Author Andrea Portes to Speak at the Buena Park Library District

One of California’s brightest new literary stars, Andrea Portes, will be at the Buena Park Library District, located at 7150 La Palma Ave., on Saturday, April 12th starting at 2:00 pm in the Library’s auditorium. She will read from and discuss her “knockout” debut novel, HICK. The novel hit the Los Angeles Times bestseller list, was a May Book Sense Pick, a Midwest Connections Pick, and earned glowing reviews nationwide. Books will be available for purchase and can be signed by the author. Refreshments will be served. For more information, call the Library at 714-826-4100 ext. 125.

Join the circle of knowledge @ your library: Celebrate National Library Week at the Buena Park Library District, April 13-19

It’s National Library Week, a time to celebrate the contributions of libraries, librarians and library workers in communities nationwide – and the perfect time to discover how you can join the circle of knowledge @ your library.

The Buena Park Library District is kicking off National Library Week on Saturday, April 12th at 2:00pm with Andrea Portes, author of Los Angeles Times bestseller Hick. Then on Saturday, April 19th from 2:00-4:00pm, Flights of Fantasy, a storytelling duo that performs traditional folktales, will entertain families by weaving comedy and theatre into an exciting display of literature.

"Everyday, libraries help transform their communities," says Louise Mazerov, Director. "At our library, people of all ages and backgrounds can come together to do research with the assistance of a trained professional, to find a fun book, CD or DVD, or to attend programs for children, teens and adults."

For more information, visit the Buena Park Library at 7150 La Palma Ave., call 714-826-4100 or view the Library’s Web site at www.buenaparklibrary.org. The Library’s hours are Monday-Thursday 10-8, Friday and Saturday 10-5.

Buena Park Library District to Host Video Game Mania Event for Teens

The Buena Park Library District, located at 7150 La Palma Ave., between Knott and Western Avenues, will be having a Video Game Mania event for teens on Saturday, March 29, 2008 from 2:00pm-3:30pm in the library’s downstairs auditorium. Games will include Wii’s new Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Playstation 2’s Guitar Hero III, and Game Cube’s Super Mario Kart. No prior registration is necessary. For more information, call the Library at 714-826-4100 ext. 125.

Library Tour for California's Newest Literary Talent -- Andrea Portes to Read and Discuss her debut novel, "Hick", at the Buena Park Library District

One of California’s brightest new literary stars, Andrea Portes, begins a regional library tour this April and one of her stops will be at the Buena Park Library. She’ll read from and discuss her “knockout” debut novel, Hick.

Saturday, April 12, 2008
2pm
Buena Park Library District
7150 La Palma Avenue, Buena Park, CA 90620
714-826-4100

The novel hit the Los Angeles Times bestseller list, was a May Book Sense Pick, a Midwest Connections Pick, and earned glowing reviews nationwide. All this for a new voice publishing with an independent press, which means, of course, that buzz continues to build about Portes herself, a young, hip, striking nightlife writer who survived a difficult, transient childhood only to reach Bryn Mawr…and now the bestseller list. Indeed, this new literary tour de force comes with as powerful a personal story as the ones she writes.

Hick is the story of Luli McMullen—feisty, precocious, and out on her own at 13. Luli is running away from Nebraska to Las Vegas, where she plans to escape her disturbing present and even less hopeful future by finding herself a sugar daddy. That Luli finds trouble on the road almost immediately is no surprise. But on her perilous journey west, she learns the truth of American rootlessness and discovers both the power and the peril of her own sexual curiosity.

It’s Luli’s voice that makes this novel gripping. She charts her own course with a vivacity and vision that marks her indelibly in any reader’s memory. Hick is quite a ride—raw and edgy, hilarious, hopeful and heartbreaking. It's at once a true-to-life portrait of an inviolable spirit threatened by drugs and alcohol, teen sex and crime, and a stubbornly idealistic novel about growing up in America.

Luli’s story is loosely based on Andrea Portes’ own childhood. Portes is a young writer who is becoming a cultural force in the hippest parts of Los Angeles. She grew up outside Lincoln, Nebraska, later shuffling between Illinois, Texas, Brazil, North Dakota, and North Carolina before attending Bryn Mawr College. She received her MFA in Theater from UC San Diego and became a script reader for Paramount Pictures. She now lives in Los Angeles and is a nightlife columnist for several websites.

Learn more about Andrea Portes at http://www.myspace.com/andreaportes.

Scale Model Planes, Ships, and Automobiles on Display at the Buena Park Library

1911 Fire Truck by Mark Deliduka
Originally uploaded by bpld

The Orange County chapter of the International Plastic Model Society (IPMSOC) shares their hobby in March and April with an amazing display of scale models at the Buena Park Library District. Although the word "plastic" is part of the club name, many different materials were used to build these models, including paper, wood, and resin. The display is on exhibit in the Library lobby and runs now through April 26, 2008. The Library is located at 7150 La Palma Avenue in Buena Park, between Knott and Western Avenues.

