May 2, 2008

Stories, music and movement, oh my!

By Mary Cage, Cambrian branch librarian
Special to the Times

Did you know Cambrian Branch Library holds five story times each week? If you haven’t yet brought your young child to story time, please consider joining us! You and your child will enjoy a variety of stories, rhymes, songs, puppets, and movement activities. What’s more, your child will be developing important pre-literacy skills in the process.

For babies and toddlers age 2 and under, we offer two story times on Thursdays (except the first Thursday of the month), at 9:30 and 10:30 a.m. Children ages 3-5 will enjoy our preschool story time on Friday mornings at 10:30. The Thursday and Friday story times are held in the community room and are followed by “Stay and Play,” in which children and their caregivers are invited to stay after story time to socialize and enjoy a variety of library-provided toys. Stay-and-Play is possible thanks to a generous grant from Target.

On Wednesday evenings at 6:30 and Saturday mornings at 10:30, Cambrian Library provides family story time. Young children of all ages and their parents or caregivers are welcome to attend these programs held in the children’s area on the second floor.

In addition to story times, trained volunteers read to children three times each week: Mondays at 5:30 p.m., Tuesdays at 4:30 p.m. and Thursdays at 4:30 p.m. Everyone is welcome.

Lei Day
Wednesday, May 14 is Lei Day at Cambrian Library! Listen to stories and music from Hawaii, learn to Hula dance, and make a flower or candy lei. This event is geared for youth of all ages and takes place at 3 p.m. in the community room.

Mother’s Day craft
Make Mom a colorful flower – or a whole bouquet! This activity takes place Wednesday, May 7, from 3-4 p.m. in the Community Room. Tissue paper and other supplies will be provided courtesy of Friends of Cambrian Library. This craft is suited to children age 4 and older; younger children may participate with adult assistance.

Celebrating Cambrian
Be sure to stop by the library’s booth at the third Annual Celebrating Cambrian event on Saturday, May 17. This event takes place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Camden Community Center. Join your neighbors and friends for a day of live entertainment, special activities, community information, and food. Come say hello to your local librarians and enjoy our crafts!

Disaster preparedness for Spanish speakers
A free class in disaster preparedness, targeted for Spanish speakers, will be held in the library’s community room on Saturday, May 24 from 10 a.m. to noon. This class will be taught in Spanish by the San Jose Office of Emergency Services.

Teen Idol
Congratulations to Cambrian Library’s winners in our Second Annual San Jose Teen Idol contest on April 5. Cher Wilson was awarded first place, Jesse Flores took second place, and Emilee Grochowski and Saida Muttalib shared third-place honors. Wilson will compete in the citywide grand finale on Saturday, May 17 at 2 p.m. at King Library downtown.

Free computer classes
Do you or someone you know need help learning to use a computer? Beginners will find lots of personalized instruction at our Tuesday classes held from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Whether you’re just learning to navigate with a computer mouse, want to set up a free email account, or would like to start browsing the Internet, we can help.

Cambrian Library also offers classes for those who want instruction in specific computer programs such as Microsoft Word or Excel. These classes are generally held Wednesday evenings at 6 p.m. In May, we’ll teach Word on May 7 and Excel on May 14. If you would like to attend any of our computer classes, please pre-register at the information desk on the second floor.

Summer reading
There will be lots of “buggy” activities at all San Jose Public Library locations when we kick off our Summer Reading Celebration in June. “Catch the Reading Bug!” is the theme for children from birth through grade five.

A complementary theme, “Metamorphosis @ your library,” invites concurrent teen participation. The entire family is encouraged to sign up and earn credits together for accumulated minutes of reading starting Saturday, June 14. Parents may also choose to participate in the adult summer reading program, “Savor the Summer @ Your Library.” Watch this space next month for full details!

Regular library hours are Monday from 2-7 p.m., Tuesday and Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The library will be closed on Monday, May 26, for Memorial Day.

Cambrian Library is located at 1780 Hillsdale Ave. and can be reached by calling (408) 808-3080. For news of other library activities, including those at King Library, visit http://www.sjlibrary.org/about/events/.