To celebrate Sacramento's widely diverse community, the Sacramento Public Library is offering books, films and online resources featuring the people, places, history, faith and cultures of Muslims in the United

States and around the world. The library received the Bridging Cultures

Bookshelf: Muslim Journeys collection through a program funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Library Association, which funded the book and film purchases.

Southgate Library will present the documentary film, Koran by Heart, on Tuesday, April 30 at 5:30 p.m. One of the Bookshelf project films, this movie showcases Islam's 100 best young students from around the world who come to Cairo for the annual International Holy Koran Competition. Koran by Heart follows the progress of three young scholars as they compete against students who, in some instances, are nearly twice their age.

A Life-long Love of the Library

I have many bright memories of visiting the library. Whether four years old holding my parents' hands or twenty-four with a backpack slung over my shoulder, I have always wanted to check out more books than I could carry. During car rides home through the years, I could hardly wait to dive into the pile of books that already seemed too small.

My love of the library continued from my childhood in Stockton to my adolescence in Lodi, where several teachers, librarians, and of course, books, fueled my dreams of becoming an author or illustrator. When I moved to Sacramento for art school, I spent many happy hours in libraries, whether on campus or at the cozy public branches.

The Sacramento Public Library saw me through college, opened its doors to my tutoring side jobs, and kept me company on rainy weekends. Now, as a teacher, writer, and member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, I still look to the library as my favorite resource. No matter where life has taken me, the library has always encouraged my love of reading and creating. There has never been a better teacher and friend.

Visually-impaired Sacramento Public Library patrons can check out special eReader devices, which have full text-to-speech functionality. The library's Hearing eBooks program offers devices for 11 genres, each with nearly 50 pre-loaded titles. Genres include best sellers, biographies, children's stories, fiction, mystery, nonfiction, romance, science fiction, Spanish language stories, teen and urban fiction. 

Only patrons attesting they are blind or have a disability that requires the accessibility features to listen to eBooks may borrow the Hearing eBook kit. For more information, visit our website or call the library at (916) 264-2920.

Learning to read begins before children start school. Help your child develop early literacy skills now through songs and music.

Sacramento Public Library offers Passport Services at its Central Library

 

The Sacramento Public Library has become a one-stop location for the international American traveler. The library can now process U.S. passport applications at its Central Library.

 

"Passport acceptance facilities are springing up at public libraries throughout the United States.  Our Central Library is a natural fit for passport services, as its open hours are typically more convenient than post offices. Plus, the passport processing fee is a unique funding source that benefits our 28 Sacramento Public Library locations," says Rivkah K. Sass, library director.

Central Library visitors can prepare for nearly everything needed for an overseas vacation, including:

• borrowing travel books and DVDs
• using public Internet computers to book flights and hotels online
• printing airport boarding passes

Librarians can also provide information ranging from travel destinations to how to order a birth certificate.

Passport photos can be taken at the library office for an additional $15. Only checks or money orders are accepted.

The Central Library passport office is open Tuesdays, 3 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.; Fridays, 12 noon to 4:30 p.m.; Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; and Sundays, 12 noon to 4:30 p.m.

Central Library passport office appointments are encouraged. To schedule an appointment, call the library at (916) 264-2920. Free metered street parking is available all day Sundays and Weekdays after 6 p.m.

Visit www.travel.state.gov for information on processing fees, proof of citizenship and required passport application documents.

Join the Sacramento Public Library's variety of culturally diverse
programs with El Dia de los Niños/El Dia de los Libros (Children's Day/Book Day) celebrations at select library locations, April 17 - 30.

The activities emphasize the importance of literacy for children of all linguistic and cultural backgrounds.

Learn what it was like to live in Sacramento more than 70 years ago byattending the Sacramento Public Library's Capital Decades: 1940s program series at the Central Library in May. Fascinating programs will highlight Sacramento's social life, entertainment, fashion, education, World War II home front, war industry work, rationing, Japanese internment, and moving to the area suburbs during the 1940s.

City Life: Tuesday, May 14, at 6 p.m. 

Library staff members and researchers, Amanda Graham, Tom Tolley and James Scott, will discuss what everyday life was like for Sacramentans during the 1940s. 

Fashions and Styles: Tuesday, May 21, at 6 p.m. 

The Sacramento Art Deco Society will direct a fashion show, featuring 1940s vintage clothes and accessories.

