Low-tech Toys: Powered by Imagination

Can kids have fun with toys and games that don't require batteries, electricity, keyboards, speakers, and display screens? Visit the Youth Services "On the Path to Good Health" exhibit during the month of December for tips on ever-popular gifts that are "powered by imagination" and sure to please the boys and girls on your holiday gift list.

A teddy bear or a cuddly stuffed animal might find a permanent place in the heart of a young child. Steiff, one of the companies that manufactured teddy bears in the early 1900s, is still in business today. If money is no object, you can order beautiful, imaginative stuffed animals directly from steiffusa.com. (If the white, limited-edition 2009 Christmas bear is out of your price range, look for more suitable stuffed animals at other locations.)

Be sure to check the Consumer Product Safety Commission's website to be certain that any toy you choose is safe and developmentally-appropriate for the child on your list.

The entire family can enjoy hours of fun with dominoes, card games and board games. Watch the children develop patience, sportsmanship and strategy as they learn to play some of the classic games that have been popular for generations. Have you forgotten the rules to your favorite game? No problem. Find the rules for hundreds of card games on http://www.pagat.com./ You'll find old favorites like Rummy and Canasta, as well as newly-created games and Solitaire. Many websites have rules for domino games, such as the Domino Chickenfoot Game, and other vintage games, including Chess and Backgammon.

Check out http://www.puzzlehouse.com/ for challenging 3-D puzzles of the U.S. Capitol Building and the Eiffel Tower. They'll keep youngsters and adults happy and busy for days. Another source for innovative puzzles is http://www.bitsandpieces.com/

Thanks to the Kaiser Permanente and the Library Foundation and Friends for support of the "On the Path to Good Health" exhibits.
posted by jtb

Library Resources Available from Home

The library will be closed for the next few days. Our doors will be shut however you can still use our digital resources. To see what is available start at our home page. Click on the Research/Resources link and then select Electronic Resources.

Below are some of the things you can use or explore from our website.

Try downloading an audiobook to your iPod or MP3 player. You can download audiobooks from our Califa Digital Books collection.

May be you would rather enjoy a story book with your child. Watch and listen to children’s books on your computer using TumbleBooks.

Have you always wanted to learn to speak a foreign language? Try Mango Languages. Spanish, French, and Mandarin Chinese are some of the languages you can learn.

Does your son or daughter have homework to complete over the vacation. Try Student Resource Center, World Book Online, or Literary Reference Center from our Electronic Resources page.

If you want to be ready with a list of good books to read when we open on Monday, try NoveList Plus. Browse the Recommended Reads or What We’re Reading sections of NoveList Plus for recommended books.

Posted by mlg

Free Library Computer Classes

On Thursday, December 3, from 9:30-10:30 we will teach our regular monthly Internet/Catalog basics class. Come with your questions about the new Encore catalog interface for finding library materials. You can also learn the basics of using a web browser and finding things on the internet.

Come join us for Email Basics on Thursday, December 10 from 9:30-11:00. We will help students sign up for email and learn to us email. Bring your questions.

Any questions, just ask when you are in the library or call (408) 615-2900.

posted by mb

Season's Readings

Will you be buying books as gifts for the young readers in your life? Susan Baier, our Youth and Extension Services Manager, has just compiled a holiday gift guide with books that are sure to please the children and young adults on your shopping list.

She suggests that you consider The Lion and the Mouse, Jerry Pinkney’s 2009 wordless book that tells the familiar Aesop’s fable with detailed watercolor paintings that will appeal to children in preschool through 2nd grade.

If your preschool child loves trucks and dinosaurs, then Dinotrux by Chris Gail is bound to be a sure-fire hit.

Sloppy Joe, by David Keane, is the clever story of a young boy who is always disheveled and messy. Children ages 4 through 7 will laugh at Joe’s antics as he slurps, spills and gets gum stuck in his hair.

Popular series of books for older children are Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Magic Tree House, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, and Alex Rider Adventure.

Don’t forget about recently-published nonfiction books, such as the Teen Vogue Handbook: An Insider’s Guide to Careers in Fashion, by Teen Vogue, and Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11, by Brian Floca.

Susan presented her “Season’s Readings” booklist at the Santa Clara DAR Chapter meeting at Mariani’s Restaurant. Stop by the Youth Services desk for a copy of her list and for other book recommendations for young readers.
Posted by jtb

Looking for Historic Photos of Old Santa Clara Valley?