Besides the variety of building materials, the modelers have an array of subjects they turn their eye to ... airships, fire engines, submarines, Notre Dame cathedral, rockets and space ships, and even a science fiction insect. The IPMSOC members have included a description of the model building process and an explanation of scale modeling in their display. The organization states model building is a pastime that "builds minds and fosters relationships". Besides improving manual dexterity, eye-hand coordination, developing patience and imagination, children can also deepen their relationships with parents or grandparents as they work together. It's a hobby for all ages ... the youngest model builder represented is a 3 year old! The Orange County chapter of IPMS was founded forty years ago in 1968. They meet on the third Friday of the month at 7:30 p.m. at the La Quinta Inn in La Palma.

Drop by the Buena Park Library and look at the parade of cars, ships, jets, and other incredibly detailed models ... you may find a new hobby to take up! The Buena Park Library is open Monday through Thursday, 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. and Friday and Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. For information, please call the Reference Desk at 714-826-4100, ext. 125.

Annual St. Patrick's Day Media Madness Sale Returns

Starting Monday, March 17th, 2008, the Volunteer Guild celebrates the return of its ever popular Media Madness Sale in honor of St. Patrick’s Day. The sale ends Saturday, March 29th, at 4:30 p.m., but don’t wait until then to get the best bargains ever! It is a “Buy One, Get One of Equal or Lesser Value” of all sale items such as: VHS videos, Sheet Music books, and all kinds of audio music in CDs, Cassettes and LPs – that’s long-playing albums, folks. Yes, WE HAVE A LOT of LPs, of all different kinds – classical, easy listening, rock … you name it. In fact, come see for yourself! We will have magazines on sale during this event, too, so all your bases are covered during the March Media Madness Sale. Come early for the best selection!

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 ext. 123.

Homeschool Open House at the Buena Park Library District

The Buena Park Library District is hosting a special Open House event for home educators and their students in the Buena Park and surrounding communities on March 10th, 2008 from 6:30 to 7:45 p.m. at 7150 La Palma Ave., between Knott and Western Avenues.

Home educator families are invited to attend a special "Passport to Information" tour of the Library so that we can explain the programs and services – like our Passport Acceptance Service, our Guild bookstore and more – that are available here. This event will begin in the 2nd floor Library Board Room and end in the downstairs Auditorium. Light refreshments will be offered at the end of the tour.

We look forward to seeing you here, and bring your questions! No reservations necessary.

Free Wireless Internet Access Featured at the Buena Park Library

The Buena Park Library District now has free wireless Internet access available for visitors to the library. If your laptop computer has a wireless interface card, you can use our free wireless system. To use it just open your Internet browser. Then log in with your e-mail address or you may use our guest e-mail address listed on the log-in page. The main search page in Google will then come up and you are ready to use our wireless system! Pretty nifty!

For access to the Library’s wireless network, you will need to have a Wireless Network PC card in your laptop. Our wireless system uses the Wi-Fi standard IEEE 802.11b. Unfortunately, printing is not available from the visitor laptops. A special note to visitor’s considering wireless access: due to liability issues, the Library’s staff cannot assist you with the wireless log-in procedure, nor will they be able to handle your personal computer equipment.

The Buena Park Library District is located at 7150 La Palma Ave., between Knott and Western Avenues. This information is also on its web page at www.buenaparklibrary.org/wireless_access.htm. The library’s hours are Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Amazon.com Sales Proceeds Benefit Buena Park Library District!

"Support the Library Shop @ Amazon.com" – those magic words will bring a little extra money to your local library every time you shop through the Buena Park Library District’s web page! Amazon.com contributes a percentage of your purchases to the library when you use a special link found on the right side of our newly designed web page at www.buenaparklibrary.org. There is NO additional cost to you or the library, and it is a great fundraising benefit for the Buena Park Library. Because we are now an associate through Amazon.com’s affiliate marketing program, we are able to link to Amazon products and services for the Library’s site visitors to enjoy.

According to Amazon.com, "[It] strives to be Earth's most customer-centric company where people can find and discover virtually anything they want to buy online. By giving customers more of what they want - low prices, vast selection, and convenience - Amazon.com continues to grow and evolve as a world-class e-commerce platform." There are "hundreds of thousands of world class retailers and individual sellers available" on this all-encompassing website, and now we have it available to you! So, look around a little … you’ve only hit the tip of the iceberg!

The Buena Park Library District is located at 7150 La Palma Ave., between Knott and Western Avenues. The library’s hours are Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

"Check it out. We connect you to the world of knowledge."

