppets, and all that good stuff -- it's the Scott Land Marionettes at the Altadena Main Library, 2 PM Tues. afternoon, and at the Bob Lucas branch, 3 PM Thurs.
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Tarita blogs about a visit to the Altadena main library (she likes it!)
Town councilman Steve Lamb blogs about the results of the town council election (he doesn't like it).
When Dr. Letitcia Wright was growing up in Altadena, she was somebody's imaginary friend.
Update 1:30 PM: Petrea at Pasadena Daily Photo has a picture of an Altadena-based bake sale for Obama last Sunday (hey, buddy! The flag does not touch the ground!)
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Join the community in a public discussion about the future of the Altadena library system and the main library building, at the main library community room, 600 E. Mariposa. Agenda includes:
Update on strategic planning advisory committee meetings
Results of the community needs assessment.
A presentation from the Altadena Heritage Society Presentation on library design elements worthy of preservation or restoration
Facility master plan pdate
Public comment
(Full disclosure: Altadenablog is a member of the strategic planning advisory committee)
For further information call Erica Metoyer, Altadena Library District, 798-8338
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Continue reading "Library reveals summer programs for kids, teens" »
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Former White House Counsel John Dean will speak on Monday June 9 at 7:30 PM at the main
branch of the Altadena Library, 600 East Mariposa St., Altadena.
This Friends of the Library sponsored program will begin after the
organization’s annual meeting which will start at 7 PM. Dean will
discuss his past experiences and his books, Broken Government, Conservatives
without Conscience, and Pure Goldwater, which
will be available for purchase and signing that evening.This event is free. For more information please call 626-798-0833 or check the library’s
website, http://www.altadenalibrary.org
John Wesley Dean is an author, columnist and commentator on contemporary politics. Most famously Dean served as White House Counsel to President Richard Nixon from 1970 to 1973 and became the star witness of the Watergate prosecution. Currently in demand as a successful author, lecturer, and columnist, Dean frequently appears on MNSBC’s Countdown with Keith Olbermann.
In 2004, Dean published Worse than Watergate, a critical indictment of the George W. Bush administration. Worse than Watergate spent 10 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller List. Dean’s 2006 book, Conservatives without Conscience, links his work to that of Senator Barry Goldwater, whose classic political text, The Conscience of a Conservative, inspired Dean throughout his career. Released in summer 2006, Dean’s book attests that American conservatism after Goldwater has faltered and been replaced with a dangerous breed of authoritarianism. The book spent six weeks on the New York Times Best Seller List.
Dean’s most recent works are Broken Government: How Republican Rule Destroyed the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial Branches, released September 2007 and Pure Goldwater, a biography of Senator Barry Goldwater, written with the Senator’s son Barry Goldwater Jr. and published April 2008.
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... will have its first meeting at the Community Center, 730 E. Altadena Dr., from 10 AM-3PM on Sat., May 17.
BTW, if you have any concerns about the long-term plans for the main library, email Altadenablog and we'll make sure your message gets to the committee.
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This month's activities at the Altadena Library:
Magic Show
Allen Oshiro, Magic Castle member and 1st place winner of the Magic Corner Battle of the Magicians, will perform amazing magic tricks at the Main Library on Tuesday, May 13th @ 7 pm and the Bob Lucas Branch on Thursday, May 15th @ 6:30 pm.
Barry Goldwater Jr.
Barry Goldwater Jr. will discuss his new book, Pure Goldwater (co-written with John Dean) on Thursday, May 15th @ 7pm, @ the Main Library. A question and answer session and book signing will follow. Books will be available for purchase at the event.
Live Theater w/ Kres Mersky
Join us for an evening of one-acts and monologues written and performed by notable screen actress Kres Mersky. The Daily Variety calls Ms. Mersky "Truly Marvelous." Altadena Main Library Tuesday, May 27th @ 7pm.
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(We’re writing this for our own benefit -- the several related posts about the Altadena Library, accessibility, and modernist architecture are all over the blog, so we decided to write one piece condensing our thinking and the reactions to it.)
Here’s our first lesson learned in running a blog: you have no idea what the hot topic is really going to be or how people will respond.
And the second lesson: most people won’t actually engage ideas -- it’s easier to lob rocks from the comfort of the computer screen, and say things in the privacy of the blue glow that they wouldn’t dare say in public.
So we learned some lessons in recent weeks. Hence, Altadenablog’s Modernist Controversy. More after the jump, but warning: some of the language is NSFW.
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Last night, the Altadena Library District hosted a kickoff for its long-term planning efforts, to determine needs, programming, and library renovations needed to serve the community.
(Full disclosure: the Altadenablogmaster is on the LIbrary's strategic advisory planning committee, probably because he's been doing so much public bitching about access.)
