Most recent SCCL blog posts. http://www.sccl.org/ Fri, 17 May 2013 23:59:59 -0700 Sat, 18 May 2013 00:15:02 -0700 http://www.sccl.org/node/514201 The Milpitas Library is pleased to host the 10th Annual Exhibition of the Milpitas Camera Club which this year also features photographs by Milpitas High students. The exhibition kicks off with a reception on Saturday, May 18th from 2 - 4 pm in the auditorium which is open to all.  The Milpitas Library reading court is filled with many fascinating images that camera club photographers have captured.  We welcome you to check out this colorful exhibition.  The photos will be on display in the library through June 14, 2013. You can vote for your favorite photo here. For more on the Milpitas Camera Club, check out their website. --Don Top photograph by Don Marcille Bottom photograph by Milpitas High School Student http://www.sccl.org/node/514201 Fri, 17 May 2013 07:19:31 -0700 Santa Clara County Library District http://www.sccl.org/node/514213 Bestsellers Are Not Just For Books Check the DVD Bestseller Collection for copies of the newest, high demand videos. Available in DVD and BLU-RAY formats, items in this browsing collection circulate for one week and do not renew. Look for this collection in the Adult New Book/Media Room next to the Feature DVDs, on the first floor near the front entrance.                                                                                            http://www.sccl.org/node/514213 Fri, 17 May 2013 23:59:59 -0700 Santa Clara County Library District http://www.sccl.org/node/514221 Great science fiction isn't necessarily contained in a book. Many musicians over the years have written science fiction stories, sometimes in one song, sometimes over the course of an entire album. I couldn't possibly include all of them in one post, so I've limited myself to my favorites:               The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars and  Space Oddity by David Bowie Bowie, man.  What else can I say?  These two are classics.                The Sophtware Slump and Sumday by Grandaddy The theme of many of Grandaddy's songs is the juxtaposition between nature/humanity and technology.  Also, the songs are really good. Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots by The Flaming Lips An amazing album featuring two of my favorite Flaming Lips songs - the title track and Do You Realize??  OK Computer by Radiohead So much has been written about OK Computer that I don't think I have much to add.  It's simply one of the best records ever.   I'll leave you with an iconic interpretation of a classic sci-fi song:   http://www.sccl.org/node/514221 Fri, 17 May 2013 13:39:17 -0700 Santa Clara County Library District http://www.sccl.org/node/514202 We just keep ordering new music for your local SCCLD libraries.  These are the newest titles that you can place a request on.  Check out the full list of titles here. Interested in more Teen stuff???  Check out the SCCLD Teen Page. Here are some of the highlights from the latest order. Volume 3 by She & Him                                                                                                                   Right Place, Right Time by Olly Murs   Modern Vampires Of The City by Vampire Weekend   Indicud by Kid Cudi     http://www.sccl.org/node/514202 Thu, 16 May 2013 16:00:33 -0700 Santa Clara County Library District http://www.sccl.org/node/514198 We are having so many wonderful programs this week, it's almost hard to keep track! Wednesday, May 15 at 6:30 PM join us for another installment of our Great Decisions Foreign Policy Discussion. This week's topic is Iran, and it's sure to be an interesting and lively event. Then on Thursday, May 16 we have our regular storytimes, 10:15 AM for Toddlers and 11:00 AM for Preschoolers. At 5:30 PM tomorrow it's our free Zumba class, followed by a special presentation by the California Native Plant Society, Santa Clara Valley Chapter called "Native People, Native Plants" at 7:00 PM. Learn how native Californians used native plants in their daily lives...and how you can too! On Friday, it's Baby Jamboree time! Bring your little ones in for songs, stories and fun! Tiny Tots at 11:00 AM followed by Itty Bitties at 11:30 AM! Finally, on Saturday join us for Bilingual Storytime at 10:15 AM and learn some Spanish words. Then at 3:00 PM it's our extra special event, "Slow Down for Summer with author Susan Sachs Lipman" at 3:00 PM. Let this nationally recognized author and blogger teach you and your family how to slow down this summer...and enjoy some crafts and family fun too! We have something for everyone this week, so don't miss out on your chance to come to all of these fun (and free!) events! http://www.sccl.org/node/514198 Wed, 15 May 2013 11:59:54 -0700 Santa Clara County Library District http://www.sccl.org/node/514200     Please see our Funding page for more information.   