Three book drops that formerly served the East Valley Branch Library will be relocated to our front parking lot. Construction work on the project will begin Monday morning, February 13th. The project is expected to take about 2 weeks. We apologize for any inconvenience you experience during this time.

Here's the information you need to know:

Schedule
Monday, 2/13 – Saw cutting will be done around the work area from 7:30 to ~9:30 AM. This is in preparation for the major work that begins the following day. This work should be completed in time for the library to open, with little or no impact to the public.

Tuesday, 2/14 – Friday, 2/17 – Construction, concrete curb forms built; concrete curbs poured and cured.

Saturday, 2/18 – Monday, 20 – No work over the weekend and holiday.

Tuesday, 2/21 & Thursday, 2/23 –– Concrete pad formed, poured and cured; new directional signage installed. The parking lot arrows and curbs painted.

Friday, 2/24 - Book drops installed and operational by the end of the day.

Starting Tuesday, February 14th, the Library driveway entrance on 3rd Street (closest to the Mathes Center) will be closed. Parking spaces closest to the Mathes Center and other spaces around the work site may be inaccessible for safety reasons. The construction company will provide signage and restrict access to the work area and possibly some parking spaces.

World Book Night (WBN) is a charity dedicated to the promotion of literacy and the celebration, sharing, and enjoyment of reading amongst teenagers and adults. More than 50,000 volunteers across the USA, the UK, and Ireland will be giving away free copies of 30 select titles on April 23, 2012 in order to share the joy and love of reading with millions of non-readers in their community.

The Escondido Public Library will be celebrating World Book Night 2012 by serving as a location for book givers to pick up their boxes of free books. Individual staff members will also be serving as book givers, and you should too!

This is your chance to be a part of something huge and change lives in the process. Volunteers are still needed to go out into their community on April 23, in search of those who don’t read much or don’t readily have access to books. Great places to find these non-readers include shelters, detention facilities, laundromats, bowling alleys, church, after-work parties, and boys & girls clubs among others.

If you’re a book lover, at least 16 years old, and know some tweens, teens, or adults who would benefit from a free book, apply to be a giver. The deadline to register is February 6, 2012. Full details, application forms, and a list of the 30 titles are available at www.worldbooknight.org.

More information will follow about the WBN reception that the Escondido Public Library will be hosting for their book givers so stay tuned to http://library.escondido.org and go sign up! If you have questions, please contact Joanna Axelrod at jaxelrod@escondido.org or by phone at 760-839-4283.

Escondido Public Library’s Holiday Food for Fines Program, concluded on December 31st, 2011, was the library’s most successful food drive program to date. 132 boxes of food and several blankets were collected, benefitting Interfaith Community Services in Escondido.

Interfaith Community Services’ Basic Needs Program operates a food pantry at its Escondido headquarters, providing dry goods to families in need. Normally, the program serves 60 families a day, but during the holidays numbers can rise to as high as 90 families daily. Interfaith staff stated they rely on the Library’s biannual food drives to augment other donations received throughout the year. The added donations help so that they do not have to turn anyone away.

The library’s program allows patrons to save money by clearing or reducing fines with food donations during the holiday drive. Even though this has been a difficult year economically for many, generous patrons brought in extra food just to help those in need and many brought in food even though they did not owe the library any fines.

Escondido Public Library will conduct its Summer Food for Fines Program during the month of July. For more information on upcoming library programs and events, visit the library’s website at http://library.escondido.org, or call 760-839-4684 for information.

The Escondido Public Library will hold a training session to teach the public how to download free library eBooks to their eReader device. The session will take place on Wednesday, January 18th from 11:00 a.m. until noon in the Turrentine Room. The Escondido Public Library is located in downtown Escondido at 239 South Kalmia Street.

The public is invited to bring in their eReader, such as a Sony Reader, Nook, Kindle, iPad, tablet or smartphone, and learn the basics of downloading library eBooks. All that is required of participants is basic familiarity with the use of their device. Library staff will provide step-by-step instructions for browsing the collection and downloading books from the library’s website http://library.escondido.org.

