In the Pumpkin
Patch
 Library
Resources for Halloween
Halloween
Harvest
Halloween traditions trace back to the 1840s, when Irish
immigrants brought Celtic folk customs and beliefs to
America. Over time, fall harvest symbols such as pumpkins
mingled with costumes that represent the desires and fears
of our modern age. San Antonio also brings Dia de los
Muertos to the mix, where Mexican respect for the dead (from
Aztec and Mayan roots) is combined with a festive
celebration of the living. Halloween decorations and
costumes are influenced by a range of traditions and times.
Looking to harvest ideas for a creative Halloween? Look no
further than your library. Your librarians have been busy
sowing ideas and planting them in displays. We’ve also been
creating creepy story times and opening books from our
crypt. Here's at least three ways to enjoy the fall season:
Create a costume. Here's your chance to show your
secret side to the world. According to the 2007 National
Retail Federation Survey, Halloween is projected to top $5
billion in sales, with the average consumer spending $38.50
on costumes. But don't let the expense stop you: library
costume books teach you how to take simple materials
further, like feathers, felt or fabric. Enjoy the dark, be
safe and have spirited adventures.
Trick yourself into a scare. Maybe you'd rather curl
up at home alone with a truly hair-raising book. Our library
has an outstanding collection of scary tales for all ages.
Don't forget audiobooks, which bring creepy tales to life
through excellent narration. Listen to stories or turn pages
by candlelight. Be sure to listen out for creaking doors!
Make a special treat. At the end of a spooky evening,
what better way to come down from a scare than by munching
cookies? From pumpkin bars to pepitas candy, enjoy making
treats for all your guests. Our cookbooks and cooking
magazines allow you to bring midnight treats to the table.
Recommended From The Crypt:
For Younger Children:
For Older Children:
For Teens:
For adults:
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Free as in
Freedom (And Sometimes Lunch)
 While
providers of open source software are quick to point out the
different meanings of the word “free” as it applies to their
products, there are times when free to use and modify and
free to buy co-exist. For the average consumer, the best
example of this philosophy is the
Ubuntu project. Bundled
into the cost of the new computer you bought is the price of
the operating system, usually Microsoft Windows. If you want
word processing more full-featured than the default Word
Pad, you’ll have to buy Microsoft Word. If you want…well,
you can see where this leads.
Enter Ubuntu, a free operating system bundled with free
office productivity software that has a regular release
schedule which promises updates in months, not years. The
software is not without its flaws, though. The
number
one bug in Ubuntu software, according to their bug
tracking site, is “Microsoft has a majority share.”
Outside of the home and business productivity markets, open
source software offers something for libraries, as well.
Ohio’s Athens County Public
Library System became the first U.S. library to use an
open source ILS (integrated library system), called
Koha. It offers features
similar to those of license-based ILS’s at a fraction of the
cost — zero percent, that is. Even within the open source
realm, there’s room for competition. The
Evergreen ILS was
developed by the Georgia Public Library and is slowly
spreading to other library systems.
The philosophy and goals of open source software mesh well
with those of libraries. Intellectual freedom extends not
just to inquiry, but also to the use of information. And
when you can leverage the input of your users — whether it’s
letting them add a new feature to a word processor or to an
ILS — you create tools that have meaning and relevance to
the people who use them.
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SALSA Awards
On October 8,
SAPL staff assembled at Municipal Auditorium for the
library's annual Staff Development Day. In addition to
breakout sessions for personal and professional development,
the day presented an opportunity for acknowledging staff
contributions to innovative service to the community.
Bookmarks! would like to congratulate this year's San
Antonio Library Staff Award winners on their well-deserved
recognition.
Outstanding Service:
- Adrian Flores,
Central Library - Facilities
- Dora Farias,
Thousand Oaks Library - Facilities
- Liz Arevalos, SAPL
Personnel
Outstanding
Overall Contribution:
- Timothy
Johnson, Guerra Library
Innovator:
- Elma
Nieto-Rodriguez, Central Library Reference - Librarian I
- Hayley
Latshaw, Cody Library - Librarian III
Outstanding
Team:
- One
Book, One San Antonio
-
Sarah Bowman (formerly Librarian II, Carver Library)
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Amy Cline, Collins Garden Library - Librarian II
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Sherrie Langston-Hardin, Tobin Library at Oakwell -
Librarian I
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Karen Michaelson, Las Palmas Library - Librarian I
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Elma Nieto-Rodríguez, Central Library Reference -
Librarian I
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Julia Selwyn, Central Library Reference - Librarian
I
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Diana Starrett, Central Library Reference -
Librarian I
-
Tapley Trudell, Brook Hollow Library - Librarian I
Outstanding
Central Library Unit
Outstanding
Branch:
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FEATURED Staff
Recommendation |
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The SAN ANTONIO PUBLIC LIBRARY Staff Loves
To Read!
Monica Garza (Great Northwest
Library) hunts down a few good mysteries.
Currently Reading:
The
Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini,
Party
Girl by Anna David
Stories to Scare Anyone:
Ghost
Story by Peter Straub,
Twilight
Zone: Complete Stories by Rod Serling,
Nightmares and Dreamscapes by Stephen King
Favorite All-Time Books:
Phantom by Susan Kay,
The
Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice,
Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin,
How to
Talk to a Widower by Jonathan Tropper,
Mr. Maybe
by Jane Green
Chick Lit Highlights:
The
Other Woman by Jane Green,
Bridget
Jone's Diary by Helen Fielding,
In Her
Shoes by Jennifer Weiner
Favorite Authors:
Stephen King,
Jane Green,
Anne Rice
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FEATURED
Database |
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Long a mainstay of the library’s print collection,
Sam’s Photofacts indexes repair schematics for all sorts of
consumer electronics. For years, this invaluable service has been
helping both the small business owners who offer TV repair and their
customers who need local alternatives for repair. The San Antonio
Public Library now offers online access to the Photofact collection.
Thousands of schematics are available for many types of consumer
electronics, including the latest in high-definition and LCD TVs. As
with all of our online resources, it’s available 24 hours a day, 7
days a week.
Check
out all our databases.
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FEATURED
Events |
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Free Tai Chi & Quigong classes at Cortez Library
will be offered every Monday night from 6:30-7:30 beginning in
October. |
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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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