A Dog in the Library?

Come see Dana Smith and his wonder dog Lacey perform amazing tricks and incredible feats. Dana performs amazing fire juggling, acrobatics, and circus arts while Lacey "sings" with Dana and leaps over willing volunteers!

There are three performances scheduled, all on Wednesdsay, July 13th:

• Corte Madera Library: 11:00 am
• Civic Center Library: 3:30 pm
• Novato Library: 7:00 pm

We'll see you there!

Do you Origami?

Join eleven-year old origami expert Kiyoshi Okada for a workshop for children age 8 and up. Learn the ancient art of origami, folding paper into the shape of birds, geometric objects, and many other shapes.

Thursday, July 7th at 2:00 pm at the Corte Madera Library. See you there!

Check out what's hot!

Want to see what people are reading? The library web site now has links to both the New York Times & San Francisco Chronicle Best-Seller Lists from the Readers Corner page. Then it's just a hop, skip and a jump to the library catalog, where you can check on the availability of a title. As always, don't hesitate to ask us a question-- librarians can help you request a book, explain how to create your own My MARINet account and PIN to place holds, or look up a review of an item. And that's just for starters... so visit your library today!

Join the Quest!

Join Hazel the Squirrel and her friend Prince Filbert as they embark on a quest to help poor Pepper, a baby dragon with a broken wing! For a puppet show that will surely dazzle, come see "Hazel and the Dragon" performed by Swazzle Puppets at several Marin County Free Library branches this week! Hazel will make her first appearance at Point Reyes Library on Monday, June 27th at 1pm. She will return on Tuesday, June 28th to tell her tale at Civic Center Library at 3pm and South Novato Library at 6:30pm. Don't despair if you can't see her there for Hazel and her companions will also be at Corte Madera Library on Wednesday, June 29th at 11am and Fairfax Library that same evening at 7:30pm. For more information, please check our Special Events for Kids page.

New Stuff!

Hot off the press - Check out these new resources in our Reader's Corner!

Getting Published: A Quick Guide to Civic Center Library Resources
A guide to reference materials, circulating books, websites, magazines, and other materials to help you publish your work.

Baseball at the Civic Center Library
A list of recommended titles about America’s favorite pastime.


Enjoy!

Joust Read: Teen Summer Reading Program

Some of the branches of the Marin County Free Library are offering Teen Summer Reading Programs with events for teens, great reading prizes, and more! Read and review books, win prizes, and attend just-for-teens events at our libraries.

Check out our Teen Summer Reading webpage or visit or call the location nearest you for all the details!

Puppets at Corte Madera

Swazzle Puppets will be at the Corte Madera Library next Wednesday, June 29th, at 11:00 am. Children ages 3 and up are invited to see the puppets in "Hazel and the Dragon." All sorts of fun events are taking place at the library this summer. To see a listing of all the summer programs for kids, including story times, check out our Events page. And don't forget to look at the Kid's page, for more details about the Summer Reading Program!

Henna Tattoo Class for Teens

Teens interested in the art of henna tattoing are invited to sign up for a how-to henna tatto class at the Novato Library on June 27th from 6-8pm. Materials will be provided and participants can learn to draw henna designs on their own or a friend's hand. This special program for teens is limited to 25 participants so call 897-1142 or stop by the Adult Reference Desk at the Novato Library to sign up today!

The Mountain Plays: A Marin County Tradition

Step into the past and experience the early years of the Mountain Play via the California Room Digital Archive. The first six decades of the Mountain Play are well documented in the California Room’s Mountain Play scrapbooks which include photographs, play programs, clippings and ephemera and which cover the period 1913-1958 and 1961-1972.

We have recently completed a survey of these scrapbooks and compiled an extensive digital image collection, which you can view by clicking here.

Instant Messaging Reference Takes a (Tiny) Summer Vacation

Our new Instant Messaging reference service, answering homework and reference questions via instant messaging, has proven to be very popular!

But librarians need a vacation too! For the summer (June 17th-August 12th), we will be cutting Fridays from our schedule. We will continue to offer IM reference services Monday-Thursday from 3-5 pm. Regular Monday-Friday, 3-5 pm, service will resume on August 19th.

Thanks for allowing us a tiny break!

Teen Summer Reading at Corte Madera

Teens can “Joust Read” at the Corte Madera Library this summer! * Read and Review books * Receive fun prizes * Online Scavenger Hunt * Murder Mystery Night program - July 13 * Make a Scrapbook program– date to be announced soon Visit the Corte Madera Library for all the details!

