Help Someone Learn to Read

The Marin Literacy Program is looking for individuals to volunteer as tutors for adults who need to improve their reading, writing and English speaking skills. Attend this 1.5-hour orientation to find out more about the need for adult literacy instruction in Marin, the programs offered, what it is like to tutor an adult, and how you can make a difference in someone's life by tutoring. Please call 485-3318 to sign-up.
Event Date:Wednesday, March 1, 2006
Event Time:7 - 8:30 p.m.
Location:San Rafael Public Library Meeting Room
1100 E Street San Rafael, CA 94901
Directions

Images of Fairfax program

Was gold ever mined in Marin? Where was the 1911 silent movie “Broncho Billy’s Christmas Dinner” filmed? Did Irving Berlin really play a piano while perched in a tree? If you’d like to know more about the answers to these questions, come to our free “Images of Fairfax” program at the Fairfax Library on Wednesday, March 1 from 7:30-8:30pm. Noted Fairfax historian and local author William Sagar will share fascinating slides of Fairfax from the late 1800s through the 1940s. He will also sign copies of his popular new book “Fairfax” (co-authored with his son Brian) which will be available for purchase at this event. Join us for a rare glimpse into Fairfax's past presented by the one who knows it best!

Brown Bag Book Club Announces March Selection!

Join the Brown Bag Book Club of the Civic Center Library on March 22 for a discussion of Morality for Beautiful Girls, by Alexander McCall Smith. Bring your lunch if you wish! The club meets on the fourth Wednesday of each month, at the Library, from 12-1. For more information, email Livia Lewin at llewin@co.marin.ca.us, or phone (415) 499-6059.

Pest-Free Gardening

Join the Master Gardeners at the Novato Library for the Integrated Pest Management program, Tuesday, February 28th from 2-3 pm. You'll learn the secrets of gardening safely and confidently without dangerous and unnecessary chemicals such as pesticides and herbicides. For more information, contact the Reference Desk at 897-1142.

New hours at the Bolinas Library

The Bolinas Library has new hours! The Wednesday and Thursday hours are switching, so as of 03/01/06, the new open hours for the Bolinas Library will be:

Monday: 2pm-6pm
Tuesday: CLOSED
Wednesday: 10-1 & 2-6
Thursday: 2-6 & 7-9
Friday: CLOSED
Saturday: 2pm - 5 pm
Sunday: CLOSED

And don't forget that the Bolinas Library now has free wireless access too! See you there!

Free wireless added in Bolinas and Stinson Beach

The Marin County Free Library just added free wireless network access to two of our branches: the Bolinas Library and the Stinson Beach Library! Totally free access, courtesy of your local library!

Wireless access is also available at these libraries:

• Civic Center Library
• Corte Madera Library
• Fairfax Library
• Marin City Library
• Novato Library
• Point Reyes Station Library
• South Novato Library

We are working toward implementing wireless at Inverness and San Geronomio. Look for that soon!

Magic Show at the Fairfax Library

We all know that reading is magic, but do we know just how much magic?

Master Magician Phil Acklerly combines illusion, comedy, and audience participation for the "Magic of Reading" show at the Fairfax Library on Saturday, February 25th from 11:00-11:45 am.

The show is for ages 3 and up and is sponsored by the Friends of the Marin County Free Library.

Corte Madera Carpet Project

The Corte Madera Library re-opened on Feb.6, after being closed for re-carpeting. The installation went smoothly, due to the planning & hard work of many staff members & contractors. We wanted to share some photos of the transition from old to new, and invite everyone to come check out the new carpet!

Play day at Novato Library!

Some days are just made for play and Saturday, February 18th is one of those days! Come to the Novato Library at 11 am on that date to enjoy a free performance of "What a Play!" by Girl Scout Troup #275. Kids will especially enjoy this 30 minute production which includes lots of humor and singing. Make plans to clap your hands and have lots of fun at this special event! For more information, just phone the Novato Library Reference Desk at 897-1143!

Storm Recovery Information

The County of Marin website now features a list of “information and resources for the public to help in recovering from the recent winter storm damage.” Content includes a public assistance resource directory, maps of storm damage, and press releases. You may access this information here, or from our list of Recommended Web Resources, which also includes links to resources
on current Hot Topics such as tax information, medicare, the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit Project, and much, much more.

Business information online!

Check out the Library's newest online resource: Business and Company Resource Center!




Business and Company Resource Center includes articles, financial and investment reports, company histories, brand and subsidiary information, and more on thousands of companies--both domestic and international.

The resource is accessible from within all of our libraries, but is also accessible from home for patrons living within Marin County Free Library’s tax jurisdictions.
To log in from home, use your library card number and PIN. For details about accessing this resource from home click here.

Library Amnesty Week!

February 13th-19th marks our Library Amnesty Week! During the week, return any overdue library materials you currently have checked out to any public library in Marin County and pay no fines!

The Write Stuff!

