http://blogs.sacbee.com/crime/archives/2011/12/library-official-and-wife-convicted-in-kickback-scheme.html

Happy Holidaze by Adam Hughes

Many people adore the holidays – the family, the fun, the togetherness. Others of us loathe them – the pressure, the commercialization, the togetherness. So, how do you endure? We’re hosting Punk Yoga: Survive the Holidaze and Broke A$$ Holidays as oases for escape. Reading is also a fantastic way to steal a couple of hours for yourself. And I find that the filthier or more bizarre the book, the easier it is to smear on a smile and join the fa-la-la-ing or whatever else you’ve signed on for. Upon a recommendation, I just finished the extremely vivid Crooked Little Vein by Warren Ellis; it could make you gag or laugh aloud, either way. Or check out Fun Home, our alt+library book selection, for a family that is just as challenging as your own. Judicious applications of black metal or really noisy punk seems to help too. What works for you? Share in the comments. /jess

http://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/sacramento-librarys-i-street-press/content?oid=4582472

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The other day Katy from the Non-Consumer Advocate wrote about a new program through the Portland Public Library called Lucky Day and I was feeling jealous.

Just walk into your neighborhood branch and pick a brand new popular title off the shelf and check it out without the endless hold list?  Of course those kinds of programs happen in Portland.

<imagine whiny voice here> I wish we had a cool program like this in Sacramento.

Well, imagine my surprise when I went to the McClatchy branch of the library today (to get myself out of library fine jail) when I looked up and saw a shelf with Lucky Day books.

I now have three weeks to read these two titles:

Extreme motherhood and a yoga book I’ve had my eye on for months.

Yay me!

+++++

What new books have you read that I should keep my eye on? 

Have you had a lucky day recently?

http://www.sacbee.com/2011/10/21/3992292/sacramento-library-will-unveil.html

http://www.sacbee.com/2011/10/25/4004245/trial-starts-in-alleged-corruption.html

MANNY CRISOSTOMO / mcrisostomo@sacbee.com

By Carlos Alcalá

It sounds like something out of Gutenberg’s 15th century shop: a machine that prints books, one at a time.

Officials at the Sacramento Public Library, however, are betting that their new Espresso Book Machine – the newest version west of the Mississippi – will put them in the vanguard of library service.

“This is all such uncharted territory for libraries,” said Manya Shorr, supervisor of the Central Library, where the machine will be located.

With the new machine, the library can do two new things:

• Give local writers the opportunity to print their own books, whether it’s a single copy or dozens.

• Put books in patrons’ hands that aren’t available in stores or on local library shelves. Literally millions of titles are available.

“We are the very first,” said Shorr, referring to the updated model of the machine purchased through a grant from the California State Library.

Only a few of the Espresso Book Machines exist in California, and they are older models.

http://www.sacbee.com/2011/10/06/3965415/cutbacks-lead-to-reduced-hours.html

Fostering effective collaborations is at the heart of the ALA Editions Community Partnership: How to Raise Money and Build Relationships course, which runs online from Monday, October 3 through Sunday, October 30, 2011. But don’t let the fundraising  aspect scare you. We’re as much concerned here with the collaboration-relationship side of the equation as we are with the funding and  in-kind gifts that result from those relationships.

There are wonderful resources to be explored here, including the Urban Libraries Council report Making Cities Stronger: Public Library Contributions to Local Economic Development. It’s as fresh today as it was when it was published in January 2007. We’ll  be using it as an anchor to our explorations and discussions of how partnerships are developed and what some of our most creative colleagues have been doing to serve as active participants within their communities.

We’ll also have access to the complete version of Providing for Knowledge, Growth, and Prosperity: A Benefit Study of the San Francisco Public Library rather than the executive summary that is available on the Internet. Reading and discussing that document in conjunction with the use of other articles, short online videos, and PowerPoint presentations from several sources will help us recognize the benefits we bring to our communities so we can better demonstrate the worth of our organizations to our current and prospective community partners.

And we’ll finish this four-week interactive course with an in-depth look at one of the hottest recent library-business community partnerships—the e-reader project between the Sacramento Public Library and Barnes & Noble.