Downtown Sacramento c.1940s

Motion Pictures: Tuesday, May 

28, at 6 p.m. 

Local film historian Matias Bombal will share film clips and discuss the moviegoing experience of that decade.

Visitors to Central Library can also view displays of 1940s material from the Sacramento Art Deco Society and Sacramento Public Library throughout May. Display subjects will include historical items from the Japanese internment and the Sacramento home front during World War II.

Could that woman double for Edgar Allan Poe's Annabel Lee in modern times? How about that man as Roderick Usher? Is there a voice actor who can creepily whisper "nevermore ..."?

Local amateur filmmakers and screenwriters are invited to enter The Poe Project competition, sponsored by Capital Film Arts Alliance (CFAA) and the Sacramento Public Library.

The Collected Works of Edgar Allan Poe has been named as the work for the library's 2013 One Book Sacramento project and The Poe Project film/video competition is part of a coordinated effort to bring the literary program into different artistic, social and creative parts of the local community. Local filmmakers will be asked to create short films of

13 minutes or less in length and submissions will be screened at downtown Sacramento's The Crest Theatre this fall.

Details of the competition and award categories and amounts may be found on the CFAA's Poe Project contest details, and on CFAA's Facebook page as well, or they may contact Mary Beth Barber, (916) 429-5105 or Laurie Pederson at (916) 600-6477 or e-mail

info@capitalfilmarts.com. 

Take control of your home's electricity use with the EnergyAware electricity use display. Wirelessly connect your display to your home's smart meter and you'll know instantly how much energy your home is using and how much it costs. The device displays electricity use in dollars and cents at the moment and cumulatively, helping customers estimate what the electricity portion of their bill might be. It's easy to install and use, plus it's a great way to learn more about how your home uses electricity.

Customers can borrow the device like they would a book from any of the Sacramento Public Library's 28 branches. It is one of the first technologies available that allows customers to utilize the SMUD smart grid, which is interconnected by 620,000 smart meters installed on customers' homes and businesses.

EnergyAware electricity use display donated to the Sacramento Public Library by SMUD. For more information on SMUD'sEnergy Aware Check-Out Program visit SMUD's website.

Account executive Sara Perez knows the power of reading. Now in sales with News10, Sara grew up in a bilingual home where she was encouraged to read English-language books to improve her skills. Here's her story:

"As a child, I remember only speaking Spanish. My mother and father, both born in Mexico, were Spanish-speaking natives and decided that they would raise me to be bilingual.

Much of my learning was done during storytelling at bedtime with the trove of books my mom and dad stocked up on to help me learn English. Madeline, Mother Goose, and Winnie the Pooh were a few of my favorites.

My brain was a sponge. I remember a shift in the sounds of words and the new meanings attached to them. Because my parents implemented a daily routine of reading early on, learning a second language felt seamless and natural. I entered school and was able to understand and communicate with my teachers and classmates.

My bilingual literacy created abundance in my life. My parents shaped my appetite for books, which I carry to this day. I excelled in school. Reading, writing and speaking two languages not only gave me a head start in college language requirements, but also with SAT exams. It increased my job opportunities and gave me the ability to communicate with people I would have otherwise never have talked to due to language barriers.

A few years ago I accompanied my mom to Spain and Morocco where I assisted her in interviewing natives for academic research. To think, these opportunities would not be possible had I not been read to as a child.  Reading has truly connected me to the world."  

You can watch Sara's story online.  News10's Reading Connects

campaign produces PSAs to promote reading in our community. Through sharing personal stories of how reading has impacted lives, these PSAs are meant to inspire, motivate and connect.

Mellisa Paul

News10 Community Liaison and Sacramento & Company TV show Hostess 

Enjoy a day of tasting food and learning how and where it is locally grown and prepared at the Grow, Cook, Savor event on Saturday, June 1, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., in the Tsakopoulos Library Galleria at the Central Library.

The culinary program will feature cooking demonstrations with area
master chefs, craft-beer tasting, food-theme exhibits, and discussions lead by regional agricultural historians and scholars. Attendees are also invited to record their favorite memory of food at the Story Station, which will be archived for future food researchers.

Hosted by the Sacramento Public Library, the event is part of the We Are Where We Eat library programs that bring awareness of Sacramento's "foodscape."

 "Sacramento is within one of the world's largest food producing regions with its rich agricultural lands surrounding our community. Local residents should understand how food comes to them at supermarkets and restaurants," says Rivkah K. Sass, library director.