There is an important issue facing our libraries. As you may know, special taxpayer funding for local libraries has been in place for the past 20 years and helps our libraries to: Buy needed books and up-to-date research materials   Maintain children's reading programs   Maintain library hours and services   Keep qualified librarians   Provide an award-winning bookmobile program   However, this funding is due to expire. Continuing this funding at existing rates will help to maintain and protect these important library services, with no increase in taxes.  To learn more about these issues, please review our Frequently Asked Questions.  Please contact County Librarian Nancy Howe at 408-293-2326 or nhowe@sccl.org with additional questions. http://www.sccl.org/node/514200 Wed, 15 May 2013 17:22:13 -0700 Santa Clara County Library District http://www.sccl.org/node/513832 Celebrate your furry friends with one of these heartwarming memoirs. A Big Little Life - Dean Koontz Bestselling author Dean Koontz is well-known for his best-selling thrillers and suspenseful novels. But according to Dean, it wasn’t fame that transformed his life, it was a golden retriever Trixie. A Big Little Life is the story of Trixie’s impact on Dean’s life and the amazing changes she wrought in him and those around him.   Homer's Odyssey Homer's Odyssey -Gwen Cooper  When Gwen Cooper is told of the blind kitten abandoned at her local shelter, she could not resist taking him into her home. She felt heartbroken for the kitten, who she was certain would not be able to lead a full and active feline life. But Homer surprised her time and time again with his bravery and loyalty, and his own refusal to be limited by his blindness helped her to move past the false limitations and obstacles she had created for herself.   Reason for Hope -Jane Goodall Jane Goodall’s groundbreaking study of chimpanzees in Tanzania dramatically transformed the way we think of animals, and our relationship to them. Goodall’s work reveals just how similar we really are to the animal species we once deemed below us and teaches us all to respect and honor the creatures we share this planet with. Dewey: The Small Town Library Cat Who Touched the Worldy : -Vicky Myron One cold snowy morning, a feeble and hungry kitten is found abadoned in the bookdrop of a small library in Iowa. Apalled at the mistreatment of such an innocent creature, the library staff nursed the kitten back to health and gave him a home under the library’s roof. Dubbed Dewey, after the library classification system, the tiny tabby became a national celebrity and transformed the floundering library and all who entered its doors. Following Atticus -Tom Ryan After losing a close friend to cancer, journalist Tom Ryan embarks on a quest to find peace and closure by climbing the highest mountains in New Hampshire. Accompanying him and closely monitoring his emotional well-being, is Tom’s miniature schnauzer Atticus M. Finch. part travel narrative, part memoir, this story is a heartwarming tale of how the animals we take care of, ultimately end up taking care of us. Unlikely Friendships -Jennifer Holland This collection of short stories about the odd and unlikely friendships forged in the animal world is sure to soften even the hardest of hearts. From Owen the hippo and his best friend Mzee the tortoise, to the famous gorilla Koko and her feline friend All Ball. These animals prove that friendship is blind to all external differences. ~Robyn's Bibliomania   Do you know of some more great reads about animals? Leave a comment and let us know! http://www.sccl.org/node/513832 Tue, 14 May 2013 00:00:00 -0700 Santa Clara County Library District http://www.sccl.org/node/513960 Hey there, bright young things! Are you excited to watch watch Baz Luhrmann's film adaptation of The Great Gatsby with Leonardo Dicaprio? These books, music, and movies about the 1920s are handpicked just for you. As you read these books (or this blog entry), enjoy listening to a wild mash-up of jazz, hip hop, electronica, and rock music in the soundtrack produced by Jay-Z before you borrow it from the library:     If you're one of the many on the waiting list to read F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, we've got plenty of other great reads. The Diviners by Libba Bray is sure to intrigue you with its blend of 1920s glamour, the supernatural, and a murder mystery:     Try these other titles for even more fun with flappers, speakeasies, and brushes with the Lost Generation:  Teen Fiction: The Diviners Teen Fiction: Bright Young Things  Soundtrack: The Great Gatsby DVD: Midnight in Paris Teen Fiction: Vixen Classic : The Sun Also Rises Classic: The Short Stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald Teen Fiction: The Reluctant Heiress     http://www.sccl.org/node/513960 Tue, 14 May 2013 08:00:00 -0700 Santa Clara County Library District http://www.sccl.org/node/513995                   Perform a death-defying act on Sunday, May 19 at the Cupertino Community Hall. Cupertino Library and the Asian American Donor Program (AADP) will be holding a bone marrow and stem-cell registration drive from 12:00 to 4:00 pm. Every new donor registered gives another patient hope for a compatible match at an earlier stage in their treatment. Financial donations are also welcome at the drive. Be the one to save a life!             