There will be plenty of other resources to explore, and the collaborations we develop will include the interactions among our learning colleagues from libraries across the country as we use an online bulletin board to share weekly assignment postings, engage in optional weekly office-hour chats, and produce resources we can immediately use in our efforts to create, nurture, and sustain partnerships that benefit our communities.

To register, please visit the ALA Store.

N.B.: This piece was originally written for the ALA Editions blog (http://alaeditions.org/blog) and is reposted here with the permission of our ALA Editions colleagues.

http://www.valcomnews.com/?p=5485

Grounding up the pistachios wasn’t too difficult using the Vitamix dry container, getting the pistachios out was another story. Those things are quite sticky!

Ground up pistachios with a little help from my friend Vitamix

Once again the vegan cream cheese in this cake gave it a dense moistness that is unrivaled. It takes a whole 8oz container of the stuff for one cake so I is kinda pricey. In the case of this cake the pistachios were by far the most expensive ingredient, but you may have guessed that already.

Not nearly as green as one might think

With drizzled dark chocolate sauce

A better look

The chocolate was so rich! The drizzling was just the right amount. I am very excited to announce that the Sacramento Public Library has ordered 5 copies of Kris Holechek’s book, Have Your Cake and Vegan Too. Put your copy on hold now! https://www.saclibrarycatalog.org/search~/a?searchtype=t&searcharg=have+your+cake+and+vegan+too&searchscope=51&SORT=D&SUBMIT=Search

http://www.sacramentopress.com/headline/56855/Grand_reopening_celebration_of_Colonial_Heights_Library_set_for_Sept_24

http://www.sacramentopress.com/headline/55528/First_Ever_Sacramento_Archives_Crawl_Debuts_October_1

http://www.sacramentopress.com/headline/55366/Sacramento_Public_Library_encourages_patrons_to_nominate_a_local_librarian_to_win_5000_national_awa

http://www.sacramentopress.com/headline/55369/One_Book_Project_Comes_to_the_Crocker_Art_Museum

Punk Rock Aerobics

Punk Rock Aerobics Redux

Punk Pilates

Hair-obics

Heavy Metal Yoga

The next program will be an all-new punk rock aerobics, held at the South Natomas Library (2901 Truxel Rd) on Wednesday August 10th at 6:30p. This program is free and open to patrons who are 18+. alt+library: where more than just a novel’s plot will get your heart racing!

http://www.sacramentopress.com/headline/51397/Local_libraries_to_face_budget_cuts

http://www.sacbee.com/2011/05/09/3611668/libraries-system-braces.html

Sign up here. And get ready to ROCK.

- Jess

There is something very telling about how a person arranges their books.  In perfect alphabetical order?  Genre?  Size?  So, this is a little embarrassing for a librarian to admit—I have my bookshelves arranged by color.  It is only the fiction, which I think makes it okay…

For me it was a question of aesthetics—I have a crazy love for patterns, so I needed to calm the joint down a bit with neat sections of color.  What you can’t see in this photo is the massive bird rug in the center of the room—makes the color-coded bookshelves look subtle in comparison.  This arrangement has its drawbacks, obviously—I went a little crazy the other day trying to find a book I was sure had a white cover, but was actually gray… 

How are your bookshelves arranged?  Does it say anything about your personality?  Comment below. 

–Lori

Lace up your Chucks and don your sweat band because we will be slamming our way to fitness with a customized punk and metal soundtracks and a variety of exercises designed to get your heart racing and your muscles worked out! Taught by Lipstick Librarian of the Sac City Rollers; there’s no one tougher than a derby girl. We are offering a series of 4 different workouts, starting in April on the second Wednesday of every month, from 630p – 730p:

April 13^th: Punk Rock Aerobics

May 11^th: Hairobics—Hair Band Aerobics

June 8^th: Punk Rock Pilates

July 13^th: Heavy Metal Yoga

 Come get your rock on and get hard core for a harder core!

I’m particularly excited about the Heavy Metal Yoga – I’ve always wanted to do a downward dog to some Diabolical Masquerade or Satyricon. Sign up info will be coming soon.