Ever since I heard Steven Spielberg and George Lucas were collaborating on a fourth Indiana Jones film I have been eagerly anticipating its release.  The movie “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” is now set to open in theaters May 22nd.  So take out your fedora hat from the back of the closet and before you visit the theaters for the new release come to the West Palm Beach Public Library and check-out the previous three Indiana Jones movies available in DVD. 

The West Palm Beach Public Library also owns many other Steven Spielberg films such as “ET: the Extra Terrestrial“, or “Back to the Future.”  Also in the library’s collection you will find “Jurassic Park“, “Catch Me if You Can“, or the classic “Schindler’s List.”  More recent films include “Letters from Iwo Jima” or the DVD “Flags of Our Fathers.”

If Spielberg movies are not your style remember the library owns hundreds of other DVD’s available for check-out.  From the library’s online catalog you can search for titles of movies you might be interested in borrowing.

Theresa

Drop by the library Wednesday, May 7th at 6:30 pm and meet author John Manrique.  Manrique will be here to talk about his debut book, Ocean Raton.  The story is takes place in the Fort Lauderdale area and is a satire that touches on the culture of South Florida and the 2007 real estate bubble- something we can all relate to!

The Classic Bookshop will be here once again to sell autographed copies of the book.  Come out and hear about the book, ask questions, and get a signed copy!

See you @ the library,

Annya

Being a reference librarian is always full of surprises (some better than others).  So, I was looking up some information for one of our patrons and I stumbled upon a link that linked to a link and there I was on Danny Seo’s blog - which was very interesting and very relevant for the upcoming Earth Day on April 22.  It’s loaded with pictures and ideas for decorating and being Earth-friendly at the same time!  It also has contests and pictures of the ongoing transformation of his new, old home.

Speaking of Earth Day, did you get to our very own Book Goddess’ Latest and Greatest: Go Green for Earth Day book talk?  Check out her blog and get a list of books on the subject available at the West Palm Beach Public Library.  The next Latest and Greatest is on Thursday, May 15th from 12:15 to 12:30 where she will feature books on travel! 

See you @ the library,

Annya

Looking to learn a new skill? This month, we are offering a wide range of computer classes.

• Basic Computer Skills  Tuesday, April 1, 10:00 am
• Introduction to Microsoft PowerPoint  Wednesday, April 2, 6:00 pm
• Advanced 3-D Modeling  Saturday, April 5, 2:00 pm
• Introduction to Microsoft Excel  Wednesday, April 9, 6:00 pm
• More Basic Skills  Thursday, April 10, 10:00 am
• Internet 1  Tuesday, April 15, 10:00 am
• Web 2.0 What is it?  Wednesday, April 16, 6:30 pm
  

All the classes are held in the Computer Lab on the first floor of the library. No sign-up is necessary; there are 8 computers and the first 8 people will be able to join the class. So come on down and learn something new, you’ll have fun, stretch your brain a little and meet some new people!

Janice

This past Tuesday was a blast! Randy Wayne White came out to the library to talk about his latest book Black Widow. I couldn’t believe how many people showed up at 1:00 pm!

He was very funny and talked with the crowd like they were old friends. He was also very inspirational. He really encouraged people to listen to their inner voice and write as if that was one of their goals in life. Check out the photos from the event.

If you missed Randy Wayne White, you won’t want to miss Andrew Gross! He’ll be here Wednesday, April 2nd from 6:30 to 7:30 pm to discuss his new book The Dark Tide. He has co-authored six books with author James Patterson and will be able to share with us his experiences as both an author and co-author.

Hope to see you here!

Annya

Have you read The Camel Bookmobile by Masha Hamilton? Here in the U.S., we often forget how very lucky we are! Libraries where one can check out and read as many books as we want are everywhere in the U. S., but there are many places where a book is still a very precious object to be treasured. The Camel Bookmobile is about such a place. Though the story is fiction, it is written about the very real Camel Bookmobile in Kenya.

Ms. Hamilton first heard about this very special bookmobile in 1999 when her daughter read an article to her from Time For Kids.

“In 1996, Wycliffe Oluoch was one lonely librarian. The library he runs in the Garissa district of Kenya had 24,000 books, but not many people came to read them. Traveling is tough in this dry, sandy part of East Africa. Roads are poor; cars are few. “We had to find a way to reach the people because they were not coming to us,” the librarian recalls.

Then Oluoch (All-wutch) had a brainstorm. If villagers couldn’t come to the library, the library would come to them. He knew just the vehicle to get over the hump of desert travel. The Mobile Camel Library was born.”

Ms. Hamilton was fascinated by the the article and the novel The Camel Bookmobile began to take form. After her book was published, it was featured (along with the real bookmobile) in the December 2007 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine, and the March 2008 issue of Family Circle. Today, the camel bookmobile continues to thrive and grow partly with the aid of many people around the world who have donated books and money.

Interested in finding out more or maybe donating new or used books? Check out the Camel Book Drive blog!

Wow,  I can’t believe Friday Night Jazz has started again!  Last Friday marked the beginning of our 4th season for this event.  As usual, the music, food and wine was spectacular!

Kit Stewart, our featured artist, had a beautiful voice and has been singing since she was 3 years old.  The food and wine from Gourmet Galaxy was delicious. 

Next month, Lou Columbo will be here with his big band!  Come see him April 11th from 5:30 to 7:30 pm.

Hope to see you at Friday Night Jazz!

Annya

I saw something interesting on the Martin County Public Library site and thought I would pass it on to all of you! It is a Savings Calculator showing how much your library saves you each month. It is provided through the State Library of Florida and is really pretty darn interesting. Go ahead and give it a try!

Did you even know that we had a state library? We do and it actually is a wonderful archival source as well as providing a variety of services for the people of Florida.

Janice

We have a great selection of computer classes coming up in March. Of course, we have the Basic Computer Skills and More Basic Skills classes during the day. For those of you who work, we are offering the Microsoft Word class in the evening this month. The class will be held Wednesday nights, March 12, 19 and 26 at 6:30 pm. On March 5 at 6:30 pm, we will be offering a beginning class on Microsoft Vista for those of you who have bought new computers or have updated to Vista. Also, we have a brand-new class “Intro to 3-D Modeling” which will be taught by our Artist in Residence: Matthew Hyner. This class will give an introduction into using Google Sketchup, available free from Google. No registration is required; all classes are filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

I would like to offer an invitation for those of you who are already competent in computer and internet use. Come share your knowledge with others! Whether you would like to help out in a class or actually teach a class, we need you!!!! If you are interested in learning more about volunteering in the computer lab, email Janice at collinsj@mycitylibrary.org

Come out and meet author Robert Forbes.  He will be visiting our library on Wednesday, March 5th from 6:30 to 7:30 pm to discuss his book Beastly Feasts! : a Mischievous Menagerie in Rhyme. 

Forbes is Vice President of Forbes and President of ForbesLife (formerly Forbes FYI) and will be sure to entertain kids and adults alike.  Visit his Beastly Feasts website.

See you @ the library,

Annya