Attention SAPL Spurs Fans!

Are you a Library fan AND a Spurs fan? Here's your chance to support both! Friday, January 14, 2011, is San Antonio Public Library Night with the Spurs, and we're playing the Dallas Mavericks!

A portion of the proceeds from ticket sales for that night will benefit the Library. To pick your seats and order your tickets online, go here. Then:
• Enter special promotion code: Library
• Create a new account (or log in to your existing one)
• Pick your seats and location
• Enter your billing information and print tickets at home

Tickets are available at a variety of prices, so reserve yours now!

Giving e-book readers as holiday gifts?

We keep hearing that e-book readers will be among the most popular gifts this holiday season - as we mentioned earlier, don't forget to tuck a Library card application in before you wrap your presents! Your gift recipients will appreciate the ability to download free e-books, audiobooks, movies and music online.

If you're wondering about what kind of reader to buy, probably one that can download from multiple sources would be best. To find out what kinds of e-book readers support free library downloads, go here - there's a wide range of compatible readers. The library also has more general information about digital resources and how to access them here.

And watch for more information about special sessions we'll be offering after the holidays to help you get started using your brand-new digital reader!

Holiday shopping? Think about a Library card!

According to the Consumer Electronics Association, consumer electronic sales will reach the highest level ever this year. Here’s what this means: 7 out of 10 wish list items support e-Book reading.

Okay, so it looks like just about everyone on your gift list will want an e-Book reader this year. That makes shopping easy, but once the gifts have been unwrapped, where will all the recipients find books to read?

Here's a helpful San Antonio Public Library holiday hint: include an application for a Library card with every e-Book reader or mp3 player you give! We have more than 2,000 e-book titles and more than 4,000 audiobook titles available for free download 24/7 on our website. A San Antonio Public Library card is free, and any resident of Bexar County is eligible to receive one. You can pick up a library card application at any San Antonio Public Library location, and your gift recipients will appreciate your thoughtfulness!

It's ¡Tamalada! time @ the Library!

UPDATE: All tickets have been distributed and are no longer available.

Tickets for the San Antonio Public Library’s popular annual holiday celebration ¡Tamalada! will be available at the Central Library, 600 Soledad, beginning Monday, November 1, when the library opens at 9:00 a.m.

¡Tamalada! gives San Antonians a chance to enjoy the long-standing tradition of getting together at the home of a friend or relative to make tamales for the upcoming holiday season. The Library’s version offers two classes on how to make tamales, with a choice of times, 10:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m., or 12:00 noon-1:30 p.m., followed at 2:30 p.m. by a preview presentation of the hilarious bilingual play Las Nuevas Tamaleras, a San Antonio holiday tradition in its own right.

This year’s ¡Tamalada! is scheduled for Saturday, November 20. All activities are free and open to the public, but seating is limited, and tickets are required for admission. Each customer may pick up two tickets for a tamal class and two tickets for the Las Nuevas Tamaleras performance, while supplies last.

The cooking classes are presented by Sandra Vásquez, the inventor of the Más Tamales masa spreader. Sandra offers glimpses into the long tamalada tradition while giving tips on short cuts and time-savers to help busy families make their own tamales.

A comedy which can be enjoyed by English-speakers and Spanish-speakers alike, Las Nuevas Tamaleras follows the adventures of three modern Hispanic women as they try their hands at making tamales for the first time. During their “ordeal” they are guided by the spirits of traditional Hispanic women who have been allowed to return as invisible angels to oversee the project.

Las Nuevas Tamaleras was written and is directed by San Antonio author and playwright Alicia Mena, and first opened in Houston at El Teatro Bilingüe’s First Annual Latino Playwright’s Festival. Its first San Antonio performance was in 1993 at the Guadalupe Cultural Center, and it has since become an annual tradition.

¡Tamalada! is presented by Bolner’s Fiesta Products, Burras Finas Productions, Mex-Sales Company, the San Antonio Public Library Foundation, the City of San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department, and the San Antonio Public Library.

Welcome home, Fiesta Tower!

In October 2009, Dale Chihuly’s colorful glass sculpture, Fiesta Tower, was disassembled from its display location in the Central Library and placed in secure storage during roof work and replacement of the Central Library’s skylights located directly over the tower.

Now the Fiesta Tower has been reinstalled and the Central Library’s second-floor atrium will shortly reopen.

To celebrate the Fiesta Tower’s homecoming, the San Antonio Public Library will host a family craft event from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 23, in the second-floor atrium at the Central Library, 600 Soledad.

During the come-and-go event, local artist Susie Monday will guide participants in creating their own Chihuly-style works of art. The event is free and open to the public. One hour of free parking is available in the library parking garage with validated ticket.