It's February and Romance is in the Air at the Buena Park Library District

This week kicks off a celebration of ROMANCE and "finding your passion" at 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 Thursday, February 14th and ending Saturday, March 1st, 2008, come by and spend some time and money and take advantage of special offers in Romance Paperbacks. For example, buy 100 of the 50 cent Romance Paperbacks and get 20 of the Romance Paperbacks for free! All the 50 cent paperbacks are half off or just 25 cents! Come early for the best selection!

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 ext. 123.

Holiday Closure -- President's Day -- Monday, February 18th, 2008

The Buena Park Library District will be closed on Monday, February 18th, 2008, in observation of the President's Day holiday. Normal hours will resume on Tuesday, February 19th.

D'oh! ... "The Simpsons" are on Display at the Buena Park Library District

Homer slippers 2
Originally uploaded by bpld

Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie Simpson are now on display at the Buena Park Library District. Hito Zapata's fantastic collection of comics, toys, and other “Simpsons” collectibles are now on exhibit in the Library lobby through the end of February 2008. The Buena Park Library is located at 7150 La Palma Avenue in Buena Park, between Knott and Western Avenues.

A kindergarten teacher, Zapata began collecting comic books in 1993 and has an extensive collection. Although he has an entire collection of “Simpsons” comics, he did not begin collecting “Simpsons” toys until 2000. Amongst the items on display at the Library are a “Clue” game with Simpson characters, Homer slippers, a set of toys based upon “The Island of Dr. Moreau” - even a “Chia” head of Homer.

“The Simpsons” were created by cartoonist Matt Groening. He named the characters after members of his own family (except Bart – an anagram of “brat”). “The Simpsons” first appeared on the Tracey Ullman Show in 1987 as short, animated cartoons. “The Simpsons” debuted in their half hour series in December 1989. Always irreverent, sometimes steeped in controversy, “The Simpsons” have added a number of phrases to popular culture such as “D’oh” and “Don’t have a cow, man!”

Stop by the Buena Park Library and look for your favorite residents of Springfield. You will be amazed at the inventive ways the Simpsons have been used to market items. Anyone for a pair of Homer boxers? The Buena Park Library is open Monday through Thursday, 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. and Friday and Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. For information, please call the Reference Desk at 714-826-4100, ext. 125.

Holiday Closure -- Martin Luther King, Jr. Day -- Monday, Jan 21st

The Buena Park Library District will be closed on Monday, January 21st, 2008, in observation of the Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. Normal hours will resume on Tuesday, January 22nd.

AARP Income Tax Assistance at the Buena Park Senior Center

AARP INCOME TAX ASSISTANCE appointments are being taken January 28th for every Tuesday morning starting February 5th at the Buena Park Senior Center, 8150 Knott Avenue in Buena Park (phone number 714-236-3870).

AARP and IRS-trained volunteers will be providing FREE income tax assistance so you can file your 2007 income tax return before the deadline of April 15th, 2008. The income tax counselors will be at the Buena Park Senior Center every Tuesday till April 8th from 9am to noon. Reservations can be made by phone (714-236-3870) or in person at the Senior Center's Front Desk.

A Free Practice SAT to be held at the Library -- Saturday, February 2nd, 2008

The Buena Park Library District, located at 7150 La Palma Ave., will be hosting a free practice SAT test on Saturday, February 2nd, 2008 from 8:45 a.m.-1:30 p.m. sponsored by The Princeton Review. Students will take a full-length test under realistic testing conditions. This practice session will give students an opportunity to see how they will score on the real SAT without affecting their college record. Students in the 7th-12th grade are welcome to participate. Registration is required for this event. Students can register in person at the Information and Reference desk at the Library, by calling 714-826-4100 ext. 125, or emailing Phyllis, the Youth Services Librarian, at pnisle@buenapark.lib.ca.us. Participating students need to bring a calculator and two #2 pencils to the practice test.

For all participating students and their parents, there will be a SAT Scoreback & Parent Information Night on Tuesday, February 12, 2008 from 6:00-7:00 p.m. During this information meeting, students will receive a score report showing their strengths and weaknesses, as well as, free information about college admissions and test taking strategies to improve their score. This meeting is intended for students and their parents.

Any questions call the Library at 714-826-4100 ext. 125 and ask for Phyllis.

Buena Park Library District Features Writer's Club of Whittier

Are you harboring a secret desire to write? Come by the Buena Park Library District on Saturday, January 19, from 2-4:30 p.m. in the 2nd floor Board Room and experience true lives, adventure, poetry and drama as members of the Writer’s Club of Whittier read excerpts from their works. The Library co-sponsors this informative session with the Writer’s Club and we will be welcoming authors David Thompson, Carol Amato, Fran Syverson, Naomi Voorhees, Rosalee Thompson, Maureen O’Brien, and Mary Terzian for an afternoon of sharing. Bring your interest and your questions! Light refreshments will be served.

