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We couldn't do it without them!

At 2:00 p.m. at the Central Library on Sunday, June 12, the San Antonio Public Library Board of Trustees will honor individuals and organizations who have contributed to Library service in the community by presenting them with Library Champion Awards. Join us to celebrate the gift of volunteering!

This year's honorees are:

Councilmen Justin Rodriguez and John Clamp

Deedee Lu

Library Volunteer Marketing Team
Mari Aguirre
Mike Bacon
Angela Bartels
Becky Bridges
Jessica Cerda
Rosenda Rios
Andi Rodriguez
Anamaria Suescun-Fast

Mercedes O'Higgins

The Rackspace Foundation

Karen Sagun

Chairs of the San Antonio Public Library Foundation
Gene Ames
Pat Flynn
Kye Fox
Nick Hollis
Alice Lynch
Dennis Martinez
Mike Molak
Guillermo Nicolas
Carol O'Malley
Debbie Prost

Also being recognized are the three individual volunteers with the greatest number of service hours:

Richard Kierbow - 1,158 hours
Paula Parra - 845 hours
Pamela Miller - 693 hours

Thanks to all of you - we couldn't do it without you!

School's out - don't forget to add the Library to your summer plans!

On June 3 Mayor Julián Castro helped kick off the San Antonio Public Library's Summer Reading Program, inviting children and teens up to age 18 to join the Library for a summer of reading and fun. Library staff say the goal behind Summer Reading is to show that reading is fun and reading just for the fun of it is a good way to spend some time.

For children, activities are planned throughout the summer, including special performances by popular magician Spikey Mikey, and the Magik Theatre presenting their hit version of If You Give a Pig a Party. For teens, there will be video gaming, puzzle parties, book clubs, or just hanging with friends. And for everyone who completes the Summer Reading program, there will be a book of your own to keep!

For more information on the children's Summer Reading Program, or to register, go here. Teens can sign up and find out what's going on at their library here.

To get a monthly report on what's new @ your library, sign up for our newsletter!

Bannwolf Library at Reagan High School discontinues public library service

At 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 29, the Bannwolf Library at Reagan High School will discontinue its public-library operation. The opening of the new Parman Branch Library at Stone Oak allows the San Antonio Public Library to offer full-time public library service to the north central area, in turn allowing the Reagan High School facility to return to full-time service as a high school library. San Antonio Public Library items currently housed at the Bannwolf Library will be transferred to other branch libraries throughout the system.

The innovative school-public library partnership opened its doors in October 1999, and its success led to a second collaboration, the Pruitt Public Library at Roosevelt High School. The Pruitt Library will continue its dual service as both a public library and a school library.

Ramiro Salazar, Director of the San Antonio Public Library, thanked partner North East Independent School District: “We appreciate that the North East Independent School District and their librarians embraced this new service model to bring public libraries to underserved areas. The school district’s cooperation and support helped us offer public library service to new neighborhoods and continue to make a difference in our community.”

Former users of the Bannwolf Library are invited to visit the Parman Branch Library to take advantage of the full range of San Antonio Public Library resources, programs and services.

Job hunting? Start @ your library

Whether you're just graduating from college or high school or thinking of a career change, you're probably making plans to start looking for a job. The San Antonio Public Library is the place to start. We have books and magazines, of course, but more than that, we have information to help you develop a résumé, write an attention-getting cover letter, and prepare for an interview - and it's all at your fingertips at the click of a mouse on our webpage, www.mysapl.org.

Or if you see yourself more as an entrepreneur, the San Antonio Public Library is your partner there, too. From one-on-one counseling with experienced executives to free market research to business and financial news, the Library is a one-stop starting point.

And don't forget: all libraries offer the assistance of trained information specialists to help you find exactly what you're looking for. The best part? It's all free! Visit the San Antonio Public Library today.

2011 Young Pegasus Poets try their wings!

This weekend San Antonio's young poets will be recognized at the 85th annual Young Pegasus Poetry Awards ceremony, scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 15, at the Hermann Sons Grand Lodge, 515 S. St. Mary's. This year more than 2,000 poems were submitted for consideration, with 71 poems by 61 young authors - ranging in age from 6 to 18 - selected for publication in the 2011 Young Pegasus Poetry Anthology. Those lucky enough to attend will hear these creative young writers read their own poems aloud.

Items of interest:

Two new libraries are now open to serve you!

Mission Branch Library, 3134 Roosevelt Avenue 78214 (on the former site of the Mission Drive-in Theatre)
Parman Branch Library in Stone Oak, 20735 Wilderness Oak 78258

Don't forget it's almost time for Summer Reading, sponsored again this year by Mayor Julian Castro! For information on the kids' program, go here, and to find out what the teens are planning, go here.

We couldn't do it without them!

Do you know someone - a volunteer - who is the support and mainstay of your local branch of the San Antonio Public Library? Someone who is always there to help with storytime, to shelve books, to assist teen services staff with projects? A business or organization that has sent volunteers or donated funds to support Library programming or provide new resources? The San Antonio Public Library Board of Trustees wants to hear from you!

The Library Board is seeking nominations for the 2011 Library Champion Awards. These awards recognize individuals (not employed by the Library), businesses, 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.

Anyone may submit a nomination for Library Champion. Previous recipients are eligible for nomination. A nomination form is available on the Library's webpage or by calling (210) 207-2638.

The deadline for nominations is March 1. Recipients will be honored at an awards ceremony on Sunday, April 17, at the Central Library.

The San Antonio Public Library Board of Trustees created the Library Champion Awards in 1996 to honor notable contributions to the Library system. Past award recipients include Dr. Amy Freeman Lee, former San Antonio City Manager Alex Briseño, author Barbara Stanush, Wings Press publisher Bryce Milligan, the Friends of the San Antonio Public Library, the San Pedro Hills Women's Club, the San Antonio Express-News, and the San Antonio Public Library Foundation.