One of the impetuses for the plan is that the main library must comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which it doesn't right now.
Linda Demmers, who is one of the consultants in the planning process, Powerpointed some of the newer libraries, their architecture, and interior design. The architecture firm CWA, which has made a specialty of libraries and other public buildings, will be handling the library's own renovations. Jan Sanders of the Pasadena Public Library system (who has directed libraries in several states) is also serving as a consultant.
The library's strategic advisory planning committee will be meeting May 17, and a public meeting will be held June 23 to discuss the results of the survey.
Oh, yes, the survey: the library will be taking a survey thru June 10 (available online here and in Spanish here) to help provide direction for long-term planning. Please take the three minutes or so to fill it out. We will keep you updated on progress in this space.
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PSN's Larry Wilson batted .500 today. The good: he compliments Susanna Dadd and James Griffith for their Folly Bowl amphitheater here in the high 'Dena today.
But then he sticks his foot in it. The bad: First, he rewrites history a bit, saying he "reflected community concerns" in his recent column urging that the Altadena Library retain its Modernist sensibility (children in wheelchairs and old people in walkers can be soooo tacky!). That's funny: it reads like he was talking for himself, not the community. Larry is a big fan of the work of architect Boyd Georgi (left), who also designed the old Noyes School to insure that the handicapped kids stay far, far away.
Now, the ugly. Here's our money quote: "Will the famous sunken reading area be banned out of ADA concerns?"
No, Larry, I think it's a GREAT idea that there are parts of the library my kid can't go to. I like paying my taxes for it, too. I know what'll make the kid feel better -- feed him some cake.
But you know, people like us cling to things like library books and accessibility -- because we're bitter ...
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The Word comes down about the Altadena Library renovations:
The “Let’s Talk about Libraries” kickoff for the Strategic Planning and Facilities Master Plan will be held at the Board of Trustees meeting on Monday April 28th in the Library’s Community Room at 7p.m.
At this meeting the Strategic Planning process and Facilities Master Plan process will be outlined for the community. The first in a series of meetings, we are asking the community to express their opinions of the current facility as well as services’ priorities they envision for their library. Once community needs have been identified, there will be a series of all-day “Design Camps” at which the community will actively study, plan and design a master plan for the facility. Meetings will be held over the next four to six months and will be advertised on our website www.altadenalibrary.org as well as in the media and within Altadena community organizations.
Don’t have time to attend the meetings? Community members can participate in the Strategic Planning process by taking our online community survey. Visit www.altadenalibrary.org for more information.
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Starting at 1:30 PM at the Bob Lucas Memorial Branch Library, 2659 N. Lincoln Ave., enjoy an afternoon of Latin American songs, stories, poems, and fables from award-winning bilingual children's storyteller and singer/songwriter Suni Paz. Children will receive a free book and pan dulce while supplies last.
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Library board member Tom Hubbard puts in his 2 cents on Altadena Library renovations in today's PSN letter column.
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The Altadena Public Library will hold a community meeting between 7-9 PM on Monday, April 28. "Let's Talk Libraries" will be an opportunity for residents to voice their suggestions about the future of the library (services, possible building enhancements, etc.) Erica Metoyer of the library says that there will be presentations by their strategic planning consultant and architects, who will address access issues (something close to Altadenablog's heart).
The meeting will be in the main library community room, 600 E. Mariposa. For more information, contact Metoyer at 798-8338.
The library is also asking residents to complete an online survey (link here) to help determine the community's needs.
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From our friends at the Altadena Library. In fact, it's from the Friends of the Altadena Library:
The Friends of the Altadena Library will sponsor its sixth annual Poetry & Cookies celebration on Saturday April 19 at 2 pm. This event will feature the crowning of the Poet Laureate for Altadena Library, May 2008 through April 2010, Marcia L. Thompson.
Miss Thompson, who serves as literacy coordinator for Head Start Escalon in Altadena, was chosen for this honor by the library’s Poet Laureate Committee. She will be the second person to hold this position. The library’s first poet laureate, Ralph Lane, passed away last year.
Those attending this delightful program will have the chance to meet and hear poets from Altadena and the surrounding area read their poetry. There will also be a drawing for two poetry baskets filled with items that poets or poetry lovers might enjoy. Past attendees have commented on what an “inspiring and fun event” this free program has been. Following the main readings, there will be an open mike and a poet’s corner where poets may share their poetry publications and offer them for purchase.
The library’s 2008 edition of Poetry and Cookies, a compilation of poetry by local poets will also be available for sale at the event. The library is located at 600 East Mariposa Street, Altadena. For more information please call 626-798-0833 or check the library’s website at www.altadenalibrary.org.
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