Blog Archives
…as the temperature rises…
It’s June in San Antonio, and that means triple-digit temperatures can’t be far away – in fact, the National Weather Service is predicting a high of 101 degrees on Sunday, possibly rising to 105 on Tuesday. With the thermometer at these levels, it’s important to protect yourself and prevent heat-related injuries. 
Some hints from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration:
- Slow down, and reduce strenuous activity. Mow the lawn or garden in the early morning or late evening instead of midday.
- Dress in lightweight, nonrestrictive, light-colored clothing.
- Drink plenty of water or other nonalcoholic fluids.
- Eat light, easy-to-digest foods.
- Seek out shade if you have to be outdoors for extended periods. Spend more time in air-conditioned places.
- Check on elderly neighbors, friends and relatives to make sure they are okay.
- When outside, take frequent dips in the ocean or pool, or mist yourself with a water bottle. When inside, if you have no air-conditioning, take frequent cool baths or showers and use cold compresses to cool off.
Be sure that outdoor pets have plenty of shade, and remember to keep their water bowls full.
Never leave a child, an elderly person, or a pet in a car for any reason – temperatures inside a closed car can reach 180 to 200 degrees.
Don’t forget that there are many cooling centers throughout the community – public libraries, senior centers, community centers and public swimming pools are just a few. The Metropolitan Health District has provided a map of City-operated cooling centers here http://batchgeo.com/map/311bfe3e819fdf51b77bdfc2f7c3642e.
Finally, if you suspect that you or someone else may be suffering from heat illness , get to a doctor as quickly as possible.
Stay cool!
Expecting to give (or receive) an eReader this holiday season? Check out what’s available at SAPL!
Black Friday is just around the corner, and it looks like eReaders will be hot holiday gifts again in 2011. The San Antonio Public Library wants to help you 
get the most out of your new technology, so make plans to visit one of our eReader clinics scheduled from now through January!
Besides showing you how to use an eReader, our November and December clinics can offer tips to help you figure out which eReader is best for you, or the lucky person receiving a gift from you. For a list of clinic dates, times and locations, please go to our online calendar and search for keyword “eReader clinic” or pick up a bookmark schedule at any San Antonio Public Library location. The class schedule is also available in our printed calendar of events, “Bookmarks.”
Don’t forget that you can download books for that new eReader, free on our website! (And Kindle is now compatible with library downloads.)
Library Board requests public input on naming of library spaces
The Naming Committee of the San Antonio Public Library Board of Trustees has received a proposal to name a space at the Central Library after the late Marie Swartz, former Chair of the Library Board of Trustees who passed away on August 23, 2009. At 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, November 12, the Naming Committee has scheduled a meeting to receive public input on the proposal. The meeting will be held in the Central Library Auditorium, 600 Soledad 78205.
An artist and civic activist, Ms. Swartz chaired the Library Board through the selection of Ricardo Legorreta as the architect for the famed “enchilada red” Central Library.
The Library Board Naming Committee has also extended the period for public
Access to the Mission Branch Library during the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
comment on proposed names for the south courtyard at the Mission Branch Library, 3134 Roosevelt Avenue. A public meeting will be held at the branch library on Sunday, November 13, at 2:00 p.m., to receive feedback on the proposals. (Road closures for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon will not prevent access to the library. Please see attached map for alternate route.)
The Naming Committee will accept public input, or additional naming suggestions, for both locations until December 6. Comments or suggestions may be mailed to:
Naming Committee
San Antonio Public Library Board of Trustees
c/o Kate Gray, Assistant Library Director/Public Service
Central Library
600 Soledad, 4th Floor
San Antonio, Texas 78205
Comments may also be faxed to (210) 207-2603, or interested parties may make comments at meetings of the full San Antonio Public Library Board of Trustees. The next Board meeting is:
Wednesday, December 7 • 4:30 p.m.
Central Library (one hour free parking available with validated ticket)
600 Soledad 78205
Are you the next Danielle Steel or John Grisham?
Have you ever wanted to write a book? (I know I have – I have about 20 topic sentences written for different books, but that’s as far as I’ve gotten.) Then join the San Antonio Public Library for National Novel Writing 
Month, November 1-30. This is your chance to put words to paper in a supportive, quiet environment. We’ll even have some published authors stopping by to offer words of encouragement! The goal is 50,000 words (a complete novel) by the end of November. Last year, 30,000 people met the goal; this year, the program will take place in 63 countries around the world. For more information, please go to our online calendar, or pick up a copy of our “Bookmarks” calendar at any Library location. You might not make it into print, but then again, you might be the author of the next Great American Novel!
It’s ¡Tamalada! time – tickets now available!
¡Tamalada! is the perfect holiday season kick-off. Get your family in the holiday spirit by joining us on Saturday, November 19, or Sunday, November 20, for this celebration of a great tradition.
Free tickets for San Antonio Public Library’s ¡Tamalada! are now available online at Brown Paper Tickets.
¡Tamalada! gives San Antonians a chance to enjoy the long-standing tradition of getting together at the home of a friend or relative to make tamales for the upcoming holiday season.
This year, for the first time, the event will take place over two days, giving more fans the opportunity to participate. For a full schedule, please visit our online calendar, and reserve your tickets now!