A gift of the Russell Hill Rogers Fund for the Arts through a grant to the San Antonio Public Library Foundation, the Fiesta Tower was originally installed in the Central Library in 2003 as part of the celebration of the San Antonio Public Library’s 100th anniversary.

Notes: The Memorial Branch Library, 3222 Culebra Road, will close for renovations on Monday, November 8, 2010. The project is expected to take approximately one month to complete.

All San Antonio Public Library locations will be closed on Thursday, November 11, in observance of Veterans Day.

Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read

Saturday, September 25, sees the kickoff of Banned Books Week, an annual event celebrating the freedom to read. The website of the American Library Association, which originated the annual observance, says, “Intellectual freedom – the freedom to access information and express ideas, even if the information and ideas might be considered unorthodox or unpopular – provides the foundation for Banned Books Week, [which] stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints for all who wish to read and access them.”

Most of the books spotlighted during Banned Books Week have been the subject of challenges about their inclusion in school or public library collections, or on students’ assigned reading lists. Books that have been challenged or removed include The Diary of Anne Frank, To Kill a Mockingbird, the Twilight series, Huckleberry Finn, Gone with the Wind, the Goosebumps series, The Great Gatsby, The Grapes of Wrath, A Wrinkle in Time, and probably some of your favorites (I know some of mine are in the list above.)

Why is it important to talk about this? I think it’s because we are reminded that if you or I can ban a book someone else likes, then it’s entirely possible that a book we find important can be banned as well. Part of the price of an open conversation is that sometimes we might hear something we don’t like.

If you’re interested in continuing the conversation about what we read, join us on Thursday, September 30, at 7:00 p.m. in the Central Library Auditorium, 600 Soledad, when Dotty Griffith, ACLU of Texas Public Education Director, will discuss the Banned Books report for this year. In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the publication of To Kill a Mockingbird, she will also reflect on the book’s significance for us today.

What books would you want to protect? Drop us a line and let us know.

¡Viva Mexico! The San Antonio Public Library celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month

In 2010 nuestro vecino to the south is celebrating the Bicentennial of Mexican Independence and the Centennial of the Mexican Revolution, and the San Antonio Public Library is honoring this observance during Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15 through October 15.

Join us at the Cortez Branch Library from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 18, for ¡Viva México!, a celebration in music, story and art of Mexico's battles for independence and democratic government.

All month long, there will be programs at branch libraries throughout the City. Pick up a calendar of events at your library, or visit our online calendar (click on "Hispanic Heritage Month" at the top of the page), and look for these activities:

Crafts, Humor and Short Stories - a series of short animated films focusing on the war for Mexican independence and the Mexican Revolution.

Rhythm of a Revolution - how corridos motivated the Mexican revolution, with special performances by Los Inocentes.

Children are also included, with El águila y la serpiente, a craft series based on the eagle and snake imagery of the Mexican flag. Call your branch library for details, or pick up a calendar of events on your next visit.

You're invited! All programs are free and open to the public.

Reminders: The Central Library, 600 Soledad, is open, even though renovations are underway.

The McCreless Branch Library, 1023 Ada Street, is currently closed for renovations

The San Antonio Public Library invites young authors to try their wings!

For more than eighty years, the San Antonio Public Library's Young Pegasus Poetry Competition has encouraged young authors to try their wings. Open to all Bexar County teens and children eighteen or younger, the Young Pegasus Competition offers poets the opportunity to share their works with the community, and to have their talents recognized. Each year, these young authors are invited to submit their poems for consideration by the Young Pegasus judges. All poems selected are published in the Young Pegasus Poetry Anthology, and the writers recognized at the Young Pegasus award ceremony.

The call for entries for the 2011 Young Pegasus Poetry Competition opens September 15 and will run December 15, 2010. Poems may be submitted online, in person at any San Antonio Public Library location, or by mail to:

Young Pegasus

San Antonio Public Library

600 Soledad, 3rd Floor

San Antonio, Texas 78205

For more information and a list of competition rules, please go to http://guides.mysapl.org/youngpegasus.

Getting ready for back-to-school? Don't forget your San Antonio Public Library card!

August in San Antonio means back-to-school. When you're shopping for school supplies, don't forget the most important one is free: a San Antonio Public Library card! A Library card gives you access not only to thousands of books, magazines, newspapers, DVDs and CDs, but also to the Library's extensive online resources - full-text journal articles, e-books, downloadables, practice tests and more.

One of the most helpful of the Library's online resources is Live Homework Help. Students can visit this site for free tutoring in real time from qualified tutors in a safe online environment. Tutoring is available in math, science, social studies, and language arts, in both English and Spanish. Tutors are graduate students, teachers, and college professors. They must all undergo background checks and become certified. The Library's Live Homework Help connection is open from 4:00 to 11:00 p.m., seven days a week, and it's free with your San Antonio Public Library card, which is also free! Visit the Library's website www.mysapl.org or call (210) 207-2500 for more information.

