The Marin County Free Library is pleased to announce the arrival
of BookLetters.
This new readers’ service provides over 20 booklists patrons may view
online or have sent to their e-mail
addresses.
BookLetters
has an attractive, interactive format and we are really excited to be able to
offer it on our website. Excerpts of current BookLetters lists will be highlighted
below in this & future issues of eConnect along with a list of DVDs recently
added to our collection.
The Marin
Literacy Program trains volunteer tutors to assist adults whose reading
and writing skills are too low to be helped by other educational programs
in Marin.Because students come to the program with
diverse backgrounds and varying levels of formal education, all our workshops
train tutors to develop skills for a variety of student needs. Trainees
are instructed in multicultural awareness and learn to use a combination
of materials developed specifically for adult learners.
No prior experience is necessary to become a Marin Literacy tutor. Training will
be provided to anyone willing to commit to work with a student a minimum of 1
1/2 hours per week for at least 6 months. To learn more about the Marin Literacy
Program and how you can make a difference, please call 485-3318 for an information
packet and to reserve space at our next orientation:
7:00 pm to 8:30 pm
Tuesday, January 15 or
Wednesday, February 6
San Rafael Public Library, 1100 E Street
More than 65 enthusiastic library supporters attended
a special session of the County Board of Supervisors on August 14th, 2007 to
hear the formal unveiling of the Marin
County Free Library Services & Facilities Vision Plan (SVFP). Board members
were supportive of the library and its needs, but cautioned the crowd that there
would be many other measures competing for space on the November 8th, 2008 ballot.
Since August we have begun reaching out to the community, explaining our needs and encouraging involvement. As envisioned, each of MCFL's 11 libraries will see improvements, enabling the library to continue to provide the excellent service the community has asked for during the planning process. The SFVP is broad reaching in scope but local in impact.
Our brochure A New Chapter for Marin Libraries has been mailed to all
residents of the Library District. Library staff has been attending meetings
of local groups, spreading the word about the Vision Plan. We're reaching out
to both formal and informal groups and we can present a 30 minute program or
just a quick 3 minute overview. If you belong to an organization that would
like to hear about the exciting possibilities, please talk to the staff in your
local branch or contact Library Administration at (415) 499-3220.
For more information, please contact the Library's Administrative Office at (415) 499-3220.
Can't get to the library for Story Time? Try Dial-A-Story,
available anytime!
Call the Marin County Free Library's Dial-a-Story
service at (415) 499-6051. Each week you can hear a new story, ready by a local
library staff member. The service is free & you're welcome to call as many
times as you like (local toll charges may apply to numbers outside the area of
Central Marin). Hear classics like Winnie the Pooh and new favorites like Rosemary
Wells' Max series. For kids and adults of all ages!
The used book shop at 1608 Grant in Novato is a popular
destination for book lovers and bargain hunters. You'll find books in every
category--fiction, nonfiction, cookbooks, children's books, collector's items
and much more. You'll also find CDs, videos, audiobooks, and computer software.
The shop is open six days a week and has unbeatable prices, with books starting
at just a quarter.
The Book Place is operated by the Friends
of the Marin County Free Library, a nonprofit volunteer organization devoted
to raising funds for the libraries. You can help by volunteering at the store
(call Nancy Montgomery, 883-5628), by becoming
a member of the Friends (call Ginny Schultz, 883-5488) and by donating books
and buying books at The Book Place.
BRANCH
EVENTS
The Marin County Free Library hosts a wide variety of cultural and educational
branches responsive to the needs in our communities. In addition to special
events for adults, teens, and kids, the Library hosts regular book clubs,
storytimes, bilingual and Spanish language events. For further information
about specific Library
Events and Classes please visit our branch
event webpage or our online
calendar for a complete listing.
HOURS
and LOCATIONS
Marin County Free Library branches are located throughout East and West
Marin. Open days and hours of operation vary by branch. With 11 locations
to choose from as well as 24/7 access
on our website to reference
assistance, the online
catalog, databases,
and eBooks
you'll never be far from the information you need.
COMPUTER
AND INTERNET CLASSES
The Marin County Free Library offers classes and one-to-one tutoring in
computer basics, the Internet, e-mail, the Library’s online resources, Microsoft
Word, Excel, and more. Please check
our website for times, locations, and registration information.
BOOKCLUBS
Marin County Free Library branches host a wide variety of monthly reading
groups. Club members meet each month for a lively discussion about a particular
book or theme. Please check
our bookclub listing for locations, times, selections, and contact information.
STORYTIMES
The Marin County Free Library offers storytimes at each of the branches
for children in various age groups. Please check
our Storytimes page for times and ages.
BOOKMOBILE
The Marin County Free Library Bookmobile visits geographically isolated
communities throughout the County. Most stops are made twice within a four-week
period each month. Copies of the Bookmobile schedule are available at all
County Library branches and on the Bookmobile’s
webpage.
