Dean Dixon will talk about the Hidden Buena Park at the Buena Park Library

Dean Dixon, curator of the Buena Park Historical Society, will present an insider's view of Buena Park history through real stories. His talk will be accompanied by a slide presentation. Dixon has been involved in historic preservation since the 1970s and will share his "warts and all" approach to local history. He believes in "giving our past a future" -- stop by and find out about the hidden Buena Park. The program will be on Saturday, March 27, 2010 at 2:00 p.m. in the Library Board Room.

Annual St. Patrick's Day Media Madness Sale Returns to the Buena Park Library District

Starting Tuesday, March 16, 2010, the Volunteer Guild celebrates the return of its ever popular St. Patrick's Media Madness Sale. The sale runs through Saturday, March 20, 2010, at 4:30 p.m., but don't wait until then to get the best bargains ever! It is a BOGO Event -- Buy One, Get One Free of Equal or Lesser Value -- of all audio items such as DVDs, VHS, and all kinds of audio music in CDs, Cassettes and LPs. Come see for yourself the treasures you can find! Come early--come often to help the Guild help the Library.

The Guild Bookstore is on the 2nd floor of the Library, located at 7150 La Palma Avenue in Buena Park, between Knott and Western Avenues. Sale proceeds benefit the Volunteer Guild which supports all the Library's programs and collections.

For further information about this and other upcoming sales, please call the Guild Bookstore at 714-826-4100 x123.

Buena Park Library District Offers Free Bilingual Beginning Computer Classes

The Buena Park Library District will be offering a bilingual beginning computer class (computación para principiantes) on Saturday, March 13, 2010, from 9 am to 10:30 am in the Library’s Boardroom. The class will be repeated on March 27 and April 3, 2010. This class is designed for those who have little or no experience with computers. Attendees will learn basic mouse and keyboard skills. Participants are asked to call the Information/Reference Desk at 714.826.4100 x125 to sign up since space is limited.

Fan Exhibit Opens at the Buena Park Library District

The Buena Park Library District hosts an exhibit of hand-held fans from the collection of Tracy Winkler. The hand fans have been collected from around the world and cover a time period from the 1850’s to the present day. The display is located in the Library lobby and runs now through March 31, 2010. The Library is located at 7150 La Palma Avenue in Buena Park, between Knott and Western Avenues. The Buena Park Library is open Tuesday through Thursday, 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. and Friday and Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

The exhibition includes a wide variety of fans from Asia, Spain, Europe and the Americas. On display are examples of fixed, folding, cockade and brise fans. Fans can be made of a wide variety of materials besides the more common wood and paper. Materials include feathers, fabric, lace, plastic, shell and bone. Ms. Winkler, a long-time Cerritos resident, was encouraged by an aunt to start a hobby and has been collecting fans since the age of nine. Ms. Winkler is a member of FANA (Fan Association of North America) and FCI (Fan Circle International), organizations dedicated to promoting, exhibiting, conserving, and educating the public about fans.

Fans have been used for thousands of years. Folding fans were invented in Japan over 1500 years ago. Dutch and Portuguese traders brought these fans to Europe during the 1500’s. From the 1600’s to the early 1900’s, fans were an important fashion accessory. Through the years, fans have been used as a token of love, as an advertising medium, as a signal across battlefields, as well as a cooling device.

For more photos visit www.flickr.com/photos/buenaparklibrary

Get Down & Dirty at the Buena Park Library

Photo courtesy of Jonathan Davis

Two experts from the Fullerton arboretum will discuss different green gardening topics during a program at the Buena Park Library on Saturday, March 13, 2010 at 2:00 pm.

Jonathan Davis is a biologist/ethnobotanist at the Fullerton Arboretum and cares for the Arboretum's rare fruit collection. He has also developed an 11,000 square foot organic vegetable garden. He will present a talk called Garden Alchemy: How to Turn Your Turf Into Organic Vegetables.

Chris Barnhill is the living collections curator at The Arboretum. His presentation will be on Drought Tolerant Gardening.

Join us to find out how to make your garden "green" -- just in time for spring. Light refreshments will be served. There is no charge for this program.

Recyclable Crafts for Teens at the Buena Park Library

Teens can Go Green at the Buena Park Library on Saturday, February 27, 2010 from 2:00--4:00 p.m. and participate in the Recyclable Craft Workshop. Teens will learn to make fashionable jewelry by first creating handmade paper beads out of old magazines. Beads will be used to create bracelets. Teens can also make a useful wallet out of duct tape. All supplies needed for the workshop will be available at the Library.

Paper Flower Making class at the Buena Park Library

Handmade crepe paper flowers are elegant, delicate and easy to make. Join instructor Rosa Armendariz to learn the basics of paper flower making from start to finish. Instruction will be given on making five different styles of flowers so that you will finish with a completed bouquet. This program will be for older teens and adults. This craft program will be held at the Buena Park Library District on Saturday, February 27, 2010 at 2:00 pm in the Downstairs Community Room.