Have you ever wanted to write the story of your life but didn't know how to start? A great place to begin would be the "How to Write Your Memoir" workshop at Novato Library from 2-4pm on Saturday, February 11th. This free workshop will focus on techniques to begin your memoir and how to write about sensitive family issues. Writing coach and author Linda Joy Myers will also show you how to write gripping and powerful stories as part of this workshop. Linda Joy Myers is the author of Becoming Whole: Writing Your Healing Story and Don’t Call Me Mother: Breaking the Chain of Mother Daughter Abandonment. A therapist in Berkeley for 26 years, she is also President of the Marin branch of the California Writers Club and Vice-President of the Women’s National Book Association, SF. For additional information about this exciting event, contact the Novato Library at 897-1143.

Four Things @ Your Library

Following on a 4 Things meme that is making its way around the web (think of it as a Q&A chain letter online) , here are a series of "4 Things" @ your Library!

4 Library Online Resources to Know About
These are subscription resources only available from your library--these cannot be found on the open web! We buy them so you don't have to!

• Biography Resource Center: thousands of free biographies online
  
• Digital Books: over a thousand downloadable eBooks, both text and audio
• InfoTrac Magazines: 6,000 full-text magazines available online, for free, without all the ads
• ProQuest Newspapers: Over 600 full-text newspapers available online, for free, without all the ads

For more online resources from your library, take a look at our Databases & eBooks page!

4 Great Free Classes @ Your Library

• One-on-one tutoring on the internet, e-mail, Word, Excel, and library resources at the Civic Center Library
• Knitting Classes at the Point Reyes Station Library
  
• One-on-one internet tutoring at the Fairfax Library
• How to Write Your Memoir at the Novato Library

For more free classes, see our Events and Classes page!

4 Websites We Really Like

• The Librarians' Internet Index--a guide to reliable websites on thousands of topics
• The Internet Movie Database--information on both movies and television shows, actors, directors...more movie trivia than you can shake a stick at!
• Marin.org--community website for the county with local resources, events, and information
• Bay Area Hiker--great hikes and trails in Marin and the rest of the Bay Area

For more websites we really like, check out our Recommended Web Resources page!

4 Recommended Reading Lists to Check Out

• Da Vinci Code readalikes
• Legal Thrillers
• Books on Food and Cooking
• Tarnished Crowns: Former Bestsellers
  

For more recommended reading (and listening and viewing) lists, check out our Recommended page!

4 Upcoming Events to Attend

• The Magic of Reading magic show
• Michael Rafferty author visit and reading
• Book Talk on Novato Cable Channel 27--you don't have to leave the house for this one!
• Turning the Pages in the Library radio program on KWMR--or this one!
  

For more free events for adults, teens, and kids, see our Events and Classes page!

4 Ways to Get Just About Any Question Answered

• Call or come in person to the reference desk at any one of our eleven libraries!
• Ask one of your friendly local librarians a question via e-mail
• Ask one of your friendly local librarians a question via instant messaging
• Get connected through web-based chat to a U.S. librarian through AskNow
  

4 Other Library Blogs I'm Tagging to do the same thing

• Redwood City Public Library Blog
• Yale University Library Blog
• Escondido Public Library Blog
• Rio Hondo College Library Blog
  

Music @ Your Library

Everyone listens to music...while we're driving to work, cooking dinner, exercising, or reading a fine book from the library (*smile*). And we all have our favorite musicians and bands. Whether you like rock and roll, jazz, techno, dance, soul, classical, or any other musical style...we have the site for you!

Check out the AllMusicGuide, the single most comprehensive source for information about artists and their works on the web. Best of all, it's free! Find complete discographies for your favorite artists (usually more comprehensive than what's on the artist's own website)! Get biographies of musicians, lists of who they've collaborated with, reviews, and more! You can also get music recommendations based on your mood or tastes!

And if you're looking for music to check out from the library, check out our Quick Searches page--with one click you can see a list of all the music recordings at your local library (for example, here's the Music Quick Search for the Corte Madera Library).

Have some music you'd like us to buy? Fill out a Purchase Suggestion Form--you can even place a hold on the item for when it first arrives!

Free magazines from home!

The public libraries in Marin have a database with thousands of free, full-text magazines and journals—at your fingertips! InfoTrac Magazines provides 5,800 (!!!) full text magazines and journals, with indexing for an additional 4,000+ titles.

Access popular titles like Newsweek, Time, and People at the click of your mouse. No need to go to the newsstand to buy dozens of magazine subscriptions. Just come to the library’s website, and you’ve got it all right there--and without all the ads to boot!

Anyone can access this database inside the library, and anyone with a card from any of the public libraries in Marin can access InfoTrac Magazines from home, work, or school. Just go to the Library's Databases and eBooks webpage, click on the link to InfoTrac Magazines, and log in with your library card number and PIN. If you have questions about any of our resources (how to access them, how to use them), please ask a friendly librarian!