Brown Bag Book Club -- May Selection

The Brown Bag Book Club of the Civic Center Library will next meet on May 24, to discuss The Magnificent Ambersons, by Booth Tarkington. The club meets on the fourth Wednesday of each month, at the Library, from 12-1. Bring your lunch! Email Livia Lewin at llewin@co.marin.ca.us, or phone (415) 499-6059.

For information on other Marin County Free Library book clubs, check our Readers Corner!

Create a Digital Memory Book

Teens are invited to come and get creative at the Corte Madera Library! Bring your digital images and learn how to create a personalized digital memory book on Thursday, May 18, at 7:oo p.m. Registration is required. For more information, please contact the Corte Madera Library at 415-924-6444.

Small Business Resources

The Reader’s Corner on the library website has a helpful resource for would-be business owners! Starting a Small Business: A Quick Guide to Civic Center Library Resources lists recommended books, reference sources, and websites of interest to small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs. Check it out!

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!

In concert with Colibri!

Come celebrate Latin American music with a Colibri Concert at the Fairfax Library on Wednesday, April 26th beginning at 7 pm. Colibri, Spanish for humingbird, is a talented duo that presents lively music using an exciting array of traditional folk instruments. Lichi Fuentes and Alisa Peres create a magical evening with their extensive repertoire of musical selections from a variety of countries. Children leave a Colibri concert tapping a new rhythm inspired by festival songs and fun singalongs. This free event is sponsored by the Friends of the Marin County Free Library. For more information, call the Fairfax Library at 457-5629.

2006 Pulitzer Prizes

The 2006 Pulitzer Prizes have been awarded to the following books:

• Fiction: March by Geraldine Brooks
• History: Polio: An American Story by David M. Oshinsky
• General Nonfiction: Imperial Reckoning: The Untold Story of Britain's Gulag in Kenya by Caroline Elkins

Reserve one of these award-winning titles today! For more information on placing holds, click here.

The 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and Fire: Hygienic Catastrophe Averted

The California History Room is sponsoring a presentation on the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and Fire this Thursday, April 20, 2006, at 12 noon in the Civic Center, Room 328 (BOS Planning Chamber).

Richard G. Torney will be speaking about the experiences of San Francisco's Chief Sanitary Officer, Lt. Col. George Henry Torney. Mr. Torney is the great grandson of George Henry Torney. Part Two will include the presentation of newly discovered photographs of the 1906 catastrophe by Ned Torney, Lt. Col. Torney's son.

Directions

For additional information about this event, contact Laurie Thompson at (415) 499-7419.

Angels in the Wilderness

A dangerous fall. A dramatic rescue. A life changing recovery. Meet author Amy Racina on Tuesday, May 2 at the Fairfax Library as she discusses the amazing events that inspired her new book "Angels in the Wilderness." Alone on a backpacking trip, Amy found herself struggling to survive after she suffered 2 broken legs in a remote part of the Sierras. Find out how this incredible woman not only survived but discovered the angels that rescued her. This free program will begin at 7:30 pm. For more information, contact the Fairfax reference desk at 457-5629.

Dial-A-Story for Children

Are your kids stuck home in the rain? They can listen to a story by calling the library's Dial-A-Story line at 415-499-6051. There are new stories each week.

Past Joys to be Present at Stinson Beach Library

The Homegrown Authors series presents Bolinas author and photographer Ken Botto at Stinson Beach Library on Monday, Apr. 17th at 7:30pm. He will discuss his work including "Past Joys" which features photographs of antique collectible toys in imaginative arrangements. His color photographs are included in the permanent collections of the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. For additional information about this free event, contact Stinson Beach Library at 868-0252.

How Are We Doing?

The most important goal of the Marin County Free Library is satisfying our customers. If you are not satisfied with Library services, please let us know. We'd also like to hear about what we are doing well! Request a customer comment form next time you visit the Library, or submit your comments online.

Free Tutoring at the Civic Center Library

The Civic Center Library offers free, one-on-one tutoring on using the library catalog and databases, Microsoft Word, Excel, email, and searching the Internet. Basic computer skills -- familiarity with using a mouse and keyboard -- required. For more information, or to schedule a session, call (415) 499-6102.

For listings of other Library events and classes, click here.

1906 Earthquake

The 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and Fire:
Hygienic Catastrophe Averted

The Experiences of San Francisco's Chief Sanitary Officer,
Lt. Col. George Henry Torney

Part Two will include the presentation of newly discovered photographs of the 1906 catastrophe by Ned Torney, Lt. Col. Torney's son

Presenter: Richard G. Torney, a great grandson of George Henry Torney

In the aftermath of the April 18, 1906, earthquake and fire in San Francisco, city officials recognized the urgent need to maintain the health of the citizenry. On April 20, United States Army Surgeon Lt. Col. George Henry Torney, Commander of the Presidio's U.S. Army General Hospital, was appointed San Francisco's Chief Sanitary Officer.

His successful efforts to prevent serious outbreak of contagious diseases and his creation and enforcement of regulations to establish safe and sanitary conditions for the city's population will be illustrated in the presentation. A "Scrapbook" of his life and military career will also be included.

On the day of the earthquake, and in the following days, Lt. Col. Torney's 26-year-old son, "Ned," traveled around the city with his camera taking snapshots of the devastation, the raging fire, and the city's displaced residents. A selection of these images will be publicly shown for the first time, 100 years after they were taken.

Day: Thurs. April 20, 2006
Time: 12 noon – 1 p.m.
Place: Room 328, Board of Supervisor’s Planning Chamber, Marin County Civic Center

For additional information, call the California Room at 415-499-7419

For more images from the earthquake, visit the Anne T. Kent California Room Digital Archive.

Book Super Sale

The Friends of the Marin County Free Library announce their sixth annual Book Super Sale on Saturday, April 29 and Sunday, April 30, from 10 am to 5 pm both days. Members of the Friends can preview the sale on Saturday morning from 8 to 10 am. Choose from more than 30,000 books of all kinds in all subject areas--and more!

The book sale will take place at the National Guard Armory, on Armory Drive across from the Civic Center in San Rafael. For directions, click here. For more information, you can visit the Friends of the Marin County Free Library website, or call 415-892-0238.

All proceeds support library programs, needs, and materials.

Yee-Haws at Your Local Library!

Saddle up for a Wild West extravaganza of prehistoric proportions at T-Rex ThunderLizard's Wild West Revue, appearing at several Marin County Free Library branches during National Library Week! T-Rex ThunderLizard will be appearing, courtesy of Nick Barone Puppets, along with a cast of over 20 dino-cowpokes in a musical variety show guaranteed to tickle yer funnybone. You can meet this posse of playful puppets at 7pm on Monday, Apr. 3d, at the Novato Library; on Tuesday, Apr. 4th at the Corte Madera Library at 3:30pm and Point Reyes Library at 7pm; on Thursday, Apr. 6th at 3:30pm at the Civic Center Library and at 6:30pm at the South Novato Library. T-Rex will be rustling up songs, jokes and skits aplently so don't miss this free revue coming to a Marin County Free Library branch near you this week!