Escondido Public Library offers a wide selection of popular eBook titles, both fiction and non-fiction that can be “checked out” for up to three weeks. Library eBooks are free, can be conveniently accessed 24/7, and expire automatically which means no late fees.

This training is free and open to the public. Registration is not required, but early arrival is recommended. For more information on the library’s eBook downloads, see the eBook webpage or call 760.839.4839.

“Music Around the World”
Ken-David Masur, Conductor
Wednesday, February 1, 2012 10:00 & 11:15 a.m. 
Performances will be in the Turrentine Room:

This program is specially designed for school- age children; all ages are welcome.
Come early as seating is limited.

Travel around the world with the San Diego Symphony, sampling some of music’s greatest composers. The journey will start in Europe; go across to Asia, then down to Africa and then South America. We’ll wind up right here at home in America! Learn how various cultures have influenced the symphonic music that we know and love.

Musical pieces to be performed are:
• Symphony 29, mvmt 1 by W. A. Mozart
• Dance of the Furies by Christoph Willibald Gluck
• “Sunset” by Victor Herbert
• Variations on a Theme, Op. 35a by Peter Tchaikovsky
Theme: Moderato
IV. Vivace
VI. Allegro con spirit
• St Paul’s Suite, Op. 29, no. 2 by Gustav Holst
II. Ostinato
IV. Finale (The Dargason)
• Rumanian Folk Dances by Bela Bartok

For more information phone the library at (760) 839-4837.

This program is made possible by generous support from the Friends of the Escondido Public Library.

• 2^nd Saturday Concert Series & Partnership w/Fanfaire Foundation 
• Book Club Discussions
• Website redesign
• eBooks and eAudio books
• New Book Alerts
• Duffy Hudson as Edgar Alan Poe Halloween event
• Culture Connection Programs: Art Lecture from San Diego Museum of Art-Dreams & Diversions Japanese Woodblock Prints, Robert Watson, WWII D-Day Veteran, J Stryker-Meyer, Author, Vietnam Veteran, Jerry Coleman, Sportscaster and Military Veteran.
• Hwy 395 Historical Presentation
• Literacy Learner Recognition at VALUES conference
• Literacy Learner Recognition Reception
• Scrabble-Thon - Literacy fundraiser
• Chess Club
• Early Literacy & Preschool Programs:  Rhymes & Reading, Bilingual Story Time, Music Tots
• Paws for Reading
• Summer & Fall Reading Programs for Kids & Teens
• Teen Review Crew
• Skyping w/Teen Author
• Book Time w/Ronald McDonald children's reading event
• Manga Drawing for Teens        

 Partnerships

• CalVets
• Hosted Escondido Chamber Education Committee “Multiple Choices for Lifelong Education Form & Expo."
• Job Fair w/Congressman Brian Bilbray and San Diego Workforce Partnership
• Project All Ready with North County Health Services

Grants

• LibraryYOU

None of this could have been achieved without our dedicated staff and the support of our volunteers, friends and partners.  Our supporters include:  the Friends of the Escondido Library;  Friends of Literacy Services; Pioneer Room Friends, Escondido Library Endowment Foundation, the Library Board of Trustees, CalVets, Workforce Partnership, and North County Health Services.

Courtly Noyse, a Renaissance music group, will celebrate the holidays at the Escondido Public Library’s 2nd Saturday Concerts. They will be playing in the Turrentine Room of the Escondido Public Library on Saturday December 10th, 2011 at 3:00 PM. They will be performing Renaissance music on a wide variety of ancient instruments such as the recorder, the viola da gamba, the mandolin, and the vielle to a name a few. Sometimes they will cast their instruments aside and perform in six-part vocal harmony. They combine their music with storytelling and jokes to make a delightful afternoon of amusement for their audience.

These concerts are free and open to the public, and generously sponsored by the Friends of the Escondido Public Library. The Escondido Public Library is located downtown at 239 S. Kalmia Street, Escondido, CA. For more information, please call (760) 839-4839.