Christiane Salts, Local Author, Will Give a Presentation at the Buena Park Library

Local author, Christiane Salts, will be giving an author talk at the Buena Park Library on Wednesday, February 24, 2010 at 6:30 pm in the 2nd floor Board Room. She is the author of a book on a Buena Park icon, Mrs. Knott. Her book is an entertaining and informative biography called Cordelia Knott: Pioneering Business Woman. The book tells the story of Cordelia and how she developed a world-class food business and helped her family not only survive, but thrive during the worst of times.

Mrs. Salts will be talking about her book and also about how she came to write and publish it. She will be an inspiration to budding authors when she talks about why she thinks that everyone should not be shy about writing down their memoirs for their children and grandchildren to enjoy. Her talk called “Capturing History – How I Came to Write the Biography of an Unsung Buena Park Heroine: Cordelia Knott” will be enjoyable to Buena Park history buffs and those wanting to write their own book.

Light refreshments will be served. Books will be available for purchase after the presentation.

Romance is in the Air at the Volunteer Guild Bookstore of the Buena Park Library District

In recognition of February as Library Lover's Month, the annual Volunteer Guild's Romance Paperback sale is here! Starting Friday, February 12th and ending Saturday, February 20th, all Romance Paperbacks and all mass media-sized paperbacks are priced at 25 cents each! Drop by and spend some time and money. As always, come early for the best selection! Anyone purchasing 100 paperbacks at one time will receive an additional 20 paperbacks for FREE.

The Guild Bookstore is on the 2nd floor of the Library, located at 7150 La Palma Avenue in Buena Park, between Knott and Western Avenues. All Guild proceeds are used to generously fund and support Library programs and collections.

For further information about this and other upcoming sales, please call the Guild Bookstore at 714-826-4100 x123.

A Free Practice SAT (for High School Students) to be Held at the Buena Park Library District

The Buena Park Library District, located at 7150 La Palma Ave., will be hosting a free practice SAT test on Saturday, February 6th from 10:00 am-2:00 pm. High School students will have the opportunity to take a full-length SAT test under realistic testing conditions without affecting their college record.

Registration is required for this event. Students can register in person at the Information/Reference desk at the Library or by calling 714-826-4100 x125. Participating students will need to bring a calculator and two #2 pencils to the practice test.

Parents, while your student takes the SAT practice test, join us in the Boardroom at 10:00 am on Saturday, February 6th for a College Fund Seminar sponsored by Epi-Digm. This seminar will provide resources to help families plan financially for their student's college education.

For all participating students (and their parents), there will be a SAT test results and SAT Test Strategies 101 Workshop on Tuesday, February 16th from 6:30-7:30 pm.

Congratulations to the Winners of the "Keep Warm This Winter' Opportunity Drawing at the Buena Park Library District

The Winners
(from left to right)
Zeny Martinek won the Stained Glass Afghan
Erlanna Lohayza won the Cheerful Squares Afghan

The Buena Park Library recently had the drawing for the two afghans that were made and generously donated by the "In Stitches" knit & crochet group. The opportunity drawing raised $208 which will be used by The Volunteer Guild of the Buena Park Library to support children's programs.

Thank you to everyone that participated in this fund raising effort!

The Buena Park Library District's group of knitters and crocheters, "In Stitches", continues to meet from 2-4 pm the second Thursday of each month in the board room on the second floor of the library. New attendees are always welcome. Come and enjoy the company and inspiration of other knitters and crocheters. Please bring your own yarn and knitting needles or crochet hooks.

Play Rock Band at The Buena Park Library (for the Whole Family)

Come Together and join the fun!

Tweens, teens and adults from 10 to 99 will enjoy spending time together after a Hard Day's Night competing in the popular Beatles version of Rock Band. Teams can come ready to compete or be randomly selected. Remember, All You Need is Love and to Act Naturally to have a great time! In The Beatles: Rock Band you won't just watch and listen as The Beatles make rock history, create landmark records and conquer the world-for the first time, you'll be part of the band.

You will have the opportunity to sing, play the drums or the guitar to one of the Beatles' tunes on the extensive track list that covers the length of The Beatles’ career, from the opening blast of I Saw Her Standing There to the earthshaking later albums. You will be playing in classic Beatles settings like the Cavern Club, Abbey Road, or Shea Stadium.

Do You Want to Know a Secret? --- Prizes will be awarded to the winning band.

Join us on Saturday, January 30th at 2 pm in the Downstairs Community Room. For more information, please call the Library at 714-826-4100 x125.

Tax Forms Available at the Buena Park Library (or online)

Did you know that you can get all your tax forms and publications online? If you need federal forms and publications they can be found at the IRS website. If you need California state forms and publications they can be found at the Franchise Tax Board website.

You can also find them at the Buena Park Library District from now until the end of April. All basic forms and instructions are free, including the IRS 1040, 1040A, and 1040EZ, and some of the most popular schedules. California booklets, which include forms and instructions, are also free of charge. Taxpayers who need specialized forms can seek help at the Library's reference desk, where documents can be printed for 15 cents per page.

Visitors will find tax forms in the reference area on the first floor of the Library at 7150 La Palma Avenue in Buena Park. Library staff members will be happy to help with finding forms, but they cannot give tax advice or instructions on completing them.

