Bring your little ones to the library tomorrow, December 13, at 10:30 to visit with our special guest!!!

The following is a special excerpt from the current and upcoming events page:

Gingerbread Boy Puppet Show!!
Saturday, December 13, 2008 @ 10:30 AM
(And a very special visit from a jolly Special Chap from the North! Shhh, it's a surprise!)

We’re hosting a FOOD DRIVE!

One need not seek news on the economic crisis in order to achieve commentary on it. Indeed, regarding any matters that affect a very many people, there will be no shortage of opinion. On the whole, however, one may walk around Cardiff and not recognize any overt signs of trouble. In fact the only different thing I have seen about town lately is the increasing occurrence of food drives.

The word zeitgeist is defined as "The spirit of the time"; perhaps it is a sign of these times that one can find more and more food drives throughout this community. Whether these occurrences are truly an indicator of the times, or are simply a much appreciated manifestation of the holiday spirit, we at the Cardiff branch library would like to encourage all who can to donate non perishable foods to aid those in need. Whether zeitgeist or the most wonderful time of the year, the benefit of donations is the same. Please donate what you can spare to any food drive, if you know of none, bring your food donation to the Cardiff branch library! The food drive we are hosting benefits North County Community Services.(http://www.northcountycommunityservices.org/)

Thank you so very much for anything you can spare!

Customer Appreciation Success

Thank you everyone for the fun time here at the branch this last Friday (the 21st)! There was a fantastic turnout, and a good time was had by all.

Batteries can (and should) be recycled!

Did you know that it is illegal as well as unsafe to dispose of household batteries in the trash? Besides containing materials that can be hazardous if released in the environment, even intact batteries that aren't 100% discharged present a potential hazard. In light of this we invite everyone to Recycle your batteries AT THE LIBRARY! We now have the means to safely facilitate battery recycling. All we ask is that you cover the positive terminal of the battery with any style of tape (when the positive terminals of batteries that have any amount of charge touch, the result can be overheating and a possible fire). We have bags to place the batteries in, and a safe receptacle to place those bags in. So help us help you make the responsible choice for your home and your environment by recycling your used batteries here at the Cardiff branch!





*every little bit helps*

CUSTOMER APPRECIATION DAY!

Whether you've been to this library before or not, Friday November 21st will certainly be a good day to come on down. We have dubbed this Friday as "Customer Appreciation Day" and will be offering some nifty things as an added incentive to see what your local library has to offer.
There will be a book bag give away, refreshments will be served from 2-4pm, and San Diego County Library Director José Aponte will be visiting in the afternoon. At 2:00pm there will be an exhibition of "HoopDance" -rich with audience participation- by the excellent practitioners of hoopdance, Hoopnectar (check 'em out at: http://hoopnectar.com/). There will be live fiddle/violin music at 3:00pm, and guitar music at 2:45 or so. We also have an ongoing Food Drive, so please bring in non-perishable foods to benefit the North County Community Services (http://www.northcountycommunityservices.org/)

See YOU on Friday, November 21st!!

Rights, knowledge, and access

The last week of September is “Banned Books Week”, as recognized by the American Library Association. During this time the ALA encourages all interested parties to “celebrate the freedom to read”, and celebrate we will. Library employees often pride themselves on being guardians of the freedom of speech -such is the role of the library- and we also often celebrate challenges issued to books, as it is through such public challenges and debate that learning and understanding about one another can take place. Regardless of one’s own views, any one of us may benefit from an appreciation of another’s point of view. While some opinions may never change, and some conflicts may never be reconciled, it is through such processes that understanding and respect can be arrived at. Such lessons, from whatever arena they may be gained, can only help us, improve us, and stand as testament to our culture. Such is the role of the library. Libraries serve the benefit of any who would seek it. Libraries can serve as an incredible equalizing force, offering resources and information to those for whom such benefit may otherwise be out of reach. In that regard, libraries are about access. While I may not agree with the opinions offered in a certain book, I will fight to preserve anyone’s right to access it. Such is the role of the library, and I know of no employee at this library who takes that role lightly. So while it may seem like a small role or an insignificant purpose to the person who just wants to check out a paperback to read over coffee, it is indeed a facet of our freedom, an expression of just one of a few truths that have long ago been declared self-evident.