The Writer’s Club of Whittier has been helping writers achieve their publishing goals since 1953, and helps serious writers unlock the door to publication through active participation in workshops using the club’s proven workshop methods. Join the Buena Park Library District and Writer’s Club of Whittier for the afternoon to learn more. The Buena Park Library District is located at 7150 La Palma Ave., between Knott and Western Avenues. This information is also on its web page at http://www.buenaparklibrary.org/. The library’s hours are Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Board of Trustees Meeting Change for January 2008

The regularly scheduled January 2008 meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Buena Park Library District will be held at 5:30 p.m. on January 8th, 2008 due to the Library being closed for the January 1st Holiday on the first Tuesday of the month.

The Board of Trustee meeting returns to its regular “first Tuesday” schedule with the February 2008 meeting on February 5th, at 5:30 in the second floor Board Room. The Library is located at 7150 La Palma Ave., between Knott and Western Avenues.

For more information about this and other programs offered by the Library, please call 714-826-4100, x125 or visit our web page at buenaparklibrary.org.

"Mysterious California" Book Discussion Planned at the Buena Park Library District

Mysterious California is a compelling and innovative book discussion program provided free to libraries by the California Center for the Book. The Buena Park Library District will be hosting two simultaneous sessions of this program in January and February. The Library is located at 7150 La Palma Ave., between Knott and Western Avenues.

One session will be offered on Thursday afternoons from 1:00-2:30 p.m. on January 3rd, 10th and 24th and February 7th and 21st; the other on Thursday evenings from 6:30-7:45 p.m. on January 3rd, 10th and 24th; and February 7th and 21st. The afternoon group meets in the meeting room in the downstairs auditorium and the evening group meets in the board room on the second floor.

In Week One (January 3rd), participants view and discuss the short film, Mysterious California: Four Authors, in which the writers talk about the influence of California’s places on their work. For each of the following meeting dates, one of the four mysteries chosen to represent a cross-section of crime fiction written by California authors will be discussed. The writers and novels to be discussed include Southland by Nina Revoyr (January 10th), The Art of Detection by Laurie R. King (January 24th), Shell Games by Kirk Russell (February 7th) and Sharpshooter by Nadia Gordon (February 21st). Copies of each of these books are available for check-out at the Library.

For more information on the books to be discussed, go to the Library’s web site at www.buenaparklibrary.org and select Buena Park Library District Book Blog. Any questions, call the Library at 714-826-4100 ext. 125 and ask for Phyllis.

Christmas and New Year's Holiday Closure Dates

The Buena Park Library District will be closed on Monday and Tuesday, December 24th and 25th, in recognition of Christmas, and will be resuming normal hours on Wednesday, December 26th, opening at 10 a.m. and closing at 8 p.m. The library will also be closed on Monday and Tuesday, December 31st and January 1st, for New Year's , reopening on Wednesday, January 2nd for normal hours.

Consumer Alert: Did you know your analog TV is going to be a thing of the past?

The future of analog television is "over" on February 17, 2009, as the new national broadcasting standard will transition to digital television (DTV). A television receiver that has only an analog broadcast tuner will require a converter box after February 17, 2009, to receive over-the-air broadcasts with an antenna because of the Nation’s transition to digital broadcasting. Analog-only TVs should continue to work as before with cable and satellite TV services, gaming consoles, VCRs, DVD players, and similar products. For more information, call the Federal Communications Commission at 1-888-225-5322 (TTY: 1-888-835-5322) or visit the Commission’s digital television website at: www.dtv.gov.

At the Consumer Corner on the above web site, the switch from analog to digital broadcast television is referred to as the digital TV (DTV) transition. In 1996, the U.S. Congress authorized the distribution of an additional broadcast channel to each broadcast TV station so that they could start a digital broadcast channel while simultaneously continuing their analog broadcast channel. Later, Congress mandated that February 17, 2009 would be the last day for full-power television stations to broadcast in analog. Broadcast stations in all U.S. markets are currently broadcasting in both analog and digital. After February 17, 2009, full-power television stations will broadcast in digital only.” The www.dtv.gov website also provides a DTV shopper’s guide, frequently asked questions (FAQs) section, news and regulatory developments regarding DTV, a quiz to test yourself on DTV information so that you can teach others (optional), the converter box coupon program and its details, plus publications both in English and Spanish to help answer your DTV questions. At the head of all this information is a “countdown” clock that shows you the days, hour, minutes and seconds from now until the DTV transition date of February 19, 2009.

This consumer information is brought to you by the Buena Park Library District, located at 7150 La Palma Ave., between Knott and Western Avenues. This information is also on its web page at www.buenaparklibrary.org. The library’s hours are Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.