Place your request
early and be one of the first to check out these new releases. More
fiction and non-fiction previews are available through BookLetters.
Each of our BookLetters
listings provides links to our online catalog, so you can check availability and
easily request materials be delivered to your local branch library. You can also
subscribe to one or more of these lists and have updated information send to you
via email
or RSS feed.
From the author of the bestselling "The Omnivores Dilemma" comes this bracing and eloquent manifesto that shows readers how they might start making thoughtful food choices that will enrich their lives and enlarge their sense of what it means to be healthy.
...More
The world's biggest supercollider, the Torus, was built
to reveal the secrets of the very moment of creation: the Big Bang itself.
Will the Torus divulge the mysteries of the creation of the universe?
Or is it an attempt to challenge God on the very throne of heaven?
...More
Memo to the President Elect: How We Can Restore America's Reputation and Leadership
By Albright, Madeleine 2008/01 -
Harper
9780061351808
Check Our Catalog
Former Secretary of State Albright offers a persuasive, wide-ranging set of recommendations to the next president by drawing on her extensive experience as adviser to two presidents and a key figure in four presidential transitions.
...More
Have a suggestion for a title that you think the library should purchase? You can offer your suggestion via the form on the MARINet website at http://marinet.lib.ca.us/acquire.
Bestsellers
Here's a selection of recent Best Sellers, as published
by the New York Times. More best selling fiction and non-fiction titles
are available through BookLetters.
Each of our BookLetters
listings provides links to our online catalog, so you can check availability and
easily request materials be delivered to your local branch library. You can also
subscribe to one or more of these lists and have updated information send to you
via email
or RSS feed.
BookPage Notable Title Ken Follett has 90 million readers worldwide. Now, eighteen years after the publication of The Pillars of the Earth, Ken Follett has written the most-anticipated sequel of the year World Without End.
...More
Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain
By Sacks, Oliver 2007/10 -
Knopf Publishing Group
9781400040810
Check Our Catalog
BookPage Notable Title
Sacks' compassionate, compelling tales of people struggling to adapt to
different neurological conditions have fundamentally changed the way we
think of our own brains. Here, he examines the powers of music through
the individual experiences of patients, musicians, and everyday people.
...More
Recurring characters Oliver Stone and his Camel Club are back to save the life of a beautiful con-artist, to implicate a shady casino king, and to solve a string of murders of Washington, D.C., political staffers.
...More
Have a suggestion for a title that you think the library should purchase? You
can offer your suggestion via the form on the MARINet website at http://marinet.lib.ca.us/acquire.
New Audio Books
The following are selected audio book titles from our collection. More
recorded book selections are available through BookLetters.
Each of our BookLetters
listings provides links to our online catalog, so you can check availability and
easily request materials be delivered to your local branch library. You can also
subscribe to one or more of these lists and have updated information send to you
via email
or RSS feed.
A complete list of the MARINet libraries' audio CD & cassette holdings
is available online via a quick
search.
Have a suggestion for a title that you think the library should purchase? You can offer your suggestion via the form on the MARINet website at http://marinet.lib.ca.us/acquire.
Award Winners
Pulitzer Prize for
Nonfiction The Pulitzer Prize is named for journalist Joseph Pulitzer and is awarded annually
to works determined by the Pulitzer Prize Board to be distinguished.
A complete listing of Pulitzer Non-Fiction and other Award Winners are available through BookLetters.
Each of our BookLetters
listings provides links to our online catalog, so you can check availability
and easily request materials be delivered to your local branch library. You can
also subscribe to one or more of these lists and have updated information send
to you via email
or RSS
feed.
Winner - 2007 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction The road to 9/11 as seen through the lives of terrorist planners and the FBI counterrorism chief.
...More
Imperial Reckoning: The Untold Story of Britain's Gulag in Kenya
By Elkins, Caroline 2005/01 -
Henry Holt & Company
0805076530
Check Our Catalog
Winner-2006 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction This unforgettable account of the unraveling of the British colonial empire in Kenya is a major work of history detailing the prisons, work camps, and terror that the British imposed on millions just after World War II. It has chilling parallels to America's own imperial project.
...More
Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001
By Coll, Steve 2005/01 -
Penguin Books
0143034669
Check Our Catalog
Winner-2005 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction From the managing editor of "The Washington Post" comes this news-breaking account of the CIA's involvement in the covert wars in Afghanistan that fueled Islamic militancy and gave rise to bin Laden's al Qaeda.
...More
Have a suggestion for a title that you think the library should purchase? You
can offer your suggestion via the form on the MARINet website at http://marinet.lib.ca.us/acquire.
