What's going on at the Highland Branch Library in June? Check It Out!

We have some special programs for June! Join us for: SUMMER READING 2012! We have programs for everyone, from babies to adults! Our Summer Reading Kickoff Party will be on Wednesday, June 5th, from 5-7 pm in the Rooftop Gardens. Registration begins Monday, June 11th. For the little ones, birth to age 2, we have our popular Baby Summer Reading Program. This year's theme is "Dream Big - READ!". Programs for this age group will ttake place every Monday at 1 pm in the Children's Program Room, beginning June 11th. For children ages 3-12, the theme for the Children's Summer Reading Program will be "Dream Big - READ!" Special programs will be held every Wednesday at 6pm in the Children's Program Room, beginning June 13th. This summer Teens will "Own the Night" with a reading program just for them. Programs for teens will be on Wednesdays @ 3 pm and Fridays @ 4 pm, beginning June 13th. And we aren't forgetting the Adults, ages 19+! Join us this summer "Between the Covers." Earn raffle tickets for every book you read or listen to; certain titles have been bookmarked and are worth extra tickets! Programs just for grown-ups will be held on Mondays @ 6 pm in the Community Room, beginning June 11th. Back for the Summer is our special "Pajama Family Story Time". This program is the same as the Thursday morning storytime, but kids get to come to the library in their PJs. Tuesdays at 5pm. Family Science Exploration - Saturday, June 23rd at 10:30 am. Get your family excited about science! Join us in our science lab every month where we will explore a new topic. See you there! During the month of June we continue to offer our ongoing programs: Early Learning Playtime on Saturdays from 2-3 pm. For kids 0-5 years old. Swing by the Discovery Zone program room to play and meet new friends. Tiny Hoppers Toddler Time - *Register for the next session the week of July 16thTuesdays at 10:30am. For 1-3 year olds. This is a fun and active program full of songs selected to meet the developmental needs of toddlers. **REGISTRATION REQUIRED Garden Walk on Mondays & Wednesdays 10:00-11:00am, Saturdays 9:00-10:30am. Stroll through our dreamy gardens and smell the fragrances of spring. Take a guided tour of our 15,000 sq ft rooftop gardens. Saturday is Community Garden Day, bring your gloves and garden with us! Family Story Time - Thursdays at 10:30 am. Join us for this wonderful traditional story time where we explore great children’s Literature, songs, finger plays, and crafts geared toward a different theme each week. Animal Ambassadors - Fridays 3:30-4:00pm. Bring your children to learn about and meet our rescued animals. Better Biking with a Biker - 1st Tuesday of every Month @ 6:30pm. Join certified bike technician Thomas Cusson, owner of East Highland Bikes, every month to learn basic repair and maintenance tips for your bike! Open to all bikers! Quilts of Valor - 4th Saturday of the Month, 10:00-4:00. Whether you can sew, iron, cut or are willing to learn, come by and help make a quilt for a veteran. Highland Readers Group - Wednesdays in June on 6/13 and 6/27 @ 4:00 pm. Come on in and join our reading club where we will be discussing the latest selection. Teen Gamers Lounge - Fridays in June on 6/1 and 6/8 at 4:00 pm. Come play the Wii, Guitar Hero and Board Games with other teens. Computer Classes in June: Introduction To… classes will be held twice a month on Mondays @ 5-6 pm. Join us June 4th for Introduction to Computers and/or June 18th for Introduction to the Internet. Join us for a 6-week session of classes to learn Microsoft Word 2007. We’ll start at the beginning and build your skills week by week. Tuesdays @ 5-6 pm, June 5th through July 10th. A Job Seeking Skills class will be available twice each month on Wednesdays @ 4-5 pm. Join us June 6th and/or 20th. Introduction To Computers for Seniors classes will be held twice a month on Saturdays @ 9:30-10:30 am. Join us June 2nd and/or June 16th.

