Belly dance/Temporary Tattoos

Belly dance/Temporary Tattoos

Here are a few samples of the temporary tattoos that were created at our last Whimsical Wednesday program on June 27. Beautiful, aren’t they!
Janice~Tech Librarian

Taking Our Show on the Road

“Inspirational” was a common theme of remarks from librarians at our recent program presented at the ALA national conference in Washington DC by a team of West Palm Beach Public Library staff. Last year at the Public Libraries Conference in Boston, library staff presented Mildly Delirious Libraries: Transforming your library from top to bottom. It was such a hit, that we were invited to take the program on the road. We have presented in Bozeman, Montana; San Jose, California; Orlando, FL; St. John’s, Newfoundland, and now our latest program in our nation’s capital. It has been a privilege to talk with other librarians who are working on their own transformations. We have learned that librarians around the country are looking for ways to infuse their libraries with a sense of energy and interactive experiences.

The story of how we transformed the West Palm Beach Public Library into a place that delights our customers resonates with libraries throughout the country. Taking a fresh approach, always having a positive attitude and seeking new ways to connect people with great library experiences has not only proven to be a successful model for our community, it has also brought national rave reviews for our library and our city.

Pam Sandlian Smith
Library Director

Teens, tattoos and belly dancing?!!!

The TeenSource and the Adult Department had the same belly dancing and henna tattooing program on Wednesday, June 27, 2007. However, the TeenSource program was at 2:00. Kymberlee of Sunshine Henna and Airbrush was amazing! She created mystical henna tattoos in a snap! Belly dance instructor Dawn was able to break down the art of belly dancing so that even I could follow it! Check out the TeenSource flickr for photos.

Posted by Jenn.

Another Whimsical Wednesday at the West Palm Beach Public Library!

If you happened to pass through the first floor hallway of the Library on Wednesday, June 27, you may have been surprised to see several women, their hips undulating gracefully, their arms raised in response to the lyrical Indian music that issued from a portable CD player. A young woman, clad in a coin-laden belt, encouraged her students to reproduce the graceful movements of the dance.

At the back of the room, another young woman bent over the foot of another, applying a brown paste in the intricate and swirling designs of a henna tattoo.

This was our second Whimsical Wednesday program of the summer, when participants were taught the basic movements of the dance created centuries ago for women by women in order to facilitate the birthing process. Not only did our guests learn about the dance, but they also went home with a souvenir of the evening, a temporary henna tattoo!

To see photos, click here.

Tammie McKenna-Tubbs, Events Coordinator

Take a Look!!!

Are you interested in watching the building of City Center? Catalfumo Construction has a video camera installed on the library side of the complex. The concrete for the first floor was poured last week and work is moving along… To see for yourself what is happening day by day, check out the webcam here.

Janice
Tech Librarian

Magic happens at the West Palm Beach Public Library!

Yes, I know “Magic Happens @ Your Library” is the theme of our 2007 Summer Reading Program, but last Wednesday evening, the Library also hosted illusionist Gary Goodman for the kickoff of our Whimsical Wednesdays series created for adults who are participating in our Summer Reading Program. Goodman, who has provided the half-time entertainment during Miami Heat games, not to mention his performances at clubs, cruise lines and college campuses, was the ultimate showman as he smoothly worked his way through his show that featured fantastic music accompanying many of his tricks. Goodman’s professional stage presence, coupled with his terrific sense of humor, kept the audience in stitches!

Don’t miss out on our other Whimsical Wednesdays that happen every Wednesday evening at 6:30 pm through July 25.

Tammie McKenna-Tubbs, Events Coordinator

Summer Tech Series at Your Library

I have to figure that anyone reading this doesn’t need a whole lot of help with the whole Web 2.0 experience, but I bet you still have friends or family who could use a little assistance. This summer at the library, we are offering some special classes along with the ones we normally offer. We have created a Summer Tech Series!! In June, July and August, we will be offering new classes for those who want to know what in the world the rest of us are talking about!

In June, it’s Super Searching with Google. Find out just what Google can do for you! In July, we are offering Blogs, Wikis, RSS… Oh My! Learn new ways to access and report news and other information on the web. Finally, in August, we will be learning about the many options available to manage your personal photographs in “Photos on the Web”!

To check out these classes or any other computer classes we offer, click here .

Janice~Tech Librarian

We were in the paper!

Over the last few months, a few teens have been meeting with Song + Associates to give input on the Graphics, Ambience, Style and Presentation (G.A.S.P.) of the teen space for the new library. What is GASP? GASP is a concept of Peter Robinson of Mildly Delirious Design, Inc. in which adjectives are used to define a space. The teens provided the adjectives which the interior designer interpreted into chairs, carpet, wall colors, and even bathroom tiles.

