Check It Out

Anime Saturday Special Screening: Ponyo

Tana — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 21:35:25 +0000

Join us at the Alicia Ashman branch library on Saturday, March 20 at 2 p.m. for a special English dub screening of Ponyo. Ponyo, the latest film by acclaimed director Hayao Miyazak features a young boy, Sôsuke, who befriends a strange looking goldfish whom he names Ponyo. Unbeknownst to Sôsuke, Ponyo is a magic fish who has decided that she wants to live with Sôsuke and the other humans. Unfortunately, Ponyo’s decision to give up her underwater life creates a crack in an ancient magic spell, and places the world in danger. Together, Sôsuke and Ponyo must set things right.
Screening permission and image courtesy of Movie Licensing

Check out other Anime events at the Alicia Ashman Branch. Stay notified of great new additions to our collection with the Anime, Graphic Novels, and Manga e-newsletter.

Spring Break at the Library

Alicia — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 19:46:24 +0000

Spring Break for the Madison Metropolitan School District starts on Friday, March 26. How will you be spending your time off? The library has plenty of fun and exciting programs to interest and entertain everyone in the family!

School Age Gaming
Friday, March 26, 2:00 p.m. at the Lakeview Branch
Play the Wii with your friends and kick of Spring Break at the library! See more gaming events at the library

Fun Films Fest
Monday, March 29, 10:30 a.m. at the Lakeview Branch
Tuesday, March 30, 1:30 p.m. at the Hawthorne Branch - Register online or call 246-4548
Monday, April 5, 2:00 p.m. at the Alicia Ashman Branch - Register online or call 824-1780
Enjoy popcorn and lots of laughs as you watch these funny films at the library.

Art in a Suitcase with Mary Tooley
Monday, March 29, 1:00 p.m. at the Pinney Branch - Register online or call 224-7100
Join Artist Mary Tooley for an Elephant Extravaganza!! Learn about elephants and make a craft. For children 4 and up.

Keyboard Jewelry
Tuesday, March 30, 11:00 a.m. at the Meadowridge Branch - Register online or call 288-6160
Bring your friends and make unique jewelry with a mish-mash of keyboard pieces and parts. Rings, necklaces, earrings and more.

Around the World in 80 Strings
Tuesday, March 30, 1:00 p.m. at the Sequoya Branch - Register online or call 266-6385
Join Eric Sorenson and explore musical instruments from all over the planet, from steel drums to the didgeridoo. Ages 4 and up.

Be A Parade
Tuesday, March 30, 2:00 p.m. at the Central Library
Come one, come all to the library’s parade! Stories, crafts, and of course, a parade around the library. Fun for all ages.

Reid Miller’s Paw Paw Theater
Wednesday, March 30, 10:30 a.m. and Saturday, April 3, 2:00 p.m. at the Pinney Branch
Wednesday: Puppeteer Reid Miller will perform the “Fable of Lion and Mouse” and “Tale of Mama Chicken and the Hungry Crocodile” for preschoolers.
Saturday: Puppeteer Reid Miller will perform the “Fable of Monkey and Crocodile” and “The Story of Mootown Musicians” for children in grades K-5.

Joy of Origami
Wednesday, March 31, 2:00 p.m. at the Lakeview Branch - Register online or call 246-4547
Certified origami instructor Ruth Anne Bessman teaches how to make beautiful and fantastic origami. All materials supplied.

Magnetic Poetry-Palooza
Thursday, April 1, 11:00 a.m. at the Meadowridge Branch - Register online or call 288-6160
Express yourself with a lollapalooza of words & phrases! Join in the fun and create your own eye-popping poetry and ridiculous rhymes. All supplies provided!

Wii Outdoor Challenge
Monday, April 5, 2:00 p.m. at the Sequoya Branch - Register online or call 266-6385
Are you up to the challenge? These games will get your heart pumping. Ages 7 & up. Please wear socks.

Update on Central Library Negotiations

Alicia — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 18:13:38 +0000

Earlier today, Mayor Dave Cieslewicz e-mailed City Council members with information regarding the City’s negotiations with Fiore Company, partly in response to an open records request. In this email, he outlines four main issues that are currently being negotiated between the city and the Fiore/Irgens team. To read the full letter from the Mayor, see the Laptop City Hall post on these recent developments.

Teen Financial Literacy Class Seeks Donations

Alicia — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 20:30:28 +0000

Do you remember getting ready to set out into the world on your own? Going to college, moving away from home, looking for a job? Jonathan Davis, a Special Education-Transition Teacher at Madison West High School, offers an opportunity for his students to experiment with budgeting and spending money, banking, and planning for apartment renting and buying a car, in preparation for entering the wider world as financially literate citizens. In the class, called “Living on Your Own”, students have the opportunity to earn money by participating in class and by working in the school-based business West International Cafe; with the money they earn, they pay rent for their classroom seat and have to fill out a rental application and sign a lease.

Davis is currently seeking donations of other items, such as gift cards, for students to purchase with their earnings. “This could be a more powerful and rewarding experience if they could purchase other goods and services with their money,” he says. Please contact Jonathan Davis directly with questions about the project, and ideas for donating materials, by calling 516-9512, or emailing jidavis@madison.k12.wi.us

We have partnered with West High School in the past for Career Fairs, helping to educate students about the opportunities and resources available to young job seekers through the Library. Looking for more information on personal finances for teens? Check out the Teen Finance Series, with information about savings, credit, debt, finding money for college, and more.

Save the Date for the 2010 Book Club Café!

