April is the Coolest Month

The saying might be "April is the cruelest month," but we here at MCFL disagree. April is the coolest month. Why?

April 11-17th marks Young People's Poetry Week! In celebration, we're offering a new poem ever day of that week on our Dial-A-Story line--(415) 499-6051!

Call us every day that week to hear a new wonderful poem for the young (and young at heart)!

E-Mail Basics Class

Join a hands-on class at the Civic Center Library in setting up a free e-mail account, sending and receiving messages, and accessing e-mail. Space is limited to two people per class. For more information, call 507-4049.

Can you recommend ... ??

County reference librarians maintain a regularly-updated list of Recommended Web Resources to assist your information needs. Topics include taxes, commuting, the USA Patriot Act, consumer information, health, recreation, and more. We’ve recently added a new site to our Ready Reference category -- Answers.com -- which provides “definitions and explanations for over one million topics.” Check it out!

Look ma, no wires!

Did you know that six branches of the Marin County Free Library provide free wireless access in the library, just for you? Yep, you bet they do!

Just bring your wireless-enabled laptop or other wireless device into one of the following libraries, and you're all set:

• Civic Center Library
• Corte Madera Library
• Fairfax Library
• Marin City Library
• Novato Library
• South Novato Library

For more information about our wireless access, see our Wireless Policy.

There's no fool like a cyber fool...

Don't be a cyber fool this Friday, April 1st. Take the opportunity to learn how to become a savvy computer user and to discover guidelines for safe Internet surfing. Internet worms and viruses, spam and phishing, hoaxes and frauds, can all cause you to seriously wipe out in your quest to surf the web.

If you're not quite sure how to start, take a look at these web sites:

www.cybercrime.gov
www.antiphishing.org
www.cyberangels.org
www.atg.wa.gov/clearinghouse
www.safeshopping.org


And the Better Business Bureau site has an alert with more Internet safety tips.

The library has a warning in its Public Use Computer Policy -- "Not all the information available via the Internet is accurate, current, complete, or free." It pays to critically assess the source of any information you locate. To provide you with high-quality data, the library subscribes to several databases whose content is vetted by experts. Take a look at our databases page to see what's available. As always, you can contact us in a variety of ways, and we are happy to answer your questions! Happy surfing!

Booking for a good time?

The South Novato Library Book Club meets this Thursday, March 31st from 6:30-8pm to discuss "Any Human Heart: a novel" by William Boyd. The South Novato Library Book Club, which meets on the final Thursday of each month, is only one of several library book clubs that welcome readers to join in free and fun discussions of interesting books. For a list of other library book clubs, check out our "Reader's Corner" web page or click on the "Book Clubs" link on our "Events & Classes" web page.

Railroads in our Backyards

"Railroads in our Backyards" will be the subject of a slide show to be presented at the Corte Madera Library on Tuesday, April 12th at 7:00 p.m. The slide show by Richard Torney features historic photos taken along the path of the Northwestern Pacific Railroad’s Electric Interurban Route from the 1870’s through the 1960’s. Photos of many of the same locations taken in 2003 are also included. Richard Torney is an amateur historian and railroad fan. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Marin History Museum. The program is free and open to the public. For more information, please call the Library at 924-6444.

Ask us to buy something!

Is there a book, magazine, music CD, movie, or audiobook you'd like the Library to buy (so you don't have to)? Fill out our online Suggestion for Purchase form, and we'll take a look! We take all suggestions very seriously...And if you want the item to be purchased by a specific branch or library, be sure to mention that in the "Other" field. We're here to provide you with what you want--so just tell us!

Celebrate Women's History Month

Women Change America-- in March, we remember that women changed the way we vote. To learn about the suffragist movement in the United States, take a look for information in the library catalog. There are also a host of web sites that provide information about women's history month. A good source for web resources is the Librarians' Index to the Internet (www.lii.org). One of the sites on their list is the U.S. Census Bureau page, Facts about Women, that highlight statistics about women in our society. One more site not to be missed is the Library of Congress American Memory online exhibit, which has a collection of 38 photos from the "Votes for Women" movement, including portraits of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Carrie Chapman Catt, and others.

Take a hike with a great guide!

Join Jane Huber, author of "60 hikes within 60 miles: San Francisco" and creator of the Bay Area Hiker website, as she shares slides and tips for great Spring hikes at the Novato Library on Wednesday, April 13th at 7pm. Jane will guide readers to the best trails in the Bay Area including Sonoma, Napa and Marin. If you are looking for a fun place to stroll or walk within 60 miles of here, just take a hike to the Novato Library for this great program!

Brown Bag Book Club Meets Again!