MAY AT THE HIGHLAND BRANCH LIBRARY

We have some special programs this month! Join us for: Puppeteering 101 for Teens - Every Wednesday in May at 4:00 pm. Are you a natural performer? What about direction and set design? Join us throughout May as we discover the history of puppeteering, make puppets, design a set, and perform a live show for a captive audience! Creative Crafts for Adults - Saturday May 5, 10:00-11:00am Join HEEC to turn old crepe paper into a beautiful flower bouquet to enjoy or share for Mother’s Day! Participants can bring their own paper or use what is supplied. Registration at the Adult Reference Desk is appreciated. Family Science Exploration - Saturday, May 26 at 10:30 am. Get your family excited about science! Join us in our science lab every month where we will explore a new topic. See you there! Decoration Station: When Darkness Falls...Tuesdays in May at 4:00pm. Summer Reading Program is coming and we need help decorating! Join us every Tuesday night for the following activities: 5/10: Starry Night 5/17: Animal House 5/24: Quit Buggin’ Me 5/31: There is Something Under My Bed During the month of May we continue to offer our ongoing programs: Early Learning Playtime on Saturdays from 2-3 pm. For kids 0-5 years old. Swing by the Discovery Zone program room to play and meet new friends. Tiny Hoppers Toddler Time - *Register for the next session the week of May 29 Your Choice of: Tuesdays at 10:30am or Wednesdays at 6pm. For 1-3 year olds. This is a fun and active program full of songs selected to meet the developmental needs of toddlers. **REGISTRATION REQUIRED Garden Walk on Mondays & Wednesdays 10:00-11:00am, Saturdays 9:00-10:30am. Stroll through our dreamy gardens and smell the fragrances of spring. Take a guided tour of our 15,000 sq ft rooftop gardens. Saturday is Community Garden Day, bring your gloves and garden with us! Family Story Time - Thursdays at 10:30 am. Join us for this wonderful traditional story time where we explore great children’s Literature, songs, finger plays, and crafts geared toward a different theme each week. Animal Ambassadors - Fridays 3:30-4:00pm. Bring your children to learn about and meet our rescued animals. Sit, Stay Read - on the third Saturday of the Month @ 3:00pm. Share your favorite story with a furry friend! Better Biking with a Biker - 1st Tuesday of every Month @ 6:30pm. Join certified bike technician Thomas Cusson, owner of East Highland Bikes, every month to learn basic repair and maintenance tips for your bike! Open to all bikers! Quilts of Valor - 4th Saturday of the Month, 10:00-4:00. Whether you can sew, iron, cut or are willing to learn, come by and help make a quilt for a veteran. Highland Readers Group - Wednesdays in May on 5/2, 5/16, 5/30 @ 4:00 pm. Come on in and join our reading club where we will be discussing the latest selection. Teen Gamers Lounge - Fridays in May on 5/4, 5/11, 5/18, 5/25 at 4:00 pm. Come play the Wii, Guitar Hero and Board Games with other teens. Computer Classes for Monday, 5/21: 1-2pm Introduction to Computers; 3-4pm Job Seeking Skills; 5-6pm Microsoft WORD

The Big News for March is a Day of Dr. Suess, here at the Highland Branch Library, on Friday, March 2nd, in honor of Dr. Seuess' birthday! In the Children's Library we will be reading a different Dr. Seuss book every hour on the hour, then at 5 p.m. comes the birthday bash - the Dr. Seuss book voted for the most will be read and crafts will rule!

We will also begin the In-N-Out Burger Cover-to-Cover Reading Club on March 3rd which will run through April 14th. It's for ages 4-12. Those who can't read can be read to by someone else. Read 5 books and earn an award certificate for a free kids burger. While supplies last. Come to the Highland Branch to sign-up and learn more!

TEEN TECH WEEK runs from March 4th through the 10th. We will be offering two teen programs:

3/7 @ 4:00pm Make your own Meme! Join us in the Computer Lab to create your own unique internet characters, special give-aways for participants!

3/9 @4:00pm Super Smash Bros Brawl! Show your stuff during this national video game competition with other teens throughout the USA on our giant video screen!


And, as always, we have our ongoing programs:

Every Monday and Wednesday from 10-11 a.m. our rooftop garden opens for a "garden walk" - weather permitting.

Every Monday and Wednesday ESL classes are offered from 12:30-2:30 pm.

Tuesdays and Wednesdays bring "Tiny Hopper Toddler Time", a 6-week program for 1-3 year-olds. This is a registration required program which is quite popular. Next registration period is April , but we fill up fast so come in early to sign-up. Choose Tuesdays at 10:30 am or Wednesdays at 6:00 pm.

Each Tuesday we show a movie at 5 pm. The 1st tuesday is for adults, the 2nd tuesday for families, the 3rd tuesday we show an ecologically oriented movie, and the last tuesday is for the teens.

Every Thursday we present Family Storytime at 10:30 am. Join us for fun, laughter and learning!

Every Friday is Animal Ambassadors at 3:30 (come meet our animals!), then Teen Gamers' Lounge at 4 pm.

Saturdays from 9-10:30 a.m. are Community Garden Days. Join us on the roof. We also offer Early Learning Playtime for newborns to five-year-olds from 2-3 p.m.

Saturday, March 17th will be a Family Science Exploration Day at 10:30 a.m. Get your family excited about science! Join us in our science lab every month where we will explore a new topic. then at 3 p.m. the same day, the canines will be in the house for "Sit, Stay, Read" - share a story with our visiting furry pals.

Monday, March 26th we will be offering our once a month computer classes: Introduction to Computers from 1-2 pm, Job Search Skills Online from 3-4 pm, and Introduction to Word 2007 from 5-6 pm. You can register at the Reference Desk.

What's Going on in February at the Highland Branch Library, you ask?

Well! We're glad you asked...