Tickets to the June 1 Grow, Cook, Savor event are $25 each. Proceeds will benefit the Sacramento Public Library.

For more information and to purchase tickets, contact Maryellen Burns or Elaine Corn at wearewhereweat@me.com, (916) 768-6077, or the We Are Where We Eat website.

We Are Where We Eat was made possible with support from Cal Humanities, an independent non-profit state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Sacramento Public Library, with additional support from Capital Public Radio, Sacramento River Delta Historical Society, Sacramento County Historical Society, and California Agriculture in the Classroom.

Val*ues

1. Important and lasting beliefs or ideals shared by the members of a culture about what is good or bad and desirable or undesirable.
2. Monetary or material worth, as in commerce or trade.

Over the past year the Foundation has detailed some of our values as a guide to creating a cohesive newsletter that you would find informative and interesting. The Foundation believes that our values are an important part of our organization's culture and we believe they are shared by you. A library promotes community, it is extremely valuable to our democratic society, it is a place for all of us to unite. Some in our community use the library, some make donations, and all of us believe that libraries, institutions that have persevered for more than 2500 years are, still today, critically important resources in our society.

The Foundation is especially grateful to you, our donors, who have in your personal value system, a dedication to literacy. Your contributions have provided extended opportunities to serve children with summer reading programming that pushes back against the "summer slide" in reading skills. You have helped us develop healthy eating knowledge through the Read and Feed Demonstration Gardens at Colonial Heights and soon, Rancho Cordova branch libraries. You have helped us build the value of our endowments that in turn provide additional materials for the Library collection and the Sacramento Room archive. And, you have helped us to create a sustainable fundraising organization.

We want to thank you for putting your trust in our value system. We feel it is important to maintain financial transparency in every way by being accountable and professional. We strive to always be effective with your donations, and to treat you and the recipients of your much appreciated donations with integrity. We are grateful for your partnership and are pleased to be in solidarity with you in helping today's children become tomorrow's strong and healthy readers.

As the library celebrates National Library Week this April 14 - 20, you might consider joining the Friends of the Sacramento Public Library, a

nonprofit organization that raises money to benefit the Sacramento Public Library.  Friends' membership dues help fund library programs such as the Summer Reading program and provide special purchases for the Lucky Day book collections.

Friends members enjoy these special benefits:

Member-Only Preview Sales:  Many members find that the most exciting benefit of membership is attending book sale previews during the Warehouse book sales. The previews are the best time to get great books for the lowest prices in town. Want to attend a preview, but you're not a member? You can sign up for membership at the door.

Book Sale Discounts: Once you are at the Warehouse book sale, or if you've simply stopped by the Book Den during regular hours, you'll receive the members-only 10 percent discount on purchases.

Special Events: In October, members are invited to the annual All Friends Dinner--an entertaining night of fun, food and fellowship built around the One Book Sacramento Program. In December, members enjoy free admission to the annual Jane Austen Tea. Attendees enjoy tea, conversation, book sales, a silent auction, and entertainment. Costumes are welcome at this delightful event.

News and Alerts:  Members receive the Among Friends newsletter, the All Friends Monthly Calendar, and Insider News and Advocacy Alerts.  These comprehensive resources provide members with news and opportunities to participate in library events and advocacy at a deeper level.

Apply online.

Find great bargains at the Friends of the Sacramento Public Library and branch Friends' book sales.

 
Book Den and Warehouse Book Sales
The Friends of the Sacramento Public Library host book sales at their   Book Den's warehouse six times per year at 8250 Belvedere Avenue, Suite E, Sacramento (off Power Inn Road, and one block south of 14th Avenue). There is a wonderful selection of books and other materials, sorted by category. Prices range from 50 cents for pocket books to $2 for hardbacks. Become a Friends member and enjoy the benefit of early-bird shopping opportunities at all book sales.
 
The Book Den store will be open during the Warehouse Sale and Preview. At the Book Den, shoppers can selectfrom individually-priced books, including collectibles, and other materials, with most books priced at $3 and up. The Book Den is regularly open Thursday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information call (916) 731-8493.  Click here to learn of upcoming Book Den sales.
 
Branch Friends Book Sales 

Many Sacramento Public Library locations host bargain sales that feature discounted books, magazines, audio tapes, CDs and more. These sales are hosted by local Friends members whose proceeds benefit their library branch.
 
Please click here to find upcoming library branch book sales near you.