The AADP is dedicated to  increasing the availability of potential stem cell  donors for patients with life threatening diseases curable by a stem cell transplant. They started in 1989 to help Asian American leukemia patients find compatible bone marrow matches.  As they’ve grown, they’ve also widened their scope to find matches for as many people as possible. If you would like to learn more about them and the work they do, you can find their webpage here.              The AADP’s logo is an origami crane to honor the memory of one of the most famous leukemia patients, Sadako Sasaki. Although Sadako died before she could complete her 1,000 cranes, others completed them in her memory in the hopes that other leukemia patients would live.  http://www.sccl.org/node/513995 Tue, 14 May 2013 00:00:00 -0700 Santa Clara County Library District http://www.sccl.org/node/514020 The Science Fiction Writers of America (SFWA) are coming to San Jose to give out the Nebula Award this weekend, May 16th - 19th.  Since 1965 the SFWA have been distributing the only science fiction Award decided by the writers themselves. The winner of Nebula Award for Best Novel will be announced this weekend however we can check out past winners as well as the current group of nominees listed below!   2312 by Kim Stanley Robinson The year is 2312. Scientific and technological advances have opened gateways to an extraordinary future. Earth is no longer humanity's only home; new habitats have been created throughout the solar system on moons, planets, and in between. But in this year, 2312, a sequence of events will force humanity to confront its past, its present, and its future. The first event takes place on Mercury, on the city of Terminator, itself a miracle of engineering on an unprecedented scale. It is an unexpected death, but one that might have been foreseen. For Swan Er Hong, it is an event that will change her life. Swan was once a woman who designed worlds. Now she will be led into a plot to destroy them The Drowning Girl by Caitlin R Kiernan Imp, a struggling schizophrenic, fights to determine whether or not the strange mythological creatures she meets are due to her condition or are from something else entirely in this new novel from the award-winning author of The Red Tree. Glamour in Glass by Mary Robinette Kowal Newlyweds Jane and David Vincent travel to Belgium and their ability to create invisibility via glamour makes them a target for emperor Napoleon's returning forces. Ironskin by Tina Connolly Jane Eliot wears an iron mask. It's the only way to contain the fey curse that scars her cheek. The Great War is five years gone, but its scattered victims remain--the ironskin. When a carefully worded listing appears for a governess to assist with a "delicate situation"--a child born during the Great War--Jane is certain the child is fey-cursed, and that she can help. Teaching the unruly Dorie to suppress her curse is hard enough; she certainly didn't expect to fall for the girl's father, the enigmatic artist Edward Rochart. But her blossoming crush is stifled by her scars and by his parade of women. Ugly women, who enter his closed studio...and come out as beautiful as the fey. Jane knows Rochart cannot love her, just as she knows that she must wear iron for the rest of her life. But what if neither of these things are true? Step by step Jane unlocks the secrets of a new life--and discovers just how far she will go to become whole again The Killing Moon by N.K. Jemisin In the ancient city-state of Gujaareh, peace is the only law. Upon its rooftops and amongst the shadows of its cobbled streets wait the Gatherers - the keepers of this peace. Priests of the dream-goddess, their duty is to harvest the magic of the sleeping mind and use it to heal, soothe . . . and kill those judged corrupt. But when a conspiracy blooms within Gujaareh's great temple, Ehiru - the most famous of the city's Gatherers - must question everything he knows. Someone, or something, is murdering dreamers in the goddess' name, stalking its prey both in Gujaareh's alleys and the realm of dreams. Ehiru must now protect the woman he was sent to kill - or watch the city be devoured by war and forbidden magic.