As always, we have our ongoing programs:

Every Monday and Wednesday from 10-11 a.m. our rooftop garden opens for a "garden walk" - weather permitting.

Every Monday and Wednesday are ESL classes from 12:30-2:30 pm.

Every Tuesday and Wednesday we offer "Tiny Hopper Toddler Time", a 6-week program for 1-3 year-olds. This is a registration required program which is quite popular. Next registration period is Feb. 21-25th, but we fill up fast so the earlier the better. Choose Tuesdays at 10:30 am or Wednesdays at 6:00 pm.

Every Tuesday we show a movie at 5 pm. The 1st tuesday is for adults, the 2nd tuesday for families, the 3rd tuesday we show an ecologically oriented movie, and the 4th tuesday is for the teens.

Every Thursday we offer Family Storytime at 10:30 am. Join us for fun, laughter and learning!

Every Friday is Animal Ambassadors at 3:30, then Teen Gamers' Lounge at 4 pm.

Saturdays from 9-10:30 a.m. are Community Garden Days. Join us on the roof. We also offer Early Learning Playtime for newborns to five-year-olds from 2-3 p.m.

Saturday, February 18th will be a Family Science Exploration Day at 10:30 a.m. Get your family excited about science! Join us in our science lab every month where we will explore a new topic. At 3 p.m. this day the canines will be in the house for "Sit, Stay, Read" - share a story with our visiting furry pals.

This week's bestsellers - Los Angeles Times - Dec. 4th 2011

Nov. 27 Dec. 4, 2011

Hardcover Fiction (Back to top)

1. The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes
A middle-age retiree re-evaluates his mediocre existence.

2. Diary of a Wimpy Kid Cabin Fever  by Jeff Kinney
Greg gets trapped in the house during a snowstorm.

3. 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
Don’t let appearances fool you in this multilayered narrative about loyalty and loss.

4. 11/22/63  by Stephen King
A man goes back in time to prevent the assassination of John F. Kennedy.

5. V is for Vengeance by Sue Grafton
Kinsey Millhone reports a shoplifter in a lingerie store and triggers a chain of events.

6. The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides
A love triangle among recent Ivy League graduates.

7. The Litigators by John Grisham
A burned out attorney joins a down-and-out firm in taking on a pharmaceutical company.

8. Inheritance by Christopher Paolini
Will justice be restored to Alagaësia in this conclusion to the Inheritance cycle?

9. The Cat's Table by Michael Ondaatje
A young boy's sea voyage in the early 1950s from Sri Lanka to England.

10. The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach
The complicated nature of relationships revolving around a gifted college baseball player.

Hardcover Nonfiction
1. Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
A portrait of the late Apple visionary as revealed by those in his inner circle.

2. Blue Nights by Joan Didion
In this follow-up to her memoir "The Year of Magical Thinking," Didion tells the painful and personal story of her daughter's death in 2005.

3. Then Again by Diane Keaton
The actress’ memoir is filled with musings on memoir filled with motherhood, Woody Allen, Warren Beatty and Al Pacino.

4. Boomerang by Michael Lewis
How the financial crisis transformed Global economies such as Greece, Ireland and Iceland.

5 Killing Lincoln by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard
The dramatic events in the spring of 1865 leading up to the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.

6. West by West by Jerry West
The Lakers legend reveals his demons in this candid autobiography.

7 Diary of a Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book by Jeff Kinney
A revised and expanded interactive journal based on the bestselling books and hit movies.

8 Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
The story of Louis Zamperini, a World War II bombardier, POW and Olympian.

9 Back to Work by Bill Clinton
The former president's blueprint on how to revive the economy.

10 In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson
Complex ties between the U.S. ambassador’s family and the Nazi elite in 1930s Berlin.

December Highland Branch Happenings!

Special Events Include:
Winter Workshops every Thursday in December @ 4:00 pm - open to ALL AGES
    Dec. 1 - Holiday Cards for Heroes
    Dec. 8 - Winter Scene Creation
    Dec. 15 - Winter Pencil Holders
    Dec. 22 - Gingerbread Houses
    Dec. 29 - Noise Makers

December 7th - Teen Program @ 4 pm - T Shirt Scarves  (Bring a shirt to Shred!)

The Annual Very Merry Library Party on Tuesday, December 13th, from 5-7 pm
    Movies, Crafts & More!

Eco-Gift Wrap on Saturday, December 17th, from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm
    The Highland Environmental Education Coalition will show you how to go green this holiday season - have gifts wrapped or take home an eco-wrapping kit for a small donation.

Some Upcoming Events for November!

November 9th - READ4Teens: Come join us for a Veteran's Day GIANT card signing

November 10th - Guest Author: Robert Kirk - "Warrior at 500 Knots" - Robert Kirk served as a pilot in the Vietnam War and he will be here to share stories and his new book.

November 16th -  Volunteer Fair - several community organizations will be here to talk about volunteer opportunities.