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.