Longtime sports announcer, Jerry Coleman, will be discussing his book, American Journey: My Life on the Field, in the Air, and on the Air at the Escondido Public Library Tuesday, December 6, 2011 at 6:00 p.m. in the library Turrentine Room. Coleman collaborated on his autobiography with longtime Village Voice writer Richard Goldstein.

"There are only two important things in life: the people who you love and who love you, and your country." These words have shaped every moment of Jerry Coleman's life. The result is a man who is beloved by his family, friends, former teammates, fellow veterans, and millions of baseball fans around the world.
 Born in San Jose, California, and raised in San Francisco, Gerald Francis “Jerry” Coleman endured a childhood marred by family turmoil and violence, but that environment failed to dampen an optimistic spirit that would later endear him to fans across the nation.

Traveling across the country to play for the legendary New York Yankees in the days of DiMaggio and Mantle, Coleman twice put a halt to his promising career and traveled across the globe to serve his country during World War II and the Korean War, the only Major League Baseball player to ever do so. Nicknamed "The Colonel", due to being promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel,  Coleman was also a Marine aviator who flew 120 combat missions, receiving numerous honors and medals including two Distinguished Flying Crosses. He has been honored in recent years, including being inducted into the USMC Sports Hall of Fame, for his call to duty.

After retiring as one of the most decorated players in team history, Coleman began his second career as a baseball broadcaster for CBS, the Yankees, and eventually the San Diego Padres, where he has become the voice of the team to an entire generation of fans.  In the fall of 2007 Jerry was inducted to the National Radio Hall of Fame as a Sports Broadcaster for his years as the voice of the San Diego Padres.  Coleman is famous for his pet phrases "Oh Doctor!", "You can hang a star on that baby!", "And the beat goes on", and "The natives are getting restless”.   
Even a detour to the dugout, where he managed the 1980 Padres to a losing record, did little to shake Coleman's love for the game, or the fans' love for him. In An American Journey, Coleman's own words paint a portrait of a man too humble to acknowledge a fact those around him have always accepted: Jerry Coleman is one of the most admirable and popular men in the history of baseball.

This event is free and open to the public. Signed books will be available for purchase.   For information, contact Escondido Public Library.

The Folk Collection is back after four years to kick off the start of the second season of 2nd Saturday Concerts at the Escondido Public Library. The Folk Collection will be playing in the Turrentine Room of the Escondido Public Library on Saturday November 12th, 2011 at 3:30 PM. They will be performing the classic folk tunes of the ‘60s in their unique style blend music and humor. Playing songs like “This Land is Your Land,” “Blowin’ in the Wind,” “Where Have all the Flowers Gone?,” and John Denver tunes, they have their  audience singing along and leaving their concerts with a smile. Join us for an afternoon of good music and good humor with the Folk Collection.
These concerts are free and open to the public, and generously sponsored by the Friends of the Escondido Public Library.  The Escondido Public Library is located downtown at 239 S. Kalmia Street.  For more information, please call (760) 839-4839

• Watch the Folk Collection's promotional video.

Escondido Public Library’s Holiday Food for Fines Program will begin on Monday, November 28th, and run through Saturday, December 31st. Patrons may clear up to $15.00 in fines from their records. Proceeds will benefit Interfaith Community Services in Escondido.  Interfaith distributes the food to needy families throughout the North County area.

Expensive items such as canned hams and powdered infant formula will count for up to $5.00 worth of fines per item.  Nonperishable items such as canned vegetables, tuna fish, and dried pasta will count for up to $1.00 worth of fines per item.

Non-nutritious items such as candy and chips; damaged cans/containers; and food which has passed its expiration date will not be accepted in lieu of fines.  Food may only be used to clear fines—not for lost or damaged books or for City Attorney Fees.

Many patrons bring in food just to help those in need and the Library is happy to accept any donations whether or not they are fine-related. For further information, contact Escondido Public Library at 760-839-4684