Alicia — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 20:39:44 +0000

Save the date for the 2010 Book Club Café, to be held at Olbrich Gardens on Wednesday, May 26 at 7 p.m. We are pleased to welcome Michelle Wildgen, author of two novels set in Madison: You’re Not You and But Not For Long. Wildgen lives in Madison, and attended the University of Wisconsin and Sarah Lawrence College in New York. She also writes about food, is a senior editor of Tin House magazine, and editor of an anthology, Food & Booze: A Tin House Literary Feast. Her work has appeared in such publications as The New York Times, and O, the Oprah Magazine, as well as numerous anthologies and journals. Please visit the author’s website for more information.

See more information about the Book Club Café, including previous Café authors.

Madison Cares: Community Read Highlights Homelessness Awareness

Tana — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:51:51 +0000

In celebration of the launch of Porchlight’s Madison Cares Campaign, the Madison Public Library has joined forces with Porchlight for a community read of The Soloist: A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship, and the Redemptive Power of Music by Steve Lopez.

The Soloist is the remarkable story of the bond between a journalist and a mentally ill, homeless, classically trained musician in Los Angeles. “The Soloist is a great read,” says Porchlight executive director Steve Schooler. “More importantly, the main characters - Nathaniel and Steve - help us understand the intertwined issues of homelessness and mental health and inspire us to care more about the people who live in our midst.”

The Soloist is available both as a book and as a major motion picture starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx. Community members can get involved by either reading or viewing The Soloist. Porchlight and Madison Public Library have developed an online Community Read Tool Kit that is available to all book clubs and individuals, and prepared book club kits with multiple copies of the book which are available for checkout from the library. Members of the community are invited to read the book, see the movie, and join a discussion—either at home with friends or at the library.

We will be holding seven book discussions at libraries around the city. Please join us for a conversation about this “unique yet universal” story.

Saturday, April 17, 1:30 p.m. at the South Madison Branch
Film screening with Porchlight-led discussion to follow on Friday, May 14, 6:30 p.m. at the Alicia Ashman Branch - Register online or call 824-1780
Tuesday, May 25, 7:00 p.m. at the Pinney Branch
Wednesday, June 2, 6:30 p.m. at the Meadowridge Branch
Wednesday, June 16, 7 p.m. at the Sequoya Branch
Wednesday, July 14, 7 p.m. at the Central Library
Wednesday, July 21, 6 p.m. at the Hawthorne Branch

Porchlight provides emergency shelter, food, employment services, counseling, and affordable transitional and permanent housing to homeless people in the Dane County area. Porchlight’s services are designed to foster independence and the transition into permanent housing and employment. For more information, visit their website.

As American as Apple Pie: MMoCA and MPL

Alicia — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 20:15:33 +0000

Apple Pie: Symbols of Americana in the permanent collection at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (MMoCA) features more than 80 paintings, photographs, prints, and objects that address American identity through imagery ranging from big cars and hamburger joints to cowboys and fields of corn. Books from the Madison Public Library - about art and the American spirit - are currently on display in the MMoCA Kids Learning Center, and available for families to use while viewing the display. The exhibit will be on display through Sunday, April 11.

Looking for more books about American art? Check out our Americana companion booklist for the exhibit. See more children’s programs at MMoCA.

Take the National Financial Capability Challenge!

Alicia — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 22:26:40 +0000

Help high-school students to take control of their financial futures! The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the U.S. Department of Education have teamed up to launch the National Financial Capability Challenge for 2010, an awards program designed to engage teachers in teaching personal financial fitness, and to increase the financial knowledge of high-school aged students across the country. Encourage your high-school teachers to register for the challenge by visiting challenge.treas.gov prior to March 14th.They’ll receive access to educational materials and a toolkit to help students prepare to make smart financial decisions. An online challenge exam can be administered anytime between March 15 - April 9, and top performers from all schools will be nationally recognized. Spread the word in your community by posting a flier, and ask your teachers to participate in the Challenge!

Looking for more information on personal finances for teens? Check out the Teen Finance Series, with information about savings, credit, debt, finding money for college, and more.

Tired of waiting for Rosetta Stone?

Lisa — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 21:52:50 +0000

The Library has a new product that may work just as well for you. Transparent Language is an Interactive self-study guide on a USB drive. It’s an immersion program that enables learners to take basic vocabulary and quickly progress to more advanced comprehension and use. Grammar, vocabulary, reading, listening and pronunciation skills are emphasized through the use of native-language videos, texts and stories that immerse the user in the language. Each language edition includes:

Record, playback and compare
Conversation practice
Interactive games
Over 15,000 words of vocabulary
Full-motion video
Testing and scoring
and much more

Just download the program on to your computer, and as long as you have any of the USB drives in your computer, your work will be saved and available to you.

Languages available are Arabic, Chinese, English for Spanish Speakers, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish. Look for Transparent Language in LINKcat.

Tom Linfield’s Mosaic Boxes on Display at Pinney

Alicia — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 17:30:13 +0000

Mosaic boxes created by local artist Tom Linfield are on display now through March 31st at the Pinney Library.

“I spent a large part of my life living in Europe, sketching stone circles and cairns, visiting cathedrals, and living in a medieval village called Cordes, in the south of France. I’m fascinated by the beauty and potency of these ancient, sacred stone formations and the imagery continues to inform my work,” Linfield says of his work. “This exhibition features… glass mosaic boxes. The work explores such common themes as memory, balance, and fragmentation”

Join us for a reception and artist’s talk on Wednesday, March 24, 6 p.m. at the Pinney Branch. Tom Linfield will talk about his mosaic work, show images, and discuss inspiration. Reception begins at 6 p.m., followed by the talk at 7 p.m.

View a virtual display of works from the exhibit on Flickr. For more information about the artist, view his art resume and visit his website.