Try some of these websites compiled by Mary Hanel our Local History Librarian.

Calisphere California Digital Library, University of California, search by place (Santa Clara or San Jose, for example; or topic: Santa Clara County Orchard or Mission Santa Clara)




Silicon Valley History Online Historical images contributed from these institutions: California History Center at DeAnza College, History San Jose, Intel Corporation Museum, San Jose Public Library California Room, San Jose State University Special Collections, Santa Clara City Library Heritage Pavilion, and Santa Clara University Archives. Browse by broad topic category or use search box for a specific place or topic.

ClaraVision Images from the archives of the University of Santa Clara. To browse, click on "View the Collection" or to search by topic, click on "Search the Collection" and enter keywords.

Hooked on Los Gatos Images from the photograph collections at Los Gatos Public Library, search strategy is the same as Silicon Valley History online--i.e., browse by broad topic category or use search box for a specific topic.

Mountain View Public Library Photographs from the Library and Historical Association are integrated into the library's main catalog--you may search by subject or family name. However, to browse the library's photos that have been digitized, use a call number search starting with the characters: PHL or use PHA to find the Historical Association's digitized photos.

Palo Alto Historical Association Photograph Collection Images from the photo collections of the Palo Alto are located in Palo Alto Public's Main Library. Use the search terms or the browse function.

Sunnyvale Public Library Digital Archives A small collection of images that can be browsed by broad category, including Canned Fruit Industry and Moffett Field are found here.

History San Jose Online Exhibits Click on the Exhibits and Collections tab on History San Jose's homepage. Visit these exhibits: Lou's Village, Cannery Life, Neighborhoods, Label Legacy and Dairy Hill.

posted by mb

Encore! Encore!

Encore is the new search interface for the Santa Clara City Library catalog. Encore acts like a Web search featuring new ways to quickly narrow, or refine, your results.

Encore searches terms as a keyword search (i.e. John Smith gets searched as "John" AND "Smith"). If you do not see what you are looking for in the search results use the “Refine by” options to narrow the results of your search. You can also narrow your results by selecting a tag under the “Refine by Tag” section. Search results can be sorted by relevance, title, or date.

When you enter a search term into Encore, not only can you search the catalog for relevant items, you can easily extend your search to selected databases. On the lower right side of the result screen is an area called "Articles and More." By clicking on the right yellow arrow in that section, Encore will search five databases. The five databases searched are Academic Search Complete, Business Source Complete, MasterFILE Premier, NoveList Plus, and World Book Student.

As you browse the catalog, you can create a temporary list of items by clicking “Add to Cart” for each item selected. Once the list is created, select “My Cart” at the top right of the page to e-mail the list to capture your selections. Make sure to e-mail your list before exiting Encore; once you exit, the Cart is emptied and the list is deleted.

Please visit our tutorials page for an audio visual tour of the new catalog.

The previous catalog is still available and may be accessed by clicking on the "Classic Catalog" link.

cp

Photos of Santa Clara's Historic Houses and Landmarks Presentation

Correction: Mary Hanel will be the speaker for the Tuesday night, Nov. 17th, Santa Clara County Historical and Genealogical Society meeting. She will speak about photographs of Santa Clara's historic houses and landmarks.

Where: Santa Clara Central Park Library, Cedar Room, 2635 Homestead Rd., Santa Clara

When: Tuesday, November 17, 2009 from 7 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Speaker: Mary Hanel, Local History Librarian

Topic: Photos of Santa Clara's Historic Houses and Landmarks

Mary Hanel, Local History Librarian, will present a PowerPoint slide show developed by Gabriel Ibarra, "Photographer of Light" showcasing lovely historic homes in Santa Clara that he has researched and photographed. Samples of historic photos of old Santa Clara from the Library's Heritage Pavilion photo collections will be on display. Mary Hanel will also review which archives and libraries have extensive Santa Clara County historical photo collections and provide web addresses for those that have scanned and put some of their collections online.

Our meetings are free and open to all who are interested in family history or just history. Come and join us for coffee, tea and cookies.

For more information on future meetings please visit our website, www.scchgs.org.



















Ted Wilson Home on Winchester Rd., Santa Clara, circa 1910

posted by mlg