Read Local!

What do authors Leonard Chang, Catherine Coulter, April Sinclair, and Jack Kerouac have in common?

• These are all authors who were born or who have lived in Marin County!
  

Find works by these and other local authors in our new booklist, Fiction by Local Authors at the Civic Center Library! For a more comprehensive list, see our Marin Authors page.

And don't forget to take a look at our list of additional Civic Center Library Resources!

Enjoy!

Marin Literacy Turns 20 !!!!

Pack a picnic & help celebrate Marin Literacy's 20th anniversary and the 2005 publication of Different Worlds Many Voices, a wonderful book of writings and stories by Marin Literacy students.

This special event will be held in Gerstle Park, Sunday, October 2nd from 1:00-4:00 p.m. Soft drinks and dessert will be provided. There will be a supply of Different Worlds Many Voices to give away as well as gift books for children!

Good Reads

Looking for a good book to read? Check out our Readers Corner web page for recommended reads for kids, teens & adults. There are lists of fiction, non-fiction, and even audio books. Librarians are adding new selections all the time. A recent addition is a guide to humorous mysteries, Dying of Laughter. If you're looking for the hot best-sellers, we also have links to the lists in the San Francisco Chronicle and the New York Times. Another great tool when you're looking for a book is the database NoveList. If you'd like to find books set in a particular time period, author read-alikes, book discussion guides, lists of books that have won awards, or browse books by genre, this is the database for you!

Librarians would love to help you find a good book to read. We can guide you to the available resources in our branches or through the Internet. Drop by one of our branches, or you can ask us a question by phone during our open hours, e-mail, Instant Messaging, or web-based live chat.

Take a Hike!

The Marin County Free Library is proud to present our Book Talk show on Cable Channel 26 in Novato. This show airs every Monday at 2pm and 8pm. The current show features an interview with the Marin IJ Hiking Columnist Tracy Dunham. She talks about her 2 popular books, "Exploring Marin Trails" and "Hiking Marin's Coast" along with how she comes up with ideas for her Thursday column. Tracy also talks about her experiences on eco-tours in Argentina, the Arctic and Antarctica. This show is hosted by Novato Library Branch Manager Donna Mettier and will run through October. If you get Cable Channel 26 in Novato, be sure to tune in and learn about the best Marin trails and hikes from Tracy.

Banned Books Week

Celebrate the Freedom to Read! Banned Books Week is September 24 through October 1!

• Check out To Kill a Mockingbird, Native Son, Brave New World, Lord of the Flies, or another frequently challenged book.
• Test your knowledge of banned/challenged books by taking our Quiz.
• Visit the American Library Association's webpage for more information!

Dog Days at the Corte Madera Library

Kids age 5-9 are invited to drop by the Corte Madera Library and read to a dog on Wednesday, September 28, and Wednesday, October 5, between 3:00 and 4:00 p.m. You can sign up for a ten minute one-on-one session with the Children's Librarian on the day of the event. This special program is presented by the Marin Humane Society. For more information, call the Children's Librarians at 924-6382.

For directions to the Corte Madera Library, click here.

Celebrate Hispanic and Latino Heritage Month

Join the Marin County Free Library in celebrating September 15 - October 15 as Hispanic and Latino Heritage Month! Take a look at our list of recommended Hispanic and Latino authors--just click on a title to get into the catalog to see if your library has a copy! Explore our special website for the month, with links to online resources about Hispanic and Latino heritage.

An Evening of Verse

Join us at the Marin City Library on Tuesday, September 27th at 7 pm for an evening of lyric verse from novelist Guy Johnson. Johnson will read his own poetry and his favorite poems from other poets. Check out Johnson's two books at the Library too: Echoes of a Distant Summer and Standing at the Scratch Line.

**You can find directions to the Library here.

Earthquakes -- Are you Prepared?

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, many of us in the Bay Area have been reminded of our own local potential for disaster-- a major earthquake. Are you prepared? The time to think about a plan is now. There are many web sites that provide advice on developing an emergency preparedness strategy, including lists of supplies, tips on preparing your home or workplace, and what you and your family need to know. Take a look at these web sites for disaster planning information.

County of Marin Earthquake Information
Putting Down Roots in Earthquake Country
72 Hours -- San Francisco Office of Emergency Services
U.S. Geological Survey Earthquake Hazards Program -- Northern California
Association of Bay Area Governments Earthquake Maps & Information
California Governors Office of Emergency Services Earthquake Program

The San Francisco Chronicle has recently published a special article on quakes that reports on survival resources. And, the library is another resource for disaster planning material. You can search the library catalog for materials, or take a look at the magazine & newspaper databases available on our web site or in a local library for current articles. Librarians are standing by to help you find what you need-- just ask!

Take Back Your Time!

Do you sometimes feel as if you need a 26 hour day just to get everything done? Are minutes slipping away from you just when you need them most? Come to "Take Back Your Time" at the Fairfax Library on Monday, September 26th from 7:30-8:30pm. Leslie Keenan, author of "It's About Time: Finding Magic, Power and Ease in your Life", will present key principles of her unique time management system at this event. You will learn how to become more conscious about where your time goes and how to refocus on taking care of yourself. We hope you can find the time to attend this free presentation where you will discover a method for accomplishing more in no time at all!

Looking for something good to read?

