June 1, 2006

WILLOW GLEN LIBRARY NEWS

Willow Glen Branch Library readies for summer programs

By Deborah Garvey
Special to the Times

Mark your calendars! The Friends of the Willow Glen Library will hold their summer book sale on Saturday, June 24 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Willow Glen Branch Library, located at 1157 Minnesota Ave. We will offer adult and children's books, videos, DVDs, and CDs for sale. 

Shop for vacation and beach reading favorites at very reasonable prices while supporting your local branch library’s last major sale prior to closure for renovation. Call (408) 998-2022 or visit www.sjlibrary.org for more information. To arrange for an accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act, please call (408) 808-2397 or (408) 808-2130 (TDY) at least 48 hours prior to the event. We're looking forward to seeing you there!

Thanks to the support of the community and our many dedicated volunteers, the Friends of the Willow Glen Library raised over $3,050 to benefit the library at the April 22 book sale. Sale proceeds will be used to enhance the new Willow Glen Library’s collections and provide special children’s and adults’ programs.  

The Friends would like to extend its deepest thanks to the many volunteers who helped set up, take down and cashier the sale. We would also like to thank our sorters and volunteers who make these sales possible by visiting the library at least weekly to organize and sort through items donated by the community. Were it not for the help of dedicated volunteers, the book sales could not happen.

The Friends kindly request that the community make its donations of gently read, high-quality books, DVDs, CDs, and video- and audiocassettes before the June 24 book sale. The Friends can not accept donations after that date in preparation for the Willow Glen Library’s closure in early fall. We ask that all donations after June 24 be made to Friends of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library, the Friends of the Rose Garden Library or another branch library’s friends group.

The Willow Glen Library is hosting speaker Peggy Schiffman on Wednesday, June 7 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. She will discuss “The New MediCare” including Part D and changes to Parts A, B and C. She will discuss when Medicare beneficiaries can still sign up for Part D, the role of supplemental insurance policies ("Medigap" coverage) and the next steps to take regarding MediCare, Part D, changes to Part B, and important dates and deadlines.

The San Jose Public Library's Summer Reading Celebration kicks off on Saturday, June 17.  Children of all ages are invited to sign up for the program at the Willow Glen Library starting at 10 a.m. that day. There will be word games, board games and coloring pages for all as they sign up for the program.

Each participant in the eight-week program will receive an activity log on which to track his or her reading progress. Children win prizes at regular intervals, each of which requires several completed hours of reading. Children may either read on their own or with caregivers.  Participants can read a little or a lot—it's all fun when children choose the books they want to read.

Two Summer Reading Celebration programs are planned for June. Norman Ng, comedian and magician extraordinaire, will entertain children of all ages on Friday, June 23, at 10:30 a.m.  Happy Birds, a performing parrot show, will delight library patrons on Thursday, June 29 at 11 a.m. More information on these programs is available at the Willow Glen Branch Web site:http://www.sjlibrary.org/ about/locations/willow_glen/events.htm or by calling the library at (408) 998-2022.

The library will offer its regular story times in June: Family Story Time Tuesday evenings at 7 p.m. and lapsit story time and preschool story time on Fridays at 10:30 a.m. In addition to its regular weekly story time offerings, the library will offer “Stay and Play” on Friday, June 2, June 9 and June 30 from 11 a.m. to noon. Children may stay to color, play with puppets, use the library’s Little Tikes computer, play with floor toys and interact with one another while parents and caregivers will have the opportunity to socialize.

The Willow Glen Book Club will next meet on Wednesday, June 21 at 12:30 p.m. at the library to discuss Laurie B. King's "Locked Rooms: A Mary Russell Novel."  Everyone is welcome to join in the discussion, which concludes with tea and cake.

Please note the Willow Glen Library will be open from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday, June 16 so that library staff may attend a morning in-service meeting.