March Impulse

AND THE WINNER IS…

Results are in from last month’s contest to rename our staff newsletter. Based on staff votes, the winning new name is…
Footnotes and Booknotes!
Stay tuned for more information on the much anticipated unveiling of your new and improved staff newsletter!


LITERACY SERVICES RECEIVES VIDEO GAMES

Fresno came out on top in an online vocabulary contest that pits cities against one another to measure the depth of their vocabularies. The contest used the newly developed My Word Coach game developed by Ubisoft (a video game developer). Ubisoft worked in partnership with the National Center for Family Literacy to focus attention on family literacy and to celebrate the launch of the new vocabulary building video game. The contest ran from November 1, 2007 to January 31 of this year. Because Fresno residents had the highest average score on the game, the prize of 20 new Nintendo DS systems with the My Word Coach game was awarded to the Fresno County Library Literacy program by the National Center for Family Literacy. Fresno earned 1st place, and the following cities rounded out the top five positions: 2nd place - Salisbury, Maryland 3rd place - Mankato, Minnesota 4th place - Albuquerque, New Mexico 5th place - Oakland, California The winner was offi cially announced on February 20. The National Center for Family Literacy arranged to have Literacy Coordinator interviewed on Channel 24 for the Central Valley Today program. The six-minute segment aired on Friday, February 22, between 11:00 AM and noon. In addition, KMJ radio recorded a brief interview with Rebecca by phone and The Fresno Bee ran an article about the contest on Saturday, February 23.


MUSIC, MUSIC, MUSIC

A string quartet, a five piece flute choir and clarinets played for the quarterly Woodward Park Library music concert on February 20. Dr. Miles Ishigaki of Fresno State selected the program, featuring the Fresno State Clarinet Congress and guest musicians. The program is part of an ongoing series of music programs at the library featuring the Fresno State Clarinet Congress and guest professional and student musicians. Refreshments are provided by the Woodward Park Friends of the library. The next concert will be held on Sunday, May 18. Come join us!


SHARE THE LOVE – AND SCHOOL SUPPLIES!

The Clovis Library Teen Council launched a community project in February to celebrate their love of learning by sponsoring a school supply drive to benefit the English Learners Homework Club at Tarpey Elementary. This group of about 32 hardworking kids meets every day after school to study and complete homework. To help them succeed in their efforts, the teens are hoping to collect a variety of school supplies, including the very basics: paper and pencils. The learners would also appreciate beginning level chapter books and non-perishable snacks to fuel their brains during the afternoon lull between lunch and dinner. If you have questions, contact Clovis branch at 299-9531. Contributions can be sent to the Clovis branch too.

CITIZEN OF THE YEAR

Another success story from Fowler! Lifelong library advocate Barbara Peters, 92 years young, was recently named this year’s Citizen of the Year by the Fowler
Chamber of Commerce. It was Peters’ service to the library for the last 25 years
that led to the special honor. According to an article in The Fowler Ensign, “The only way my kids could go out at night was when they said they had to go to the library. You can’t say no to that,” Peters said. She has lived her life for two things: her family and the Fowler Library! Peters was nominated by her son, David, on the basis of her decades of service to the community. “My real reason was watching her face when the library building program really started taking hold…She was …happy to see it take off,” David explained. The local newspaper recounted how Peters’ volunteer work with the library began a quarter century ago, when she became a member of the Library Support Group, whose primary goal was to improve the condition of the new library, keep the library open two days a week when Fresno County was facing financial challenges, and to help raise money to build a new library. Peters took the effort personally. “My kids called it ‘my library,’” she noted. David said that his mother loved to talk about the library. “She would come home and say, ‘I learned the computer today,’ or ‘the card system.’ She loved learning new things,” he remembered. Congratulations to one of our biggest fans!


FOWLER FEATURED IN NEW BOOK



Local freelance writer Astine Zadourian devotes an entire chapter in her new book, Tears of Innocence: An Armenian Saga of Survival, to the story of how the Fowler community came together to realize the dream of a new library. The book has been added to the Temporary Book Collection for community branches, as well as copies at Central, Sunnyside Woodward, and Fowler. Thanks to the Adult Selection Committee for adding copies to these libraries. Zadourian immigrated with her husband and child to the United States in 1975 and began to build a new life in Fowler. She is a member and past president of the Fowler Improvement Association, and has served on the board of the Fowler Chamber of Commerce and the Fowler City Council. She has been a reporter for The Fowler Ensign, and her writings have featured local people and personal stories.


SAROYAN CELEBRATION BRINGS MICKEY ROONEY TO FRESNO



The Friends of the Fresno County Public Library will host a special
screening of The Human Comedy at the Tower Theater on Friday, April 25,
with the fi lm’s original star, Hollywood legend Mickey Rooney, making a
guest appearance at the screening at 7 pm and at a dessert reception afterwards. The unique event is part of the year-long Saroyan Centennial Celebration. Tickets are $20 for the fi lm screening only, and $50 for the screening and the dessert reception. Proceeds will benefit the Friends in support of library service.


SATISFIED CUSTOMER

This wonderful comment comes from another appreciative patron.
“I just wanted to send you a thank you note for having such great libraries in the
Fresno County library system. It seems that almost every DVD, CD or book (lots
of books!) that I look up to see if you have it somewhere in the system, I find. I’ve saved hundreds of dollars in using the library instead of buying books and other media (I’ve certainly saved more than I’ve paid in taxes or bonds), and during a time when the public library is an endangered species, I especially appreciate your selection and friendly staff. It’s great to be able to request things from other libraries, too…I’m perfectly happy to wait a week or so for something I want to watch or read. Libraries and the people who work in them don’t get nearly enough appreciation, and I suddenly felt a surge of gratitude while searching the electronic catalog a minute ago, so I thought I’d share it.”


SPRING HAS SPRUNG

It’s Blossom Trail time! One of Fresno County Library's staff caught the beauty of the blossoms in the photos shared here.




The Blossom Trail is full of vivid colors and
this year is exceptionally beautiful. These
are nectarine blossoms.