Check out the Library's September upcoming bestsellers list--a list of great upcoming books sure to fly off our shelves! Place your hold now to be first in line for these thrilling fiction and nonfiction books! Just click on the title you like, and then click on the "Request" button at the top of the next screen!

Hall Middle School Posters on Display

Hall Middle School student posters are currently on display in the Teen Area of the Corte Madera Public Library. Students have created these posters to illustrate their favorite books. If you'd like to get some other ideas for teen reading, check out the library's Teen web page, or visit your local library!

Listen to the library online!

The newest show of Turning the Pages at the Library is now online in streaming audio for your listening pleasure. The new show includes interviews with the Library's new Community Library Specialists Jane Silvia (Bolinas) and Jennifer Livingston (Point Reyes). And remember, you can also listen to past archived shows on the website too!

Forgotten Railroads of Marin

The Corte Madera Library will be hosting a slide show by Richard Torney, amateur historian and railroad fan, on Wednesday, Sept. 28th, at 7:00 p.m. Come along and take a ride on the rails of memory, as Mr. Torney shares images of the railroads that once existed in Marin. For more information about railroads in Marin, the Digital Archive of the Anne T. Kent California History Room at the Civic Center Library contains photos and information about railroad history in Marin. Take a look at the Mt. Tamalpais & Muir Woods Photo Album online, as well as the Riding the Railroad in Marin County album.

This program is free and open to the public. For more information, please call the library at (415) 924-6444.

Digital Photography

Come learn about digital photography at the Corte Madera Library on Tuesday, Sept. 27th at 7:00 p.m. Chris Willis will be presenting tips and tricks on how to get the most out of your digital camera. This program is free and open to the public, but pre-registration is required. Please call the Corte Madera Library Reference Desk at (415) 924-6444 to register.

The Write Stuff!

What do Julia Child, Anne Lamott and Joe Gores have in common? You'll find these talented people listed on our Marin Authors webpage along with many other fiction, mystery and nonfiction authors that reside or formerly resided in our county! You'll be amazed at just how many authors have called Marin County home. The Anne T. Kent California Room also has an expanded list available which includes local poets whose work appears only in journals as well as self-published authors. Check out just how many people have the write stuff in Marin on our Marin Authors webpage!

Hurricane Katrina Relief

Visit the following websites for information on Hurricane Katrina relief agencies, disaster recovery, volunteer information, and related topics:

• California Governor's Office of Emergency Services
• Hurricane Relief: Marin Community Foundation
• Resources from Librarians’ Index to the Internet

These resources, and other websites on topics such as Internet Identity Theft and Fraud, Consumer Information, and Local History, may be found on our Recommended Web Resources page.

Marin Literacy’s 20th Anniversary Celebration

Pack a picnic & help celebrate Marin Literacy's 20th anniversary and the 2005 publication of Different Worlds Many Voices, a wonderful book of writings and stories by Marin Literacy students.

This special event will be held in Gerstle Park, Sunday, October 2nd from 1:00-4:00 p.m. Soft drinks and dessert will be provided. There will be a supply of Different Worlds Many Voices to give away as well as gift books for children!

Listen to the Library

The August episode of "Turning the Pages at the Library," Marin County Free Library's West Marin radio show, has been posted. You can listen to the streaming audio of the show from the comfort of your computer. Hear our host interview Vickie Carr-Bloom, his wife and a lifelong library user, about her experiences with libraries as a single mother and their recent trip to the Lahaina Library on Maui.

Student Resources

Now that everyone's going back to school, it won't be long before homework questions start! The Marin County Free Library offers many resources for students, both online and in the branches. Check out the library databases that offer help for students on our databases web page. Additional web sites are listed on the library's homework help web page. We even have a special web page for parents and teachers! There are many ways to Ask Us a Question, either by phone, instant messaging, e-mail, or in person at one of our branches. Remember, the library is here to help!

New Software @ the Library

The Marin County Free Library has offered free public use computers at all of our branches for years. We're pleased to announce that now, in addition to Internet access and Microsoft Word, we also offer Microsoft Excel and Microsoft PowerPoint at all of our locations! We're working hard to bridge the digital divide in Marin, and we hope that these new software offerings will help us do just that. If you'd like to reserve a computer in advance, you can do so from our Reserve a Computer webpage. Many library branches also offer free computer and Internet classes, including classes in Word and Excel at the Civic Center Library. Get more information and registration details on our Computer and Internet classes webpage.

Brown Bag Book Club Announces New Selection!!!

Join the Brown Bag Book Club on Sept. 28, from 12-1 at the Civic Center Library, for a discussion of Eudora Welty’s 1973 Pulitzer Prize winning novel, The Optimist’s Daughter. Bring your lunch! For more information, email Livia at llewin@co.marin.ca.us, or call (415) 499-6059.

Sign-Up for a Library Card Today!

September is Library Card Sign-Up Month!

At the Marin County Free Library, library cards are always issued at no cost to California residents.

With our library cards, you get two-for-one: a wallet-sized card plus a tiny card for your key chain! During the month of September at all branches of the Marin County Free Library, replacement cards will be provided free of charge to anyone with a lost or damaged card. And kids get an even better deal! All kids getting new cards get a colorful, curly, coiled keychain for their new card too!

Instructions for applying for a library card can be found on our How to Get a Library Card webpage. You can print out a card application in English or Español, fill it out, and bring it into a branch to save time. All branches also have copies of these applications available at the check-out desk.

See you at the Library!