The Jenna Welch and Laura Bush Community Library is open Monday through Friday from 7:30 am to 6:00 pm during the months of June and July. We are closed July 4th for the Holiday.
In August, the library is closed between August 13 and August 19. During interim hours in August from August 20 through August 24, the library will be open from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. Normal hours resume on August 27.
See you at the library!
Starting Wednesday, May 30, the library is offering free computer classes. Classes are bilingual and teach basic computer, email and Microsoft Word skills. Come, bring a friend and learn something new!
Download the Flyer: Free Computer Classes Northwest El Paso
Today is a short, but sweet post, because it links you to free a free ebook. I’m going to blog about another blog today: Barnes and Noble has a blog and if you have a Nook, or a free Nook app, you can take advantage of the free eBooks that are posted on Fridays. They call it Free Friday.
To find out more, check out the Free Friday link on their blog.
Other free ebooks and audiobooks can be found at Project Gutenberg, which supports almost any kind of eReader. Most of these books are classics–and many titles like Alice in Wonderland–will be familiar to you.
Happy eReading!
There are a lot of great books that have been made into equally excellent TV series and movies. Some of these adaptations have cool music, too. One thing that I found recently, however, is that DJ’s are remixing various musical themes. Here’s a few theme mash ups that I enjoyed. I hope you find a few you like, too!
One of my favorite books and TV adaptations is the Game of Thrones. The TV series is based on a series of books by George R. R. Martin which you can find at our library. You can also check out the first season of the TV show on DVD at the public libraries. The series has a very cool opening song and I found a few good remixes.
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The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling changed children’s book writing forever. For the first time, kids demonstrated how happy they were to tackle long, intricate stories that had characters they loved. Much of the music from the movie series is also very memorable. Here are a few remixes for Muggles.
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The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins has been one of the hottest reads this year. Remixes for this series are a little harder to find because it’s so new, but I enjoyed this dubstep remix based on Rue’s whistle from the movie. Check out the video below.
If you find any excellent remixes from series that are based on books, comment below!
This summer, children and teens can come to the library and learn many new skills. Click on the image to find out more! 
Did you know that you can finally check out the Harry Potter series and read it on your favorite e-Reader? Go to the library’s e-Book site and you can download and read your favorite Harry Potter book in minutes! Speaking of the series, which is your favorite book in the series? Mine is Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Severus Snape is one of my favorite characters and he’s featured so prominently in that installment. Go Slytherin!
The Harry Potter series is available for Kindle and for other e-Readers.
Today El Paso Community College (EPCC) is celebrating Cesar Chavez Day! Cesar Chavez Days celebrates the work of Cesar Chavez, who founded the United Farm Workers (UFW) in order to help secure fair wages for farm workers. So, the library and the college campus are closed.
Cesar Chavez Day is not a national holiday yet. It is celebrated every year in California on March 31st (which is also Cesar Chavez’s birthday) and efforts to recognize the day as a federal national holiday are underway.
Cesar Chavez gave our nation and each of us a unique example to live our lives by. His selfless dedication for farm worker and worker rights, economic justice, civil rights, environmental justice, peace, nonviolence, empowerment of the poor and disenfranchised, is a monumental legacy that will inspire all and the generations to come. (From http://www.cesarchavezholiday.org/aboutus.html).
For more information about Cesar Chavez and the holiday, visit these websites:
Cesar E. Chavez National Holiday Website
Cesar Chavez Foundation Website
Did you know that you can find the El Paso Public Library on Facebook? If you use Facebook, you may want to visit the library’s Facebook page to find out about upcoming events, new programs and new services. You’ll also find links to book reviews, photos from events and videos!
The El Paso Public Library has a Main Facebook page. You can find out about programs for children and adults on this page. You can see the Easter Bunny reading to children and learn more about film festivals, computer classes and more!
If you’re looking for programs and services for teens, check out the Teen Hangout Facebook Page. Recent posts include photos from the Hunger Games and live footage of bands playing at the library!
And always… be sure to like us!
See you on Facebook!
President’s Day is a holiday that is celebrated in many different ways… just not the ways that you may expect. It’s not that everyone has a cool different craft or neat idea for advertising used cars, instead, it’s that the holiday isn’t what we think it is. In fact, it’s not even really called “President’s Day.” It’s still “Washington’s Birthday.”
Originally, President’s Day was celebrated as a federal holiday to remember and honor our first president, George Washington, on his birthday. However, after Abraham Lincoln’s presidency, many northern states started to celebrate the newer president’s birthday at around the same time. When the official celebration of Washington’s birthday was changed to the 3rd Monday in February, it started to confuse people: who’s birthday was being celebrated?
Adding to the confusion is the fact that Nixon proclaimed the 3rd Monday in 1971 to be President’s Day to honor all past and future presidents. However, the proclamation didn’t apply to all 3rd Mondays after that…
And…apparently, 12 states have proclaimed their own “President’s Day” for the 3rd Monday in February, even though in New Mexico, President’s Day is observed on the day after Thanksgiving!
So, on the 3rd Monday in February, most of us aren’t celebrating what we expected! Now you know that the real name of the holiday is still “Washington’s Birthday.”
Citations from the TexShare database: EBSCO:
Maxwell, D. (2008, February). The Presidents’ Day Game. (Cover story). Library Media Connection. pp. 32-33.
Zipp, Y. (2010, February 15). Presidents Day 2010: facts about a holiday with an identity crisis. Christian Science Monitor. p. N.PAG.