FYI: All libraries will be closed Friday, November 11, in observance of Veterans Day.
Pruitt Branch Library begins extended service hours
On Tuesday, November 1, the Molly Pruitt Library at Roosevelt High School, 5110 Walzem Road, extended its public service hours from 32 hours a week to 56 hours a week, bringing it in line with all other San Antonio Public Library branches. The branch library, which is located in a school, was previously open to the public only outside school hours.
The new operating schedule will be:
Monday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 12:00 noon – 8:00 p.m.
The expanded public service schedule was made possible by an increase in Library funding approved by City Council in the Fiscal Year 2012 City budget.
The Pruitt Library is a partnership between the North East Independent School District and the City of San Antonio. For more information about resources, services and programs at the branch library, please visit our website, www.mysapl.org, or call (210) 650-1122.
Meet the author! Dagoberto Gilb
Texas author Dagoberto Gilb is known for his spare, crisp writing style and his topics, which focus on “working-class men who are slowly awakening to their ineptitude at relationships, who have a hard time shaking off old addictions, and who can’t quite move their careers out of neutral” (Kirkus Reviews), with a special focus on the experiences of 
Mexican-American men. Mr. Gilb’s newest book, Before the End, After the Beginning, is a collection of short stories that revisits his perennial themes. Written during a period of recovery and rehabilitation after a stroke he suffered in 2009, it also explores themes of morality, physical frailty, prejudice and family. You’ll have a chance to hear Mr. Gilb speak at the Central Library at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 2. The same event will also feature some of San Antonio’s rising literary lights. Mark your calendar and plan to join us for a session with an author whose work has appeared in Harper’s and The New Yorker. It’s free and everyone is invited (and the first hour of parking in the Library parking garage is free with a validated ticket.)
Speaking of authors, have you ever wanted to write a book yourself? Then join the San Antonio Public Library for National Novel Writing 
Month, November 1-30. This is your chance to put words to paper in a supportive, quiet environment. The goal is 50,000 words (a complete novel) by the end of November. For more information, please go to our online calendar, or pick up a copy of our “Bookmarks” calendar at any Library location.
Pruitt Branch Library begins extended service hours November 1
On Tuesday, November 1, the Molly Pruitt Library at Roosevelt High School, 5110 Walzem Road, extended its public service hours from 32 hours a week to 56 hours a week, bringing it in line with all other San Antonio Public Library branches. The branch library, which is located in a school, was previously open to the public only outside school hours.
The new operating schedule will be:
Monday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 12:00 noon – 8:00 p.m.
The expanded public service schedule was made possible by an increase in Library funding approved by City Council in the Fiscal Year 2012 City budget.
The Pruitt Library is a partnership between the North East Independent School District and the City of San Antonio. For more information about resources, services and programs at the branch library, please visit our website, www.mysapl.org, or call (210) 650-1122.
Witches and pumpkins and ghosts, oh my!
This Saturday, October 29, the Library has some spooooky Halloween 
parties planned. To find out where to enjoy “stories that are not too scary, crafts that are not too tricky, and treats that are not too sticky,” pick up a copy of our “Bookmarks” calendar of events at any San Antonio Public Library location, go to our online calendar, or call (210) 207-2621.
Meet the Author! Susan Wittig Albert at Central Library
Since Nancy Drew’s first appearance in 1930 in The Secret of the Old Clock, her adventures have thrilled millions of girls. At the Central Library, 600 Soledad, on Saturday, October 8, you’ll have an opportunity to meet Susan Wittig
Albert, one of the authors who have penned Nancy Drew mysteries under the nom de plume Carolyn Keene. The program, “Our Nancy Never Cries: Strong Women Solve Mysteries,” will begin at 2:00 p.m. in the Central Library Auditorium. The program title is taken from an experience the author had during her tenure as Carolyn Keene.
Dr. Albert has more in her portfolio than Nancy Drew, however. She is the author of the China Bayles herbal mystery series (one of my favorites!), the Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter mystery series, the new Darling Dahlias mystery series, and, writing as Robin Paige with her husband Bill Albert, a Victorian mystery series. Her non-fiction includes Together, Alone: A Memoir of Marriage and Place, Work of Her Own: a Woman’s Guide to Success off the Career Track, and An Extraordinary Year of Ordinary Days. She is also the editor of an anthology, What Wildness Is This: Women Write about the Southwest. Her first China Bayles novel was nominated for both the Agatha and Anthony Awards.
During her presentation, Dr. Albert will discuss her writing and what led to her decision to leave a fast-track academic career for life as an author. Following the program, there will be a book sale and signing.
The program is free and open to the public. One hour of free parking is available in the Library parking garage with a validated ticket.
Coolest news I’ve heard recently: Library downloadable e-Books are now compatible with Kindle readers! To find out how to get started using your Kindle (or the Kindle app on other mobile devices), go here. (You’ll need a San Antonio Public Library card.)
Listening to: Stone’s Fall by Iain Pears – a powerful British arms manufacturer and financier is killed by a fall from the window of his house, and his widow asks a young journalist to search out secrets from the man’s past.
Waiting for: audiobooks of Janet Evanovich‘s new Stephanie Plum mystery Smokin’ Seventeen, and Kerry Greenwood‘s Earthly Delights and Devil’s Food.
mySAPL 