Getting ready for back-to-school? Don't forget your San Antonio Public Library card!

August in San Antonio means back-to-school. When you're shopping for school supplies, don't forget the most important one is free: a San Antonio Public Library card! A Library card gives you access not only to thousands of books, magazines, newspapers, DVDs and CDs, but also to the Library's extensive online resources - full-text journal articles, e-books, downloadables, practice tests and more.

One of the most helpful of the Library's online resources is Live Homework Help. Students can visit this site for free tutoring in real time from qualified tutors in a safe online environment. Tutoring is available in math, science, social studies, and language arts, in both English and Spanish. Tutors are graduate students, teachers, and college professors. They must all undergo background checks and become certified. The Library's Live Homework Help connection is open from 4:00 to 11:00 p.m., seven days a week, and it's free with your San Antonio Public Library card, which is also free! Visit the Library's website www.mysapl.org or call (210) 207-2500 for more information.

If you plan to finish up your back-to-school shopping this weekend, look for the San Antonio Public Library Bookmobile! On Saturday, August 21, we'll be at Ingram Park Mall from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and at Rolling Oaks Mall from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Stop by, say hello and get a Library card!

Everyone has a story, and StoryCorps Historias wants yours!

¡Cuénteme un cuento! Everyone has a story to tell, and StoryCorps Historias wants to hear yours! They will be in San Antonio on August 15, 16, and 17, at the Las Palmas Branch Library, 515 Castroville Road. All it takes is you and a friend or family member to have a conversation about your experiences, your memories, your thoughts, or your plans.

StoryCorps Historias is an initiative to record the diverse stories and life experiences of Latinos in the United States. This is an opportunity to record those stories your grandmother always tells you, share what you remember about your mother, honor that uncle who served in the armed forces, or tell why you are in San Antonio - anything meaningful to you and your community. Sharing these stories celebrates our history, honors our heritage, and captures the true spirit of our community. It will ensure that the voices of Latinos will be preserved and remembered for generations to come.

When you record your story, you’ll have a meaningful experience captured on CD to share with your friends, family, and community. With your permission, a copy will be archived at the Library of Congress for future generations to hear.

Individuals (the interviewer and the interviewee) are invited to make a reservation to record their stories by contacting Rebecca Alvarez at Las Palmas, 434-6394, during library service hours. Sessions begin at 9:30 a.m., end at 3:30p.m., and are scheduled at one-hour intervals. The recording session runs for approximately 40 minutes.

You're invited to visit the StoryCorps Historias website http://storycorps.org/historias-en/ for details, and a list of Great Questions to start planning your conversation.

We're still gathering opinions about our web page, www.mysapl.org. Please visit the page, then take a few minutes to complete this brief questionnaire: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/mysapl. Thank you!

It's a work in progress - give us your opinion!

In 2009 the San Antonio Public Library launched its new website. Like all websites, it's under continual improvement. We'd like to ask you to take a few minutes to give us your opinion about the website. Please take a look at the page, www.mysapl.org, try out some of the features, then click here to answer a few brief questions.

Please ask your friends and family to visit our web page and complete the questionnaire at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/mysapl as well.

Thank you for helping us make our website better!

WWE stars visit Central Library to promote reading

WWE superstars John Morrison and Gail Kim will visit the Central Library, 600 Soledad, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Monday, July 26, to promote the WrestleMania Reading Challenge. A partnership between the American Library Association’s Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) and World Wrestling Entertainment, the Reading Challenge offers students from grades 5 through 12 the chance to win trips to WrestleMania in Atlanta on April 2, 2011, and $2,000 WrestleMania grants for their libraries. WWE stars are on a nationwide tour to promote the reading program. During their stop at the Central Library, Morrison and Kim will sign autographs for fans who show their library cards.

For more information on the WWE, go to http://www.wwe.com/, and to learn more about the WrestleMania Reading Challenge, go to http://www.acrl.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/teenreading/wrmc/wrmc.cfm.

The event is free and open to the public. One hour free parking is available in the Library parking garage with validated ticket.

The Old Spice Guy speaks up for libraries

The Old Spice Guy, whose commercials promoting the men's toiletry line have gone viral on the Internet, stepped out of the shower long enough to say a few words about public libraries. It's official: guys can be real guys and enjoy a good book - or movie - or music.

Take a look at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bu-KBxOtJxs.

It's not too late - you can still sign up for Summer Reading!