Kids Corner
BookPage Notable Title McKissack and Pinkney are multiple award winners, receiving a Newbery Honor and five Caldecott Honors, respectively. Set in the Depression-era South, this heartwarming story carries with it powerful yet gentle lessons about the importance of sharing, the irreplaceable companionship of sisters, and the discovery that all you ever wanted might not be what you really need after all.
...More
BookPage Notable Title Newbery Medalist Sharon Creech (Walk Two Moons) spins an imaginative tale about a glittering castle and the royal--and very spoiled--family who lives there, and of two peasants who are in possession of a stolen pouch that has the power to unlock secrets and transform lives.
...More
BookPage Notable Title Tessa has just months to live. Fighting back against hospital visits, endless tests, drugs with excruciating side-effects, Tessa compiles a list. It's her To Do Before I Die list. And number one is Sex. Released from the constraints of 'normal' life, Tessa tastes new experiences to make her feel alive while her failing body struggles to keep up. Tessa's feelings, her relationships with her father and brother, her estranged mother, her best friend, and her new boyfriend, all are painfully crystallized in the precious weeks before Tessa's time finally runs out.
...More
Have a suggestion for a title that you think the library should purchase? You
can offer your suggestion via the form on the MARINet website at http://marinet.lib.ca.us/acquire.
New DVDs
The following DVD titles have recently been added to our collection. Complete
lists of the MARINet libraries' DVD and video holdings are available online via
a quick search.
You can also browse our BookLetters Movie Database for descriptions and video
clips of hundreds of new releases and favorite classics. Each of our BookLetters
listings provides links to our online catalog, so you can check availability and
easily request materials be delivered to your local branch library.
The Lives
of Others
Set in East Berlin in 1984, a secret service agent assigned to monitor a
playwright and his girlfriend begins to question his assignment and his
loyalty to the government. In German with optional English, French, or Spanish
subtitles.
Simon Schama's
Power of Art
Focusing on eight iconic works of art, this BBC/WNET series reveals the
history of visual imagination through the ages. A combination of reconstruction,
photography and storytelling transport the viewer back to the intense moments
when great works were conceived and born: the murderous, messianic world
of Baroque Rome; opulent, parvenu Amsterdam; paranoid, revolutionary Paris;
Victorian England suffocating beneath riches and righteousness; the madhouses
and brothels of Provence; the carnage of civil war Spain; 1950s New York,
caught between Cold War jitters and Manhattan glitter. In each place, a
great artist is backed into a corner, facing a crisis, given a chance to
confound his rivals, enemies and critics one more time.
Disc 1: Caravaggio ; Bernini ; Rembrandt -- Disc 2: David ; Turner ; Van
Gogh -- Disc 3: Picasso ; Rothko
The Wind That Shakes the Barley
Driven by a deep sense of duty and a love for his country, Damien abandons
his burgeoning career as a doctor and joins his brother, Teddy in a dangerous
and violent fight for freedom. As the Irish freedom fighters bold tactics
bring the British to a breaking point, both sides finally agree to a treaty
to end the bloodshed. But, despite the apparent victory, civil war erupts
and families who fought side by side, find themselves pitted against one
another, putting their loyalties to the ultimate test.
Cannes Film Festival, 2006: Golden Palm - Best Film
Good Shepherd
Edward (Matt Damon) is the only witness to his father's suicide and is a
member of the Skull and Bones Society while a student at Yale, is a morally
upright young man who values honor and discretion. These are the qualities
that help him become recruited for a career in the newly founded Office
of Strategic Services (CIA). While working there, his ideals gradually turn
to suspicion influenced by the Cold War paranoia present within the office.
Eventually, he becomes an influential veteran operative, while his distrust
of everyone around him increases. His dedication to his work does not come
without a price though, leading him to sacrifice his ideals and eventually
his family.
Stomp the Yard
After the death of his younger brother D.J. a troubled 19-year-old street
dancer from Los Angeles is able to bypass juvenile hall by enrolling in
the historically black Truth University in Atlanta, Georgia. His efforts
to get an education and woo the girl he likes are sidelined when he discovers
'stepping,' a traditional dance performed by African-American fraternities.
He soon finds himself in the middle of a fierce rivalry between the top
two campus fraternities. Both want and need D.J.'s fierce street-style dance
moves to win the highly coveted national step show competition.
Have a suggestion for a title that you think the library should purchase? You can offer your suggestion via the form on the MARINet website at http://marinet.lib.ca.us/acquire.
Looking for bestsellers, fiction, non-fiction, mysteries or audio books? Check
out some of our most popular recommendations on BookLetters.
You can also subscribe to one or more book lists and have updated information
send to you via email or RSS feed. E-Connect publication
E-Connect is an online publication distributed monthly by the Marin County Free Library.
Contact: Library@co.marin.ca.us
