Mental Health
Month: Get Connected
 How
can you get connected at your library? Share a favorite novel, learn
yoga at your branch or visit your social network online. May is
National Mental Health Month and the theme is "Get Connected."
Libraries serve as a vital community hangout. Parents bond together
in story times at the same time that their children do. Teens grow
better than the rest of us at Guitar Hero. From neighborhood
organizations to book groups, the library is a place to organize,
inform or just stay in touch with your world.
While social groups are important, sometimes it's the quiet
connections that attract a tired mind. Our medical databases and
mental health books can help you understand stress and other
concerns. Consider starting a journal of words or photographs, or
read a personal reflection from one of our bookshelves. The library
shelves are full of the stories of survivors who have found solace
and comfort
despite their difficult lives. Empathy is one of the strongest
emotions we can experience - so listen to a journey that inspires.
The book Reading Matters by Catherine Ross studies the impact
of reading on individuals and communities. Among its many positive
benefits, reading is considered a mood lightener for many readers:
“When a negative emotion such as anger, anxiety, or fear threatens
to disorder consciousness, readers report that they will
deliberately choose to read a book that will improve their mood.” So
find a book that amuses or entertains you - your librarians can help
find the right fit. It's almost “beach read” season, but
those fun books can help you get a flip-flop attitude year round.
Ross, Catherine.
Reading Matters:
What the Research Reveals about Reading, Libraries and the Community.
Libraries Unlimited: Westpoint, Connecticut. 2006. (p 150).
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SAPL to Provide
CPE for Texas Teachers
 The
San Antonio Public Library has been approved by the
Texas Education Agency
as a Continuing Professional Education (CPE) provider to
teachers, school librarians and school administrators. SAPL
librarians can now teach classes about the library’s
resources and give participants an official CPE certificate.
Plans are in the works to develop such classes as an
overview of the library’s online databases, resources for
social studies teachers, and best-practice strategies for
Web searching.
Reference Librarian Stephanie Hatch (Central Library)
obtained the initial certification from the TEA for her
Big Read Literature Databases class and paved the way
for SAPL’s approval. She is SAPL’s primary contact with the
TEA and welcomes feedback from the education community on
their instructional needs. For more information, please
contact Ms. Hatch at (210) 207-2500.
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Summer Reading
Kicks Off June 1!
 The
San Antonio Public Library invites children of all ages to
hit the trail with us this summer as we travel from the Red
River to the Rio Grande, from Padre Island to Big Bend, from
San Antonio to San Angelo. We are READING ACROSS TEXAS and
the trip won’t be the same without you!
Join the 2008 Summer Reading Club at any San Antonio Public
Library location beginning June 1.
Receive a Summer Reading Log and a calendar filled with
library programs designed just for you!
For each book you read (or listen to), write the title on
your Reading Log.
When you’ve completed fifteen books, bring your Reading Log
back to the Library and we’ll make you a Summer Reading
Certificate – signed by Mayor Phil Hardberger! And, you can
choose a book to keep.
Keep your Reading Log as a reminder of your summer reading
success. For more information on joining the club or
attending the club’s special events,
visit the
library's homepage at the end of May.
Happy Trails!
Teens - to
find out about the library's Teen Ecosummer 2008, visit us
at
www.sanantonio.gov/library!
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Living Library
 Imagine
if those books you explored really were people. The Malmo
Library in Sweden has broken all the barriers with their
Living Library. How does it work? You can check out a person
“book” for a brief, relaxed conversation to find out about
their beliefs and lives. Each person has a title for the
identity they represent, like Muslim Book or Police Officer
Book. The organizer's guide speaks to the importance of
meeting others in an increasingly complex society, where
stereotypes develop from assumptions about strangers.
Because the Living Library allows people to speak to each
other within a comfortable and known environment, the
opportunity to learn a little about another person's “book”
and their community becomes a more inviting prospect. Living
Library conversations typically take place in a coffee shop
or other public space and are arranged at a time mutually
beneficial to both the reader and the "book." In planning
the Living Library, organizers were asked to consider some
identities as "Best Sellers" and to have several individuals
represent those titles/identities.
This project has grown internationally to reach several
other overseas library systems, including Douglas College in
Canada. For the Douglas College Living Library, the 30-minute conversations focus on staff's specific interests
rather than their identity. For example, a person can check
out a faculty member or librarian for a conversation about
teaching in China, knitting or networking with the local
media.
For more about the founding project, check out the
Don't Judge a Book By Its Cover: The Living Library
Organizer's Guide published by the Council of Europe.
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FEATURED
Staff Recommendation |
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The
San Antonio Public Library Staff Loves to Read!
Trina Smith from Cody Library.
The books I enjoyed reading as a child were
Curious George,
The Five Chinese Brothers,
and
The Teeny Tiny Woman. I
grew up about three blocks from one of the branch libraries
of
Enoch Pratt Free Library in
Baltimore, Maryland. When I was a toddler, my mother and I would go
to the library twice a week. I never had intentions to
become a librarian, but was bitten by the
library bug about 15 years
ago in Gulfport, Mississippi. That bug is still biting me.
I am currently reading as many children's books as my time
allows, as well as novels written by African American
authors. The one adult novel I'm reading now is
A Taste of Honey by
Darren Coleman. My favorite author is
Kimberla Lawson Roby.
I expect to complete my MLIS degree in August 2008 from the
University of North Texas. |
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FEATURED Event |
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PrintDance
Come by Cody Library where print making and dance form a
savvy duet. StoneMetal Press and MoDaCo Lab present
PrintDance. Modern dancers become the presses, printing large
scale art from giant woodcuts on stage. Artist Regina
Sanders cut dynamic images of dancers in relief, and the
dancers will interact with their own images. Celebrate Dance
Month and Printmaking Month with these creative
performances.
The PrintDance programs will be held at
Cody Library on Sunday May
18th at 3:00 & 4:00 PM, Thursday May 22nd at 7:00 & 8:00 PM,
Saturday May 24th at 3:00 & 4:00 PM and Sunday, May 25th at
3:00 & 4:00 PM. Cody Branch is located at 11441 Vance
Jackson Rd., and their phone is 696-6396.
You can pick up your free ticket for a
PrintDance event at Cody Library or
Stone Metal Press.
Please call StoneMetal Press for more information: (210)
227-0312. |
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We urge you to call your library before heading out for a special
program. Although we verify all information, cancellations do
occasionally occur. |
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