Mayor Julián Castro has declared June and July "San Antonio Public Library Summer Reading Months," and urges everyone to spend some time reading this summer - see Mayor Castro's special Summer Reading message here! Noting that parents have a strong influence on their children's reading habits, he said, "It needs to start at birth - my wife and I read to our daughter every day." The Mayor and Mrs. Castro have also signed their little girl up for her first-ever Library Summer Reading Program.

The San Antonio Public Library offers Summer Reading activities for children and teens up to age 18. Participants can also win books to keep for themselves! For more information, or to register, visit the Library's web page, http://www.mysapl.org/.

And stay tuned for information about the Library's end-of-Summer-Reading parties!

Sometimes you want to buy instead of borrow...

...pick up some great bargains and help the Library at the same time!

Friday through Sunday, July 9 through 11, the Friends of the San Antonio Public Library will hold their annual Tent Sale featuring books, videos, CDs, audiobooks and LP records (yes, real vinyl!) in the Book Cellar Used Book Store in the basement of the Central Library 600 Soledad. Sale hours will be 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Sunday. The Friends want to be sure everyone knows that the Book Cellar and the Central Library are open even though building renovations are underway.

The Book Cellar will be closed during the day on Thursday, July 8, to get ready for the sale, but will reopen from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. that evening for a special preview sale for Friends members. Not a member? You can sign up at the door on Thursday, and get first choice at one of the biggest book sales around!

Proceeds from the sale benefit the Library. For more information, call the Book Cellar at (210) 227-9519.

Everbody's doing it! Join Mayor Castro and sign your family up for Summer Reading!

Mayor Julián Castro has declared June and July "San Antonio Public Library Summer Reading Months," and urges everyone to spend some time reading this summer - see Mayor Castro's special Summer Reading message here! Noting that parents have a strong influence on their children's reading habits, he said, "It needs to start at birth - my wife and I read to our daughter every day." The Mayor and Mrs. Castro have also signed their little girl up for her first-ever Library Summer Reading Program.

The San Antonio Public Library offers Summer Reading activities for children and teens up to age 18. Participants can also win books to keep for themselves! For more information, or to register, visit the Library's web page, http://www.mysapl.org/.

Celebrate Juneteenth at Carver Branch Library!

In observance of Juneteenth, the Carver Branch Library, 3350 E. Commerce Street, will host a special appearance by actress/author Bern Nadette Stanis, best known for her role as Thelma on the hit TV series Good Times. The event will take place beginning at 12:00 noon on Saturday, June 19.

Ms. Stanis is also the author of Situations 101 and For Men Only, a book of poetry. She will participate in a panel discussion on "Images of Blacks in Media: Literature, TV and Film." The panel will also feature authors Caleb Alexander, Chris Cannon, Darine Davis, T.L. James, R.L. Sloan, Cynthia Toliver, Kimberly Kaye Terry, Tamika Newhouse and Lorraine Elzia.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, please call (210) 225-7801.

To learn more about Juneteenth, visit one of the branches of the San Antonio Public Library.

***

Do you remember Good Times? It was one of the hottest shows of the 1970s and featured Esther Rolle, John Amos, Jimmie Walker and Ja'Net DuBois, as well as Bern Nadette Stanis. Jimmie Walker's character J.J. gave us the catch phrase "Dy-No-Mite!" Add a comment and share your thoughts on Good Times.

Everybody's doing it! Join the Mayor and his family for Summer Reading 2010!

Mayor Julián Castro has declared June and July "San Antonio Public Library Summer Reading Months," and urges everyone to spend some time reading this summer - see Mayor Castro's special Summer Reading message here! Noting that parents have a strong influence on their children's reading habits, he said, "It needs to start at birth - my wife and I read to our daughter every day." The Mayor and Mrs. Castro have also signed their little girl up for her first-ever Library Summer Reading Program.

The San Antonio Public Library offers Summer Reading activities for children and teens up to age 18. Participants can also win books to keep for themselves! For more information, or to register, visit the Library's web page, http://www.mysapl.org/.

And, speaking of summer reading, what books do you recommend for fun summer reads? One of my favorites is a science fiction classic, James Schmitz's The Witches of Karres. Share your recommendations in the "comment" section of this blog.

More IMAX fun for San Antonio Public Library cardholders!

Shrek Forever After: An IMAX 3D Experience

The IMAX 3D Rivercenter offers San Antonio Public Library customers the opportunity to purchase tickets for Shrek Forever After online at 50% off the box-office price of $14.00. Not only can you get a great discount, the IMAX will donate $1.00 to the Library for every ticket sold online!

To take advantage of this offer, go to http://www.imax-sa.com/offers/sanantoniolibrary, make your purchase and enter code LIB510. Offer available through June 6.

The San Antonio Public Library wants your opinion!