Learning a new language is free and easy at the Buena Park Library

[Buena Park, CA] – The Buena Park Library has recently added Mango Languages, a language-learning system, to its online information resources for Library patrons. With Mango Languages, Library users now have access to 22 Mango Basic language courses and 14 ESL courses at their fingertips just by logging in to the Library’s website at www.buenaparklibrary.org –all they need is a Buena Park library card.

“We are very excited to offer this new online language-learning system for free to our community,” said Louise Mazerov, Library Director. “Many library users are interested in learning a new language—whether it is for work, travel, or for personal enrichment, and the Library is here to help them achieve their goals.”

The 22 Mango Basic language courses include Mandarin Chinese, French, Spanish, Arabic, Dari, Farsi, German, Hebrew, Hindi, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Pashto, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Spanish (Latin America), Tagalog, Thai, Turkish, Urdu and Vietnamese. The 14 ESL courses are for native speakers of Spanish, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese Chinese, French, German, Italian, Vietnamese, Russian, Arabic, Greek, Japanese, Polish, and Portuguese.

For more information about the library’s online information resources or other services, please call the library at 714.826.4100 x125, or visit our virtual branch at www.buenaparklibrary.org.

Buena Park Library District Celebrates Cordelia Knott's 120th Birthday

On Saturday, January 23rd at 3:00 p.m. there will be a special storytime at the Buena Park Library celebrating the life of Cordelia Knott. This special storytime will feature Christiane Salts, author of Cordelia Knott: Pioneering Business Woman. Mrs. Salts will be performing the life story of Mrs. Knott in a way that children can fully appreciate the profound influence Mrs. Knott has had on Buena Park.

In celebration of Mrs. Knott's 120th birthday we will be serving birthday cake and punch. There will also be a drawing for a door prize for adults and 2 prizes will be awarded to children who are the winners of the Mrs. Knott coloring contest. Refreshments and prizes are being supplied by Knott's Berry Farm and the Salts family.

Children ages 2 through 12 may participate in the coloring contest by picking up a coloring sheet in the children's room of the Buena Park Library. Coloring sheets must be turned in to the Library before 5:00 p.m. on Friday, January 22nd.

Fore more information, please call the Children's Room at the Buena Park Library at 714-826-4100 x126.

In Stitches Group will meet at the Buena Park Library

The next meeting of "In Stitches" will be on Thursday, January 14, 2010 from 2-4 pm in the 2nd floor Board Room at the Buena Park Library.

Bring your knit or crochet project to work on and get inspired by projects from other group members. Please feel free to work on your charity project or your personal project. The group has made items for the following charities: Knott Avenue Care Center in Buena Park, items for Buena Park residents distributed by the volunteer group Citizens Assisting Police (CAP), Newborns in Need, and Project Linus. Or if you have other charities that you would like to add to the list -- please bring those ideas along!!

New attendees are always welcome. Please bring your own yarn and knitting needles or crochet hooks. If you have any questions please call 714-826-4100 x125.

The Buena Park Library has IRS and California Tax Forms

Taxpayers who need state or federal tax forms can find them at the Buena Park Library District from now until the end of April. All basic forms and instructions are free, including the IRS 1040, 1040A, and 1040EZ, and some of the most popular schedules. California booklets, which include forms and instructions, are also free of charge. Taxpayers who need specialized forms can seek help at the Library's reference desk, where documents can be printed for 15 cents per page.

Visitors will find tax forms in the reference area on the first floor of the Library at 7150 La Palma Avenue in Buena Park. Library staff members will be happy to help with finding forms, but they cannot give tax advice or instructions on completing them.

The Buena Park Library District Offers Open Lanes for Wii Bowling (for adults)

Every Friday in January there will be an opportunity to bowl a frame or two using Wii Bowling. Join others for some fun and a little exercise. The lanes will be open at 10 am on the following Fridays: January 8th, January 15th, January 22nd, and January 29th in the 2nd floor Boardroom.

Wii is a video console from Nintendo and Wii Bowling is a virtual bowling experience. It can be approached with all the gusto of being on a real alley or you can sit down and just swing your arm to "throw the ball". It is an ideal game for all skill levels.

Read-to-Me Reading Program at the Buena Park Library

The Buena Park Library District's Read-to-Me Reading Program will begin January 2nd and will continue until February 6th, 2010. The Read-to-Me Reading Program, for children through age 5, stresses the importance of reading to young children. Parents who read 25 picture books to their child will be entered into a drawing and may win four Knott's Berry Farm tickets. All children who complete the program may choose a prize from the reading prize box.

For more information, please call the Children's Room at 714-826-4100 x126.

Buena Park Library Offers Free Beginning Computer Class

The Buena Park Library District will be offering their "Beginning Computer Class" on the following dates:

• Saturday, January 9, 2010
• Saturday, February 20, 2010

The class will be from 9 am to 10:30 am in the Library's Boardroom.

The class is designed for those who have little or no experience with computers. Attendees will learn basic mouse and keyboard skills.

The class is limited to an enrollment of 10 people. If you would like to register for one of the classes, please visit the Library or call the Information/Reference Desk at 714-826-4100 x 125 to sign up.