Don Giovanni will be performed in 2012 rather than this February. Read more on the Mission City Opera website.
The preview scheduled for Central Park Library has also been postponed. Look for information in 2012.
posted by mb
Monday, January 31, 2011
Find A Grave
I spent most of the weekend immersed in genealogy research and I was reminded that I have meant to share information about an outstanding source for researchers, FindaGrave.com. If you haven't visited it, you are missing an excellent source for famous graves, research and a social network. Yes! You can request a photo of a grave from someone local, post your own photos and obituaries and make a memorial with flowers.
The photo seen here is from a cemetery in Brandon, Rutland County, Vermont, where my Revolutionary War ancestor and his family is buried. No need for a trip across the country, I can see what the setting is and the specific information for the grave.
FindaGrave is searchable by person's name, cemetery name and geographically. Try searching for cemeteries in Santa Clara County. I used Cemetery Lookup on the right side of the main page. Specify USA, California, Santa Clara County and you will see 55 cemeteries. Not all cemeteries are completely recorded on Find A Grave, however, Santa Clara Mission Cemetery has 7,626 listings, Mission City Memorial Park has 8,498 and Oak Hill has 6,193.
Jim Tipton, whose hobby is finding famous graves, created Find A Grave in 1995 because there wasn't anything like it. Since then it has grown to include cemeteries from around the world. Read about his favorite famous graves on the Who's Behind Find A Grave link.
posted by mb
Friday, January 28, 2011
Curiouser and Curiouser*
Learn more about Lewis Carroll, and read or watch his works. Titles marked with ** can be found in the adult section of the library:
Biographies
**Lewis Carroll: A Biography by Morton Cohen**Lewis Carroll in Wonderland: The Life and Times of Alice and Her Creator by Stephanie Stoffel
Lewis Carroll: Through the Looking Glass by Angelica Carpenter
Works by Lewis Carroll
Alice's Adventures in WonderlandAlice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass
**The Annotated Hunting of the Snark
Jabberwocky
The Pig Tale
Movies
Alice in Wonderland [2010 Disney cartoon]Alice in Wonderland [2010 with Johnny Depp]
Ask a Youth Services Librarian for help finding Lewis Carroll books and poetry!
Posted by ws with some help from Wikipedia. *Quote from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Carroll's photo from Wikipedia.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
I Like My Titles Like I Like My Women: Awkward and Confusing
The library is a literary singles bar. Everyone walks in looking to find a meaningful connection before they leave. Preferably, you'd like something memorable and rewarding, but a bit of lighthearted fun would be okay as well should you stumble across it.
The first stage of this search is purely visual. You scan the room waiting for something to catch your eye. Seeing as there is a lot of competition for your attention, aesthetics are important. Despite the old saying, both literal and metaphorical books are judged by their covers. It's not fair, but it is true. Take that to heart lazy graphic designers (and on a more personal note- my sub-par wardrobe and fashion sense)! A weak cover will doom a book to the remainder bin.
So now that something has appealed to you, that first bit of communication is crucial to maintaining intrigue and momentum. And this is where, like so often happens at a bar, everything collapses. An exceedingly lame pick up line is a deal breaker. So is a pathetic title.
My personal pet peeve is in the form of one word titles. To my mind, it is a wasted opportunity. Perhaps your book is about the "Damage" that occurs when someone lives "Life" on the "Edge." But couldn't it be put in a more exciting or poetic manner? Or to the very least, a quieter one? I want a title that whispers enticingly to me. Instead, the one word title comes in the form of a shout. They are all but missing an exclamation point at the end. And, as we know, shouting in a library is frowned upon.
The first stage of this search is purely visual. You scan the room waiting for something to catch your eye. Seeing as there is a lot of competition for your attention, aesthetics are important. Despite the old saying, both literal and metaphorical books are judged by their covers. It's not fair, but it is true. Take that to heart lazy graphic designers (and on a more personal note- my sub-par wardrobe and fashion sense)! A weak cover will doom a book to the remainder bin.
So now that something has appealed to you, that first bit of communication is crucial to maintaining intrigue and momentum. And this is where, like so often happens at a bar, everything collapses. An exceedingly lame pick up line is a deal breaker. So is a pathetic title.
My personal pet peeve is in the form of one word titles. To my mind, it is a wasted opportunity. Perhaps your book is about the "Damage" that occurs when someone lives "Life" on the "Edge." But couldn't it be put in a more exciting or poetic manner? Or to the very least, a quieter one? I want a title that whispers enticingly to me. Instead, the one word title comes in the form of a shout. They are all but missing an exclamation point at the end. And, as we know, shouting in a library is frowned upon.
Or, perhaps, the best part about a blog entry.
posted by jw
Monday, January 24, 2011
FREE Tax Assistance at the Library
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) once again will be offering FREE tax assistance to members of the community starting in early February 2011. This free, walk-in service is intended especially for those with low and limited income, individuals with disabilities, and non-English speaking and elderly taxpayers. If you would like to meet with a volunteer please come prepared with the following:- all forms (W-2, 1099s, etc.)
- information for other income
- information for all deductions/credits
- copy of last year's tax return
- proof of account for direct deposit of refund (e.g. voided check)
- Social Security cards for you, your spouse, and/or dependents
- valid photo I.D. for yourself and/or your spouse
A list of Santa Clara County VITA sites offering services in 2011 may be viewed at the VITA website, vita-volunteers.org.
posted by mb
Friday, January 21, 2011
Use Linked In to Find a Job
"Be proactive" was Mike Gross from Linked In's advice to job hunting students at Central Park Library yesterday. He showed us how to find out more about the companies you want to work for, their open positions and how to network using Linked In. There are one million companies on Linked In worldwide.Linked In is a 90 million member social networking site for professionals looking for work or a promotion or career change. Its mission statement is to connect the world's professionals to make them more productive and successful.
He introduced us to Career Explorer (read more on the Linked In blog) now in beta version which helps you see the career path others have taken to get to a particular job.
His tips for setting up a Linked In profile
- it's not a resume, the more it's filled out the better
- connect with at least 30 professionals
- join relevant groups
- "Follow" companies
- Leverage Career Explorer
For more great, free classes, check out our calendar on the library's website.
posted by mb
Get SPORTY in 2011!
"Get SPORTY" is the theme of the January "On the Path to Good Health" exhibit in Youth Services. To celebrate sports and activities, we've put a selection of our sports and activities books on display in the Youth Services area.
If being active is one of your New Year's resolutions, check out these resources, as well as our "On the Path to Good Health" display, which is supported by Kaiser Permanente and the Library Foundation and Friends.
Posted by ws (Dog with tennis ball found here. Dog with frisbee found here. Cat with baseball found here.)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
