How many of your New Year's resolutions have you broken?

January is a little more than half gone. Did you make some New Year's resolutions back on January 1? How many of them are you sticking to? Guest blogger K.G. Wilkins reminds us that your public library is a great place to get the support you need to make those resolutions into reality (we've made just a few edits to make her advice fit San Antonio):

The tradition of starting the New Year right has been around for hundreds of years. Lately, it has sold lots of diet books and exercise equipment. We at the Library are ready for any resolution you might want to make - and at much less cost than the purchase of a new treadmill!

I will lose weight and get in shape: We have the popular diet books and cookbooks that go with finding a newer way to cook. We also have books and videos on exercise and yoga. Our OverDrive selections include e-books that you can read on your computer or portable devices (depending on the title and your device). [Editor's note: your local library might even have exercise classes. One San Antonio branch library offers tai chi, another, line dancing. To see what's available, call your branch library, check our online calendar of events, or pick up a copy of our "Bookmarks" quarterly calendar next time you visit your library.]

I will improve my computer skills: We have in-person instructors on a rotating basis at libraries throughout the system. Other branches offer practice sessions where you can get some personalized coaching from Library staff.

I will learn a language: We have books and CDs and online language courses that you can download from the OverDrive collection at the Library. And our librarians have developed a guide to help you find some of the best resources around - go here to see our recommendations.

I will travel more: We have lots of travel guides and public access computers if you want to shop for a better deal online. We even have a special online page to help you find new places to go and ways to get there. You can also come in and print out your e-ticket at the library from our public access computers or print out a map from Google or Mapquest for your driving vacations.

I will relax: We have books on stress management. We also have lots of music on CD that you can listen to. Exercise is a great way to work off stress, so don't forget all the library resources that can help you there. And don't underestimate the power of a good book to take you away from your daily cares. A lovely romance or an exciting suspense novel or a biography of a character that you admire can give you a regular way to de-compress.

I will do more with my children or grandchildren: Think of taking them to the library and helping them get library cards and visiting regularly. All San Antonio Public Library locations offer free story times and lots of special events through the year. Share the joy of reading and a few wonderful DVD movies and music. Your library card can make for some wonderful memories. (And, while it might not be exactly fun, you can help a struggling student by pointing him or her to our free online live homework help service, tutor.com.)

I will save money: Well, consider that you can check out a DVD, CD, audiobook or printed book free from the library any day. You can use the public access computers for free any day. We have free wi-fi for your laptop web-surfing, or for businesspeople to use if they need a place to work for a while. We also have books on saving money and investing for retirement - all free for you to use.

I will give back to my community: Systemwide, the San Antonio Public Library is used by more than 11,000 people a day. Donating to the San Antonio Public Library Foundation or joining the Friends of the San Antonio Public Library is a way to support our 900,000 plus library card-holders. Your gift will enhance every neighborhood and will support education and self-improvement. Happy New Year! May it be prosperous and healthy for us all.

Guest blogger K.G. Wilkins is a Children's Services Librarian at the Main Branch of the New Orleans Public Library.

Special thanks to the New Orleans Times-Picayune for allowing us to share Ms. Wilkins' article with our readers!

Out and [Writing] About

In honor of Pride Month, the Library will feature readings by local GLBTI authors. Featured authors are Anel Flores, Pablo Miguel Martinez, and Rialistic. Cosponsored by Gemini Ink.

June 25 • 6:30 p.m.
Brook Hollow Branch Branch Library
530 Heimer Road • 496-6315

For more information on Pride Month events, please visit http://guides.mysapl.org/content.php?pid=43429.

Take Me Out

In honor of Pride Month, the Library will host “Take Me Out” as part of the "Bringing Books to Life" series of dramatic readings. The San Pedro Playhouse, the San Antonio Public Library Foundation, and the San Antonio Public Library made this reading possible through the Russell Hill Rogers Fund for the Arts.

June 20 • 2:30 p.m.
Maverick Branch Library
8700 Mystic Park • 680-9346

For more information on Pride Month events, please visit http://guides.mysapl.org/content.php?pid=43429.