This year, Tuesday the 4th of November represents a day where our role and duty as citizens can be exercised. This day will doubtlessly bring about results that some will find agreeable and reassuring, and in which others may hold dissatisfaction and unease. Much is made of the need for citizens to register to vote and partake in the process, and rightly so: our process’ success is predicated on the involvement of an informed citizenry. In that regard, if one were to choose to become informed on any issue, I hope that they would consider their local library as a resource in that pursuit. What better resource than the library is there to aid in clearing the fog of obfuscation and establishing a foothold on the truth in relevant issues? What better place is there to find information than the place that will fight to preserve anyone’s right to access that information? What better place is there to help citizens become involved in the process than one of the places established to help ensure access to the knowledge that can aid in that process’ adequate representation of views? Help us combine our role as a library with the role we all can have as voters. Just walk in the door, we’ll help you with the rest. It’s easy to find us there too, we’ll be the ones standing next to the voter registration forms.

As the summer passes...

So, my dear Cardiffians, as we prepare to leave summer behind and proceed into slightly chillier times rich with crisp air, Charger-fever, and the occasional holiday, the Cardiff library continues on with its array of events and offerings of books, movies, and programs. These programs have recently included a great first Wednesday performance by Rocket Science -who left us with a peaceful, easy feeling- and an energizing Saturday morning concert by Hullabaloo, who lived up to their name as well as their reputation of performing superb “kid-folk” music and providing an excellent experience which found many people of all ages smiling, dancing, and having a great time.

But we are not done! We here at the Cardiff library do not rest as the summer days wane. Indeed, we continue to try our best to provide something for everybody. As the temperature outside begins its annual dip southward, we will provide indoor programs for the kids, including more story times, more Wii “playdates”, more movies played on the premises, and plenty more, including weekly crafts (that you can even take “to go”), origami, and bi-lingual story times. So come on in, I know we'll have something for you.

FREE SHOWS @ your library!

My goodness! Quite a good time was had here at Cardiff branch library on July 25th! To be more specific, a good time was had in our parking lot after hours on that beautiful Friday evening. Over 400 people were lucky enough to catch a free show by the fantastic band, Baka Beyond. If you haven't heard of them I heartily recommend checking them out. They are the epitome of "world music", drawing influences from Celtic and African music (Cameroon, specifically). And BELIEVE ME, that is a superb mix. Among the highlights beyond a great show and a good time had by all, was witnessing Jose Aponte -the director of the county library system- being called up on stage to dance (he's not bad).

If perfect weather and good music aren't enough, the show was free! To make things better still, we do this stuff all the time. Beyond the fantastic shows such as this one that the county library organizes we here at the Cardiff branch offer periodic shows such as the First Wednesday Program, which brings different musical acts to our patio for free performances on the first Wednesday of each month, from 6:30-7:30. On August 6th we enjoyed the bluegrass stylings of Superstrings, and the next show will be on September 3 by an act called Rocket Science, who are headed up by Jack Tempchin on guitar. Regarding Mr. Tempchin, if you've ever enjoyed the Eagles' hit "Peaceful Easy Feeling", well you've enjoyed his work because he wrote that song! So if you're in the neighborhood that Wednesday, come on by and check it out!

See you then...

Hello Cardiffians!

...and welcome to the Blog of your local library! For those who don't know, this library (located at 2081 Newcastle Ave, just East of the always delicious Pipes cafe) is part of the vast and award winning San Diego County Library system.

So stop by the library and say hello! we have much to offer, including children's story times, teen activity groups, a great book store and community room, fun Wii game sessions, free movie check-outs, free public-use internet as well as WiFi, and as many books as we could safely fit onto the premises!

We always enjoy seeing familiar faces, meeting new people, and also helping you find just what you were looking for. we look forward to seeing you!