As the next step in its strategic planning process, the San Antonio Public Library is conducting a public survey to gather community input on current library resources and services as well as new directions the library should take in the future. A questionnaire has been mailed to households throughout the City and County covering topics such as how people currently use the library, what needs exist for new resources and services, and what the priorities are for library service in the next five years. Both library users and non-users are included in the survey.

Library Director Ramiro Salazar emphasized the importance of responding to the survey. “Customer service is the highest priority of the San Antonio Public Library. As we plan the San Antonio Public Library of the future, it is essential to have input from the entire community, both those who use libraries regularly and those who use them infrequently or not at all. We ask that everyone who receives a survey complete and return it.” Mr. Salazar noted that, in order to ensure responses from a wide range of County residents, the survey was available in both English and Spanish.

The Community Needs Assessment survey is being administered by consultants ETC Institute and is funded through gifts and donations to the Library. For more information the public may call (210) 207-2631.

More IMAX fun for San Antonio Public Library cardholders!

Shrek Forever After: An IMAX 3D Experience

The IMAX 3D Rivercenter offers San Antonio Public Library customers the opportunity to purchase tickets for Shrek Forever After online at 50% off the box-office price of $14.00.

Not only can you get a great discount, the IMAX will donate $1.00 to the Library for every ticket sold online!

To take advantage of this offer, go to http://www.imax-sa.com/offers/sanantoniolibrary, make
your purchase and enter code LIB510. Offer available through June 6.

Mark your (new) calendar!

UPDATE: The calendar is now live! Check it out at http://www.mysapl.org/calendar.aspx.

On May 26, the San Antonio Public Library will debut its new online calendar system. Provided by Trumba Corporation, whose clients include the Smithsonian Institution, Harvard University and the New York Times, the calendar comes with a host of new features for SAPL patrons. Need a text message reminder of an event or want to share an event on your Facebook wall? The new calendar has got you covered.

The simpler design and search interface will make it easier for you to find your favorite story times, book clubs and special events both at the library and in the community. Please note that e-mail and RSS feed subscribers to the old calendar will need to sign up for new subscriptions in order to keep receiving information.

We hope the new calendar will fit your needs and the way you plan your schedule more closely, and help you keep up-to-date with everything that's happening at the San Antonio Public Library!

San Antonio’s Young Poets Take Flight!

For more than 80 years, the San Antonio Public Library has celebrated the talents of the city’s young writers with the Young Pegasus Poetry Competition. At 2:00 p.m. Sunday, May 16, in the Hermann Sons Grand Lodge at 515 S. St. Mary’s Street, the Library will present the Awards Ceremony for the 65 young poets selected in the 2010 Young Pegasus competition. Begun by the Library in 1927, the Young Pegasus Poetry Competition is the longest-running such program in the country. It has been a springboard for success in fields ranging from literature to the law. Previous Young Pegasus poets have included such outstanding San Antonians as Jay Brandon, Henry Cisneros, Naomi Shihab Nye and County Court-at-Law Judge Michael Mery.

Open to children 18 and under, the Young Pegasus Poetry Competition was begun to celebrate Book Week (now called National Children’s Book Week). This year 2,242 poems were submitted for consideration and 82 were selected for publication. The youngest poet recognized is 4 years old; the oldest is 18.

Join us as we celebrate the imagination and talent of our city's next generation of writers!

2:00 p.m. Sunday, May 16
Hermann Sons Grand Lodge
515 S. St. Mary's Street

We're starting the Mission Branch Library celebration early!

The new Mission Branch of the San Antonio Public Library will open in 2011, but the celebration is starting a year early! On Saturday, May 1, at Mission San José, 6701 San José Drive, District 3 City Council Member Jennifer Ramos, Scholastic, the San Antonio Public Library Foundation, and the San Antonio Public Library will host a Reading Fiesta. The festivities will kick off at 9:00 a.m. and run to 11:30.

Highlight of the event will be two performances by musician/author/educator José Luís Orozco, one at 9:30 a.m., and one at 10:45 a.m. Local authors Diane Gonzales Bertrand, Lupe Ruiz-Flores, Roxanna Montes-Bazaldua and Carmen Tafolla will read from their children’s books, and and artist/illustrator Terry Ybáñez has organized family crafts based on the stories. Participants can also visit the Scholastic Literacy Caravan and the Library’s Bookmobile.

As part of the Library’s Be One in a Million Library card campaign, the Reading Fiesta will be an opportunity to sign up for a San Antonio Public Library card.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call (210) 225-4728.

Congratulations to the George Washington Carver Branch Library!

Carver Branch Library: 80 years of service to the community

In 1929, the George Washington Carver Branch Library first opened its doors in what is now the location of the Carver Community Cultural Center. The location has changed since then, but a library by that name has offered continuous service to the community for 80 years.

