Laughter Yoga is said to be a life-changing experience, "a revolutionary idea - simple and profound" which combines unconditional laughter with yogic breathing.  It has received worldwide media exposure, having been featured on ABC News, Oprah Winfrey, BBC and CNN.

Join certified Laughter Yoga Leader & Rebel Librarian, Tracey Firestone for a discussion of happiness and well-being as a choice followed by instruction in Laughter Yoga. Come be a part of  the growing Laughter Yoga movement!

The causes of Whitney Houston’s death were announced last week – and cocaine abuse appeared to be a major contributing factor.  Something else that happened last week while I was working at the Tully Community Library was that a representative of the nonprofit Asian American Recovery Services came into the branch bringing a stack of newsletters with Houston’s tragic death as one of its front page stories.  It was filled with articles on all the ways that someone can come under the power of addiction:  alcohol, prescription and illegal drugs, emotional abuse, smoking – but the one I knew the least about was problem gambling – which apparently can be a real problem for people and their families.   

Our neighbors come into the library for a lot of reasons, of course, but one is that it is a clearinghouse for free and useful information for the entire community.  Some of this helpful information can be found in the “Community Bulletin Board / Free for All” area in every library branch.  For example, there are the services that Asian American Recovery Services offers, such as support, counseling, resources and education are either free, based on a sliding-scale or Medi-Cal paid.  Their mission is to decrease the incidence of substance abuse and other addiction in the Asian and Pacific Islander communities in the Bay Area.  You can reach them at (408) 271-3900.  

Job Seekers Support Group

Wednesday, March 21

(The 3rd Wednesday of each month)

9:45 AM - 11:00 AM in the Santa Teresa Community Room

Adults in the San Jose area who are job hunting might be interested to know that we have a Job Seekers Support Group that meets once a month at the Santa Teresa library.  Everyone is welcome to attend and share job search tips and strategies.  

Please note that the library is closed at program time so please plan to enter the building from the Community Room door adjacent to the parking lot. 

Wings of Desire (DVD)

This highly-acclaimed and beautifully atmospheric film by German director, Wim Wenders, reveals  a world of trench-coated angels inhabiting the skies above a war-wounded Berlin who descend  to earth to listen to the conflicted thoughts of mortals, extending comfort and love.  One angel’s emotional investment deepens to the point where he yearns to become mortal himself, having fallen in love with a graceful trapeze performer.

Being a librarian, one of the things that I liked the most about this visually stunning and psychologically-nuanced movie was that one physical space in which these angels silently spoke to the melancholy humans in need of their comfort and care were the communal yet contemplative spaces of libraries.

Oddly enough, Peter Falk, plays himself in this absorbing and original film. 

Students from Harker School will be here at Santa Teresa Library on two Fridays in March eager to teach kids about science! 

 Weather and Natural Disasters

Friday, March 16       A  AA  

4:30 PM

   4:30 PM

Age range:  2nd to 5th grade 

Earthquakes & earthquake safety, hurricanes, tornadoes and other forms of wacky weather will be just some of what the Harker teens will tell us about.  There will also be several fun group activities -- such as making a tornado in a bottle!   kdkdkdkthe 

Earthquakes & earthquake safety, hurricanes, tornadoes and other forms of wacky weather will be just some of what they'll cover.  Also, there will be several fun group activities such as making a tornado in a bottle!

Genetics and DNA

Friday, March 23

4:30 PM

Age range:  4th to 6th grade

The second science event will be all about something very close to you:  your genes!  If you are interested in the structure of DNA, blood types, cloning and more -- this is the place to be.  You may even be able to be a genetic scientist for a day and extract DNA yourself -- DNA from a strawberry! 

Meet America's Librarians

You might not have given much thought to the librarian behind the desk at your local branch —  much less her often caricatured depiction in Hollywood —   but being a dedicated library user (as I'm sure you are!) you might want to find out a little more. 

This quirky but informative documentary about librarians and their portrayal in the movies — a  and their important role in defending our civil rights will definitely fit the bill. 

Listen to what Vartan Gregorian, President of the Carnegie Corporation of New York has to say about this intriguing film:

"The Hollywood Librarian is an illuminating portrait of librarians as they have been portrayed in the movies—often bespectacled, occasionally glamorous, sometimes too brainy for their own good—juxtaposed with the real-life librarians, both men and women, who are the gatekeepers of knowledge in an increasingly digital and globalizing world. A touching, amusing, insightful and entirely delightful film, The Hollywood Librarian also manages to make critical points about how censorship still intrudes on our lives and how the freedom to read remains a right we must all defend."

And by clicking on "Request" you can have this documentary DVD transferred to your neighborhood SJPL library!