Coming Out: Personal Journeys of GLBTI Community Members

In honor of Pride Month, the Library will host Coming Out: Personal Journeys of GLBTI Community Members. Panelists include Robert Vargas, Editor of Ignite SA, Partners and Stonewall Democrats Daniel Graney and Roberto Flores, and HRC activist, Gayl Newton, and transgender rights advocate, Julia DeGrace. Sponsored by Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays.

June 18 • 6:30 p.m.
Landa Branch Library
233 Bushnell Avenue • 732-8369

For more information on Pride Month events, please visit http://guides.mysapl.org/content.php?pid=43429.

All in the Family

In honor of Pride Month, the Library will host a panel discussion with local lawyers about legal rights for same-sex partnerships and families. Panelists include attorneys Stephanie Boyd, Ina Castillo and William F. Goodman.

June 11 • 6:30 p.m.
Cody Branch Library
11441 Vance Jackson Road • 696-6396

For more information on Pride Month events, please visit http://guides.mysapl.org/content.php?pid=43429.

Pride Movie Nights

The library will hold special screenings of Milk, the 2008 film that chronicles the life of Harvey Milk, San Francisco’s first openly gay elected official. Sean Penn won the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his performance as Harvey Milk.

June 9 • 6:30 p.m.
Central Library
600 Soledad • 207-2500

June 11 • 6:30 p.m.
Brook Hollow Branch Library
530 Heimer Road • 496-6315

June 13 • 2:00 p.m.
Landa Branch Library
233 Bushnell Avenue • 732-8369

June 26 • 1:30 p.m.
The Tobin Library at Oakwell
4134 Harry Wurzbach Road • 828-2569

For more information on Pride Month events, please visit http://guides.mysapl.org/content.php?pid=43429.

Library Kicks Off Summer Programming!

2009 Summer Programming officially kicks off at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 6, at the Central Library, 600 Soledad. To jump start this special summer for children, the Magik Theatre will launch their library run of the hit show If You Give a Mouse a Cookie with performances at 12:00 noon and 2:00 p.m. at the Central Library. Based on the book by Laura Numeroff, this is a show kids will love. It’s funny. It’s silly. It’s Magik!

Throughout the summer, the library will offer events, crafts, prizes and other fun activities to encourage kids and teens to read a good book. Children can join the 2009 Summer Reading Club at any library location or online at mysapl.org beginning June 1. They’ll receive a Summer Reading Log and a calendar filled with library programs designed just for them. When they’ve completed fifteen books, they can bring their reading logs back to the library and choose a book to keep for their own.

The library’s summer programming will keep San Antonio’s children entertained with everything from Baby Time to BACK Pack (Books, Activities and Crafts for Kids). In addition to weekly library programs, several special performances are also planned. Following its premier performance at the Central Library, the Magik Theatre will take the show on the road with showings of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie at branch libraries around the city. Azul Barrientos will perform songs loved by generations of children, from gentle lullabies to rowdy playground rhymes. And Spikey Mikey, San Antonio’s favorite magician, brings his bag of tricks back to the library as well.

For more information on joining the Summer Reading Program, and for a complete calendar of children’s activities, visit mysapl.org. The San Antonio Public Library Children’s Summer Reading Program is sponsored by the Friends of the San Antonio Public Library, CPS Energy, First Book, Scholastic, the San Antonio Public Library Foundation, and the San Antonio Public Library.

The Library Celebrates Fiesta!

All libraries will be closed Friday, April 24 as we take part in the 118th Anniversary of our annual city-wide Fiesta! Come check us out at the Battle of Flowers parade...we'll be in an antique fire truck in honor of the 2009 Big Read and Fahrenheit 451. Closely followed by the premier public performance of the San Antonio Public Library Book Cart Drill Team. ¡Viva La Biblioteca!

Battle of Flowers Parade
Friday, April 24
Vanguard 11:50 a.m.
Parade 12:45 p.m.
http://www.battleofflowers.org/parade.aspx