Join the Civic Center Library’s Brown Bag Book Club on April 27, from 12-1, for a discussion of Gail Tsukiyama’s novel, Women of the Silk. Remember – it is ok to bring your lunch! For more information, contact Livia at llewin@co.marin.ca.us, or call (415) 499-6059.

New Downloadable Digital Books Collection!

Check out the library's newest e-resource, Digital Books! From the Digital Books site, you can download text & audio e-books to your computer, and then transfer them to your PDA, cell phone, or MP3 player! All you need is your library card!

The collection includes 366 audio e-book titles and 619 text e-book titles (as of today), mostly best-sellers, and many with multiple copies. We have mysteries, romance, science fiction, thrillers, graphic novels, and tons of travel books. Listen to the latest John Grisham novel while you jog, or download a London travel guide to your PDA so you can take it with you in your pocket!

You "check out" the book for three weeks, and after that time the book automatically checks itself back in--no late fees!

The books are available in 3 formats:

1. e-books in Adobe PDF (compatible with Mac & Windows)
2. e-books in Mobipocket format (compatible with Windows only)
3. audio e-books in Windows Media Format (compatible with Windows only--not compatible with the iPod)

Take a book for a test drive, and let us know what you think!

Tax Time Approaches

Today marks the one-month deadline for filing income taxes. Beware the ides of March, indeed. The library has posted a list of free tax help programs on our web site. There is also a link to tax information and forms on our Recommended Web Resources page, under "Hot Topics." To see what books the library has on the subject, take a look at our catalog. For additional information, try the Librarians' Index to the Internet site under "Featured Collections -- Taxes." They have compiled a list of tax filing season resources, from audits to tax frauds, with a little comic relief thrown in. And if you need a jump-start before you tackle those receipts, take a look at 1040-Dog...

On the air!

There's a fun new way to find out about events, services and resources at your Marin County Free Library system! Dan Carr, our Community Library Specialist at the San Geronimo Library, hosts a radio program about the library that airs on the last Wednesday of every month from 10-11am on KWMR 90.5 (or 89.3) in West Marin. Dan will be interviewing library staff, discussing books and providing a most entertaining way to stay informed about your library. Tune in and enjoy Dan's program!

Today in literary history...

Frankenstein, often called the first science fiction novel, was published on this date in 1818. Twenty-one year old author Mary Shelley wrote the novel at the urging of her husband, poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. Like many classic works of literature, our libraries offer this title in various formats – book, audio book, video, and DVD. You can also read more about Shelley and her writings in our database, the Literature Resource Center.

Now what was the name of that book I read...?

Have you ever wanted the library to keep a list of all the things you've checked out, so that you could see that list at any time? Now you can!

With My Reading History, you can set up your profile to keep a list of all the things you've checked out--to keep a running list of what you've read/listened to/watched.

Does that sound like something you're interested in? Just log in to My MARINet with your library card number and PIN. Click on the "Reading History" button and then click on the "Keep History" button. From that point forward, anything you check out will show up on the list. You can turn it off at any time and clear the history by clicking on "Stop History." Please note that library staff cannot see your list at any time--only you can see your list.

For more information, check out the My Reading History FAQ or the My Reading History tutorial.

The History of the Private Schools in San Rafael

Come and explore the history of the private schools of San Rafael, the newest addition to the California Room Digital Archive. A comprehensive essay by Jocelyn Moss, originally published in the Marin County Historical Society Bulletin, is accompanied by images from the California Room's collection of photographs and ephemera. Find out about Dominican College, the Mount Tamalpais Military Academy, the Selbourne School, the Hitchcock Military Academy and other educational institutions, important in the history of our County.

Classy offerings

Did you know that the Marin County Free Library system offers free computer classes on a variety of topics? For example, Marin City Library will host a two-hour Introduction to Computers class that provides a basic introduction to the Windows operating system on Monday, March 7th from 6-8pm. For additional information on this class, contact the Marin City Library Reference Desk at 332-6157. For more information on other computer learning classes, check the Internet and Computer classes link on our Events and Classes webpage!

Happy Birthday John!

John Irving, author of The Cider House Rules, The Hotel New Hampshire, and The World According to Garp, was born on this day in 1942. The author’s next novel, Until I Find You, is due to be published this summer – be one of the first to place a hold on this title now!

Tuesday Afternoon Storytime

Afternoon storytime returns to the Corte Madera Library in March and April on Tuesday afternoons, 3:30 - 4 p.m. This storytime is for children ages 4-7. Come on in and be a super reader! Please contact Corte Madera Library Children's Services at (415) 924-6382 if you have any questions.