In 2010, the library celebrates its 80th anniversary. If you haven't visited this lively, busy branch library, stop by 3350 E. Commerce to check it out.

George Washington Carver Branch Library: 80 years of service to the community

In 1929, the George Washington Carver Branch Library first opened its doors in what is now the location of the Carver Community Cultural Center. The location has changed since then, but a library by that name has offered continuous service to the community for 80 years.

On Saturday, April 17, the Carver Branch Library, 3350 E. Commerce, invites everyone to celebrate its 80th anniversary. There will be a family storytime with crafts, computer gaming, a presentation from a gardener's perspective about George Washington Carver's role in history and refreshments. Activities kick off at 11:00 a.m. The first 100 guests will receive a Library book bag. For more information call (210) 225-7801.

The San Antonio Public Library is celebrating this weekend!

You're invited:

Residents of the neighborhoods around the Cortez Branch Library, 2803 Hunter Boulevard, have probably noticed that there has been a lot of work going on there over the past several months. On Saturday, April 10, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., the branch will host an open house for everyone to check out the latest improvements! There will be family fun with special storytimes, games, health screenings and more. Free and open to the public - be there!

Providing good public service is the Library's most important goal, and we couldn't do what we do without our volunteers. At the Library Champion Awards, 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 11, we will honor those in our community who have made outstanding contributions to library service in San Antonio. The ceremony will take place in the Central Library Auditorium, 600 Soledad. Free and open to the public.

Get great discounts on tickets to Alice in Wonderland 3D!

Your San Antonio Public Library card can get you great discounts at the IMAX and IMAX 3D Rivercenter Theaters. From now until March 31, the IMAX 3D Rivercenter is offering San Antonio Public Library cardholders discounts of up to $2.25 on admissions to the new hit movie Alice in Wonderland. Just go to http://www.imax-sa.com/offers/sanantoniolibrary/ webpage to find out how to take advantage of this super offer.

...AND, from now through December 31, 2010, your San Antonio Public Library card can get you a discount of $1.50 on other movies at the IMAX and IMAX 3D Rivercenter Theaters. Just show your Library card when you buy your tickets - discount good on up to six admissions!

You'll be helping the San Antonio Public Library, too. The IMAX and IMAX 3D Rivercenter will donate $1.00 to the San Antonio Public Library for every ticket purchased with a San Antonio Public Library card! For more information on how to take advantage of these offers, go to http://www.imax-sa.com/, or call (210) 247-4629.

San Antonio Public Library cards are free to all residents of Bexar County - just stop by any San Antonio Public Library location to register. You will need a photo ID and proof of residence within the County.

Be one in a million - get your San Antonio Public Library card today!

The Big Read 2010: magic, destiny, and a young boy's journey into the mystical world of the curandera!

The San Antonio Public Library presents The Big Read 2010: Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya.

You're invited to join the entire community as we read and discuss this modern classic, a story of good and evil, ancient traditions and the modern world, healing and curses, and worship and witchcraft.

The Big Read 2010 kicks off on Saturday, March 27, at 3:00 p.m. with two very special events:

Bazan Branch Library

2200 W. Commerce Street • (210) 225-1614
Bexar County Sheriff Amadeo Ortiz and the Teokalli Aztec Dancers

Las Palmas Branch Library

515 Castroville Road • (210) 434-6394
District 5 City Council Member David Ortiz and the Conjunto Heritage Taller

Pick up a calendar of events at any San Antonio Public Library location or visit our website and click on "Events Calendar," keyword "Big Read".

The Big Read is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and Arts Midwest.

Partners for The Big Read San Antonio include the San Antonio Public Library Foundation, Texas Public Radio, KLRN Television, Amegy Bank of Texas, and the San Antonio Herb Society.

Get great discounts on tickets to Alice in Wonderland 3D!

Your San Antonio Public Library card can get you great discounts at the IMAX and IMAX 3D Rivercenter Theaters. From now until March 31, the IMAX 3D Rivercenter is offering San Antonio Public Library cardholders discounts of up to $2.25 on admissions to the new hit movie Alice in Wonderland. Just go to http://www.imax-sa.com/offers/sanantoniolibrary/ webpage to find out how to take advantage of this super offer.

...AND, from now through December 31, 2010, your San Antonio Public Library card can get you a discount of $1.50 on other movies at the IMAX and IMAX 3D Rivercenter Theaters. Just show your Library card when you buy your tickets - discount good on up to six admissions! You'll be helping the San Antonio Public Library, too. The IMAX and IMAX 3D Rivercenter will donate $1.00 to the San Antonio Public Library for every ticket purchased with a San Antonio Public Library card!

For more information on how to take advantage of these offers, go to http://www.imax-sa.com/, or call (210) 247-4629.