Palm Beach Post journalist, Ron Hayes covered the meeting when the designers presented their interpretation of the teen space for the teens to judge! Three highly composed teens listened and judged as the designers showed them swatches of carpet, paint and even bathroom tiles! The reaction of the teens? They loved it. Check out Ron’s article for the entire story.

 

Posted by Jenn

Books and TV…

I love when I find a connection between a super cool teen science fiction book and reality! I’m sure you’re thinking, science fiction and reality? Yes, the connection is there. Let me explain:

I adore author Scott Westerfeld. He’s written some amazing books for teens. His trilogy, the Uglies, is on many local middle schools reading list, too! In Uglies, when you turn sixteen, rather than a car, you get plastic surgery to become beautiful. Once you’re beautiful, you hoverboard to Pretty Town for a lifetime of partying and hoverboarding. (Hoverboards are their way of getting around, like our cars. Hoverboards are similar to skateboards but run on solar power.) Here is the reality connection: I was watching an episode of MythBusters on the Discovery Channel and they were trying to build hoverboards. MythBuster Jamie built a hovercraft from leaf blowers and a surfboard. It kind of worked; Jamie hovered a few centimeters above the ground. But if you’ve never seen MythBusters, check them out! They are so funny and make you think. Grab one of Scott Westerfeld books, they’re all amazing!

 

Posted by ~ Miss Jenn

Friday Night Jazz: It’s Delicious!

Where else can you get fine wine, phenomenal live music, and delicious gourmet food for next to nothing?  Check out the City of West Palm Beach Public Library every second Friday of the month from March until September.

The food was amazing at the last Jazz event on Friday, June 8th.  Frannie LaRue from Gourmet Galaxy put on quite a spread!  We had salmon, pâté, fruits, deviled eggs topped with caviar, mozzarella balls with cherry tomatoes, and exotic cheeses such as mango ginger and Havarti.  The food was all free and paired well with the gourmet wines for $6.00 per glass.

Did I fail to mention that the music was phenomenal?  Jill Switzer was as talented as she was bubbling with personality!  She really put on quite a performance and got the audience involved with her trivia questions that included prizes for the right answers.

If you missed our last event, you won’t want to miss Jeff Taylor on July 13 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm.

Annya 

Magic Happens @ Your Library

Were you involved during last year’s Summer Reading Program? It’s that time again and this year the theme for our program will be “Magic Happens @ Your Library”! Our program will run from June 18 through July 27 and will include exciting activities for kids, teens, and adults. Participating adults can win fabulous prizes during weekly drawings and be magically entertained by our Whimsical Wednesday evening programs. We have planned a variety of programs that will include a magic show, belly dance instruction, henna tattoos, and a hypnotist.

When you sign up for the program, all you have to do is read three books in order to enter our weekly prize drawings AND you will also be invited to attend our Magical Summer Celebration Feast on Friday, August 3. If you would like more information about our upcoming programs, you can check the website, stop by, or call the library’s Information Desk at 868-7701.

Janice

Heartwarming computer class

Something unusual happened last week in my computer class. This was the 5th class in a series of 8, and we were moving beyond the basics. We looked at searching on the web and evaluating and refining the search results, blah, blah, blah. And at the end of the class, one of the students said, “You know what, teacher? I’m not going to come next week. It’s just getting too advanced for me.” (This was in Spanish, though, because I teach the computer classes in Spanish.)

This didn’t really surprise me, because I could see he had been having a hard time all along, and the volunteer that usually helps out in the classes hadn’t come that day. So this particular student was really at a loss that particular day. What did surprise me was the strong and immediate reaction of the other 6 students in the room. Nobody would allow him to quit.

It was, “Don’t feel bad, we all learn at different paces” and “It’s hard to be learning English and a new job and computers all at the same time, but stay in the class and get what you can” and “I’ll sit next to you and help you when you get stuck” and “Do you want my spot in the front of the room?” and, in a joking tone, “If you drop out, who will bring in a Cuban dish on the last day of class if we have a party?”

In the end, he felt encouraged enough to try again next week and I’m sure we’ll all make sure that he gets something out of it.  I just felt very fortunate to be a part of the dynamic that day, because I don’t think that would happen in most computer classes.

Now, I’m looking forward to the party on the last day of class.

It’s Time for Friday Night Jazz Again!

If you haven’t come out to Friday Night Jazz, you should!  Friday, June 8th we will be having vocalist and author Jill Switzer sing.  Did I mention there will be free hors d’oeuvres?  Galaxy Gourmet will be providing the hors d’oeuvres and wine is sold for $6.00 per glass. 

Come out and mingle at the library, sip on some wine, enjoy delicious food, and even dance!  Hope to see you there.  Here’s some pictures from Friday Night Jazz. 

Annya