Author talk at Marin City Library

Dorsetta Hale, author of "The Coast is Clear", will speak at Marin City Library on Monday, June 20, at 7 pm. Ms. Hale is a former resident of Marin County. This event is sponsored by the Friends of the Marin City Library. Admission is free. For more information, call 332-6159.

Reading Recommendations at your Fingertips

Have you tried NoveList yet?

NoveList is one of the many online subscription databases that the Library buys for you to use. NoveList is the favorite database of many of our librarians, and maybe it will be yours too! NoveList helps you find new fiction books and authors based on your old favorites. It covers adults' and kids' books, and is very easy to use. You can access NoveList from home with a card from any of Marin's public libraries. Just go to our databases website, and click on "NoveList"!

You can use a favorite author or a favorite title to find similar books to read. You can find lists of all the books in a particular series (Lord of the Rings, Chronicles of Narnia, Series of Unfortunate Events). Their "Describe a Plot" feature lets you put in keywords from the plot or characters of a book you remember, and it will find the title for you. This is great for those books you read years ago and for which you can't remember the titles! You can also browse fiction award lists and fiction categories by genre, subject, and age level to find suggested books.

So, the next time you're stuck thinking "What on earth am I going to read next?" -- remember NoveList!

Celebrate the Wright Way at the Library!

Architect Frank Lloyd Wright was born on this date in 1867. Celebrate the birthday of the man who designed the Marin County Civic Center by visiting the California Room Digital Archive, which includes photos and a chronology of the building of the Civic Center, audio of speeches Wright delivered to Marin citizens in 1957 and 1958, photos of the Wright-designed Berger House in San Anselmo, and a list of the many resources on Wright available at the Civic Center Library. Enjoy!

Don’t let your summer DRAG-ON… READ!

Hear Ye, Hear Ye, calling all royal readers and would-be wizards for a magical summer of fun at the library! Join our Summer Reading Program! The library is your castle this summer filled with dragons, unicorns, fair maidens and daring knights as you follow your quest for a good book. Children, including pre-readers, may read for prizes all summer long. Wonderful performers and programs are scheduled, along with raffle contests and guessing games. For a detailed list of exciting programs, check out our Events page along with our ongoing storytimes. The adventure begins when you pull out your library card, don your armor or adjust your crown, and visit your local Marin County Free Library branch, but be alert for the sound of beating wings overhead and a whiff of smoke in the air!

"Reality only reveals itself when it is illuminated by a ray of poetry." Georges Brague

Come see the Marin Poetry Center’s Traveling Show today, June 7th at 7:30 pm at the Corte Madera Library. Hear the words of our local poets at a reading hosted by Sim Warkov. Featuring Ruth Daigon, Carol Sheldon, Calvin Ahlgren and other mystery guests!This event is completely free and open to the public.

Teen Survival Guide Workshop at Fairfax Library!

If you are a teen and keen for some summer fun, don't miss our "Teen Survival Guide" workshop on Tuesday, June 14th from 7-8:30pm at the Fairfax Library! This workshop will help teens learn how to smooth out the bumps in the road and cope better with parent issues, changing schools, friendship stuff. This free, fast-paced, funny workshop is presented by Annie Fox, M.Ed., a talented educator and author of "Teen Survival Guide" and "Too Stressed to Think." Annie is also known to many as the creator of the popular online teen advice column, "Hey Terra!" She helps teens understand how to make the choices that work best and how to negotiate more effectively with parents and others. Teens that attend this program will have a chance to win great door prizes generously donated by Fairfax Scoop, Fairfax Theater, Fairfax Variety, M & G Burgers & Beverages and Annie Fox!

Library Radio Show Now Online!

"Turning the Pages in the Library," the Library's radio show, airs the last Wednesday of each month, from 10:00-11:00 am on KWMR (90.5 FM Point Reyes Station, 89.3 FM Bolinas).

KWMR provides a live streaming audio feed on their website, and the Library is now providing streaming audio of archived shows on our website! Missed a show? No problem! Just go to the website and listen to the archived show on your computer!

New Library Kids' Website!

The Library's For Kids website has gotten a complete re-design, and now includes much more content for kids! Check out our newly designed complete list of library storytimes! Take a look at the new homework help page, with links to free professional online tutors, ask a librarian, library homework help resources, and other homework help websites!Take a look at our new section for parents and teachers! Explore this summer's Summer Reading Game page, with lists of books to read while you're waiting for the new Harry Potter book!