Summer Reading Celebration 2013!

for Adults (Ages 18+)

How to Participate ...

1. Starting June 1, 2013, sign up at your local library and receive an Activity Grid or sign up online and print your own Activity Grid.
    
2. Only activities completed between June 1 - July 31 are eligible. 
    
3. Complete any five squares in a row (vertical, horizontal, or diagonal) on the Activity Grid to enter our biweekly prize drawing. Once your grid is complete, every additional book read earns another entry into the biweekly drawing.
    
4. List the specific book titles you've read, or activities you've done in the What I Did section.

Summer Reading Prizes for Adults!

Each location will have drawings for:

• Friends of the Library bag, small blanket/throw, books (June 20)
• $10 Target Gift Card (July 11)
• $10 OSH Gift Card (July 25)
• iPad Mini (August System-wide Grand Prize)

Graphic Novel Making Contest!

Part of the Summer Reading Celebration

Check our events calendar for other FREE activities to enjoy this summer!

Give children the joy of reading by reading aloud to youngsters at one of the San Jose Public Libraries. Reading occurs in the library's children's area at designated times throughout the day. Specialized training is provided to all incoming volunteers. Several of our library branches are seeking volunteers to read to children on an ongoing basis (minimum 6 month commitment). Bilingual volunteers (Spanish/English) are especially needed. This position requires fingerprinting.

Training is on Saturday, June 22, 2013 from 12:00pm - 3:00pm at the King Library.  Please complete the application form and register for training here.

Did you hear about the wolf spider so big that it took several shots to kill it?  Did you know that Mr. Rogers was a Marine Sniper in Vietnam or that you can prevent Facebook from using your posts by including a simple copyright notification?  What about Manti Te'o’s internet "girlfriend?"

Everything you just read was a lie. How many of you have actually been taken in by one of these hoaxes?  (I'll admit to believing that Mr. Rogers was a sniper.)  Often it's one of your friends sharing it through Facebook or Twitter.  Other times you hear about it on the local news.  How do you know when something is legit?  Is there any way to tell? 

We think so.  That’s why the San José public library is offering the "News Know How" program this summer at the new Educational Park Branch.  We're bringing in real reporters to show you how to separate fact from opinion and hoax from reality.  For two weeks you’ll work with Reporters, Librarians, and your fellow teens to create your own project (check out last year's projects).  Now you may be asking yourself.  Why should I spend two precious weeks of my summer actually learning?  Well, not only will your project be presented online for you to show off, you'll also receive a stipend (read money) for going through the program. 

The program will run for approximately five hours a day Monday through Friday from June 17 to June 28, 2013. Once you've applied you will be contacted in order to schedule an interview. Interviews will begin May 1, 2013 and continue until all the spots are filled. Please contact Erik Berman (Erik.Berman@sjlibrary.org) if you have any questions.

Applications are now live.  Click here to be taken to the registration page.    Once you've completed the application, you will recieve an email with additional information.

Who do you trust for your daily news? CNN, Fox News, NBC, CBS, The Drug Report, Reuters, the Huffington Post? We have so much news coming in so fast and so frequently that it can feel like you can never catch up with the latest Supreme Court decision or celebrity gaffe.  (I just checked my smart phone and two new articles have been released on my favorite news app.)  Knowing who to believe and how to evaluate the credibility of a given article is becoming more important than ever thanks to the influx of news sources and corporate news agencies, be it independent blogs or even the posts from your local library (which of course are impeccably credible).   

That's why the San José Public Library, with the help of American Library Association and the Open Society Foundations, is offering the News Know How media literacy program this June at the newly opening library, Educational Park.  The Library will be recruiting 15 students to participate in a special two week crash course in media literacy.  Students will learn how to critically evaluate the news they see every day.  They will spot misinformation and propaganda; they will check sources and distinguish between a reporter's fact and opinions.  In the end, as teams, they will produce their own report, sharing what they learned with the rest of the world.

The program will run for aproximately five hours a day June 17 - 28, 2013 at the Educational Park Branch of the San José Public Library.  Participants must commit to the full two weeks and to completing the final project.  In return they will receive a stipend.

Any teen interested in the program should follow this link to register.    Applicants will recieve an email with instructions concerning the next step.

Are you trying to squeeze in some last minute gift-shopping for a child in your life?  I may be biased since I'm a librarian but the best gift you could give a child is a really great book.

On Christmas Eve, my family always exchanged gifts and when I was 9, I was given a copy of Stuart Little by E.B. White.  I spent most of the next day curled up on the couch immersed in the world of that little mouse who was adopted by a family and went on some great adventures.  What a wonderful memory for me.

All children should have books of their own to keep and to read over and over.  According to research studies, the number of books in the home is one of several factors directly connected to reading achievement in kindergarteners.  Books to own don't have to be expensive.  Many schools have programs for purchasing inexpensive paperback copies of books.  And the Friends of the Library always have lots of gently used books at great prices for children of any reading level.

If you need help selecting a great book for a child, check in with us at the Library and ask for some recommendations. 

Aside from Stuart Little - which is about at third grade level, here are a couple more of my favorites.  Can't You Sleep Little Bear? - by Martin Waddell and Barbara Firth is a sweet book for a preschool aged child about a little bear who needs a very special night light. 

I Will Surprise My Friend! by Mo Willems is a beginning to read book so hilarious, you'll be laughing out loud the whole time you read it.  Elephant and Piggie are an unlikely pair of best friends, but they are so much alike and so very silly. 

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen is a book that will grab the attention of any middle-schooler no matter how much they say they don't like to read.  A boy is the sole survivor of a plane crash and must make it on his own in the wilderness.  This book is short and the story is so compelling, you can't put it down!

So even if you've finished your holiday shopping, get one more present for the child in your life - make it a book - and make it a holiday tradition!

Recently the San Jose Public Library featured an interesting web resource called Statistic Brain. This website has statistics on a wide range of topics. Partners in Reading looked at the numbers for people in the U. S. and throughout the world who lack literacy.

Some of the appalling numbers are that almost a quarter of the population in this country reads below the 5th grade level and that almost 20% of high school graduates have troubles reading. Another shocker is that 63% of inmates don't read well. There is a strong connection between limited literacy and poor health, crime, and poverty, among many other problems that our society faces.

Statistic Brain also has data on the difference that a high school graduate will earn annually compared to a high school dropout - $14,117.

We encourage you to take a look and also to join Partners in Reading to help adults in San Jose read and write better. Orientation and training start on September 19th, 2012. Please call Partners in Reading at (408) 808-2361 for more information.