San Antonio Public Library cards are free to all residents of Bexar County - just stop by any San Antonio Public Library location to register. You will need a photo ID and proof of residence within the County.

Be one in a million - get your San Antonio Public Library card today!

Special benefits for San Antonio Public Library users!

We love to partner with other San Antonio businesses and organizations, and here are two special offers for San Antonio Public Library cardholders:

Do you love the San Antonio Symphony? Want to introduce your kids to great music? This Sunday, March 21, at 2:30 p.m., at Trinity's Laurie Auditorium, the Symphony is presenting one of its great Family Series programs, Aesop's Fables - and you're invited! Pre-concert activities begin at 1:30 a.m., and you and your family can get free admission for an afternoon of music and fun. Donate a new children's or teens' book for the San Antonio Public Library Summer Reading Program and receive a free ticket - one ticket per book! For more information about how to redeem books for tickets, please call (210) 554-1010. For more information about the San Antonio Symphony, go to http://www.sasymphony.org/. To read about Aesop's Fables or to listen to more music, visit your nearest library, or our website http://www.mysapl.org/.

But - as they say on TV - wait! There's more! Your San Antonio Public Library card can get you great discounts at the IMAX and IMAX 3D Rivercenter Theaters. From now until March 31, the IMAX 3D Rivercenter is offering San Antonio Public Library cardholders discounts of up to $2.25 on admissions to the new hit movie Alice in Wonderland. Just go to http://www.imax-sa.com/offers/sanantoniolibrary/ webpage to find out how to take advantage of this super offer. (And look for more great offers to come from the IMAX and IMAX 3D Rivercenter.)

San Antonio Public Library cards are free to all residents of Bexar County - just stop by any San Antonio Public Library location to register. You will need a photo ID and proof of residence within the County.

Be one in a million - get your San Antonio Public Library card today!

What's new @ your library? Get updates sent directly to your inbox!

Did you know you can find out the newest movies, music, and books available at the San Antonio Public Library? Sign up with Wowbrary and get regular updates on new arrivals at the library!

Wowbrary regularly informs you by email or RSS about your chosen public library’s newest books, movies and music. They make it easy for you to browse through the latest additions and place a hold on a new title. And the best part? It's all free, a service supported by grants, donations, sponsorships, book sale commissions and volunteers.

To start getting updates, go to http://www.wowbrary.org/signup.aspx and enter your ZIP Code. You'll be walked through a few simple steps, and it's done. It's just that easy!

And speaking of new books, what have you read lately that you'd like to recommend (or not) to your fellow San Antonians? Send us a brief review in the comments to this blog.

Deadline Extended for Library Champion Award nominations!

Do you know someone who's always there when the doors open at your branch library, volunteering to help with any and all projects? Someone who helps shelve books, helps raise funds, helps plant new landscaping, or helps get craft projects ready for children's storytime?

The San Antonio Public Library Board of Trustees wants to recognize those special people whose hard work and support make it possible for us to offer great service to all our customers.

The Library Board is seeking nominations for the 2010 Library Champion Awards. These awards recognize individuals (not employed by the Library) and community organizations for their substantial involvement with the Library system, or who have contributed time, talent or resources that resulted in the enhancement of library service in San Antonio. The deadline for nominations is February 24. Recipients will be recognized at a ceremony on April 11.

Nomination forms are available by calling (210) 207-2638 or e-mailing elizabeth.graham@sanantonio.gov. Completed forms may be mailed to the San Antonio Public Library Public Relations Office, 600 Soledad Plaza, San Antonio, Texas 78205; faxed to (210) 207-2603; or emailed to elizabeth.graham@sanantonio.gov.

The San Antonio Public Library Board of Trustees created the Library Champion Awards in 1996 to honor notable contributions to the Library system.

Free downloadables! We'll show you how!

Find out how to download FREE books, video and music to your mobile device from the San Antonio Public Library website!

Overdrive's Digital Bookmobile is visiting San Antonio for two days in early February. Their friendly, helpful staff will walk you through the steps to get free downloadables on your mp3, iPod, or other mobile device. Stop by one of our locations:

Wednesday, February 3 • 12:00 noon-6:00 p.m.

Igo Branch Library • 13330 Kyle Seale Parkway

Thursday, February 4 • 1:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.

Pruitt Public Library @ Roosevelt High School • 5110 Walzem Road

All you need to get started is a San Antonio Public Library card! Don't have a card? You can sign up for one at the same time.

What's new @ your library? Get updates sent directly to your inbox!

Did you know you can find out the newest movies, music, and books available at the San Antonio Public Library? Sign up with Wowbrary and get regular updates on new arrivals at the library!

Wowbrary regularly informs you by email or RSS about your chosen public library’s newest books, movies and music. They make it easy for you to browse through the latest additions and place a hold on a new title. And the best part? It's all free, a service supported by grants, donations, sponsorships, book sale commissions and volunteers.

To start getting updates, go to http://www.wowbrary.org/signup.aspx and enter your ZIP Code. You'll be walked through a few simple steps, and it's done. It's just that easy!

And speaking of new books, what have you read lately that you'd like to recommend (or not) to your fellow San Antonians? Send us a brief review in the comments to this blog.

"Rubes" creator to appear at Central Library Tuesday, January 26

Leigh Rubin, creator of the nationally syndicated cartoon "Rubes," will make a special appearance at the Central Library, 600 Soledad, on Tuesday, January 26. Rubin’s laugh-filled presentation, “A Twisted Mind is a Terrible Thing to Waste,” begins at 7:00 p.m. and will cover the creative and technical aspects of cartooning.

Rubes has drawn many comparisons to Gary Larson’s iconic "The Far Side," with animals as central characters and absurd twists applied to normal situations. His simple observations and sharp wit have brought smiles to millions worldwide and provided Rubin a successful 25-year career.

Audience members will be able to purchase "Rubes" merchandise and have items signed by the cartoonist at the event, and library cardholders will be able to checkout copies of several of his cartoon collections. One lucky guest will even get to walk away with a high-quality autographed print to be given away by the library.

What's new @ your library? Get updates sent directly to your inbox!

Did you know you can find out the newest movies, music, and books available at the San Antonio Public Library?

Sign up with Wowbrary and get regular updates on new arrivals at the library! Wowbrary regularly informs you by email or RSS about your chosen public library’s newest books, movies and music. They make it easy for you to browse through the latest additions and place a hold on a new title. And the best part? It's all free, a service supported by grants, donations, sponsorships, book sale commissions and volunteers.

To start getting updates, go to http://www.wowbrary.org/signup.aspx and enter your ZIP Code. You'll be walked through a few simple steps, and it's done. It's just that easy! And speaking of new books, what have you read lately that you'd like to recommend (or not) to your fellow San Antonians? Send us a brief review in the comments to this blog.

Some SAPL online services unavailable

UPDATE: Our server upgrade is still underway and so our services are still offline. We are working to bring everything back up as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience!


While we upgrade our server on Monday, January 18, some San Antonio Public Library online resources and services will be unavailable.

During this period, you will not be able to:

• Renew items by telephone or online
  
• Place holds online
  
• Access the catalog
• Access your account (check due dates, renew items, etc.)
• Access databases

Since January 18 is a holiday, all San Antonio Public Library locations will be closed and no items will be due.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. All services are scheduled to be back online Tuesday, January 19. Thank you for your patience.

Everybody needs friends...

...and the Library is no exception!

The Friends of the San Antonio Public Library help keep us going. Their mission is to promote public use of the library and appreciation of its great value to the community. They provide everything from monetary donations to volunteers to assist with library activities throughout the city. Most branch libraries have their own Friends groups who also help out with specific projects at those libraries.

Now there's a new group getting started: The Friends of the Central Library. If you think of the Central Library as "your" library, you're invited to join the Central Friends. Adult memberships start as low as $15 a year, and your funds and your efforts go to support the work of the San Antonio Public Library.

For more information on how to join the Friends of the Central Library, please call 207-2829.

The San Antonio Public Library is growing!

The Stone Oak area is one of San Antonio's fastest-growing communities, and the San Antonio Public Library is growing too, so we can provide service to these new neighborhoods!

At 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, January 12, District 9 City Council Representative Elisa Chan will be joined by representatives from the City Manager's office, the Library Board of Trustees, and Library management for a groundbreaking ceremony to kick off construction for the new Parman Branch Library at Stone Oak, located at 20735 Wilderness Oak.

Scheduled to open in early 2011, the 15,000-square-foot library will include a children's area, a teen section, and a community meeting room. Like all branches of the San Antonio Public Library, the branch will offer computers and internet access, Wi-Fi service, a broad range of programs for all ages, and, of course, books, magazines, newspapers and digital resources.

Stay on the lookout for more information about this great new branch library!

San Antonio Public Library virtual collection grows with "Local and Regional History Online"

Local and Regional History Online tells the story of America through the words and images of Arcadia Publishing's award-winning collection of local history titles. History comes alive at a level of detail not often seen, through such titles as Fort Lauderdale in Vintage Postcards and Cleveland's Gospel Music. All told, the ebook collection contains 157,000 pages and 255,000 images, which are fully browsable and searchable by time, place, person and more.

You can also browse our entire database collection and get magazine and newspaper articles, find new customers for your business, locate your ancestors in Census records, connect to a live, online tutor and much more.