New cherry blossom tree at Shoreline Library

Link to Shoreline Library: An Appreciation

MAD magazine editor speaks on censorship tonight (April 13th) at Shoreline Library

The Joy of Censorship

Presented by Joe Raiola
It only seems right that the library, with its mission to protect the tenets of intellectual freedom, should host this program. MAD magazine Senior Editor, Joe Raiola, takes an illuminating, satiric and at times disturbing look at America’s most hotly debated First Amendment issues. He also traces MAD’s colorful history from comic book to its emergence as a revolutionary satirical force.

The Joy Of Censorship revolves solely around core first amendment issues and the colorful history of MAD (which escaped extinction and avoided censors by transforming itself from a comic book to a magazine in 1955)

From Joe's website: The Joy Of Censorship includes a one-of-a-kind slide presentation spotlighting many of the MAD's most controversial, thought-provoking and outrageous covers and articles, followed with a lively Q+A and/or panel discussion.

When: Monday, April 13th, 7 pm

Where: Shoreline Library, 345 NE 175th –Shoreline, WA

Cost: Free

Link to Joe Raiola (illustration above from Joe's website)

Tax help at the Shoreline library

Tax time is coming! If you still haven't filed, and are feeling a little lost, you might want to take advantage of the free tax assistance at the Shoreline public library. It's available Wednesdays, through April 15th, from 4:30 pm to 8:30 pm, and Saturdays, through April 11th, from noon to 4:30 pm.

The assistance is provided by the American Association of Retired Persons, and is on a first-come, first-served basis. They ask that you bring your 2007 tax return with you, and will offer electronic filing.

The library is at 345 N.E. 175th Street; you can get more information about it on its website, here.

Photo by H. Michael Karshis under a Creative Commons attribution license.

Kite Making for Kids at Shoreline LIbrary, Thursday March 19

Free kite making for kids. Registration information below.

This information is from the Library's website:

Just in time for Spring, join us to make a beautiful kite! Everything kids need to build, decorate and fly their own kites will be provided. A kite display and brief discussion will be included. Program is for kids 8 and older (ages 6 and 7 with adult). Attendance is limited to 30 participants. Please register.

What: Kite making
When: March 19th, 2009, 4:30pm-5:30pm
Where: Shoreline Library (Large Meeting Room)

Registration Ends: 3/19/2009 at 3:00 PM

Contact: Shoreline Information Desk 206.362.7550
Presenter: School of the Wind
Link to webpage for registration

Link to Shoreline Library: An Appreciation

Link to Shoreline Library's website

photo by Ronnie44052 via Flickr

Dancing Pajamas(!) family concert at Shoreline Library on Tuesday, Feb. 17 2009

Beat the winter blues with a fun family concert by Northwest favorite Nancy Stewart. Children are invited to wear their pajamas and bring a favorite stuffed animal or blanket. Enjoy songs about animals and bedtime, with a sprinkling of lullabies. Event is sponsored by the Friends of the Shoreline Library.


What: Dancing Pajamas! concert

When: Tuesday, February 17, 2009 at 7:00 PM

Where: Shoreline Library

Who: Children & Families

Other: Space is limited; first come, first seated.

Link to Nancy Stewart

Link to Friends of Shoreline Library

Link to Shoreline Library Calendar of Events

Link to Shoreline Library at Twitter

Free tax help at Shoreline Library now through April 15th

Free tax return help is available at Shoreline Public Library now through April 15th.

Wednesdays from 4:30-8:30pm
Saturdays from Noon-4:30pm

Bring your 2007 tax return with you. Electronic filing will be available. Service is provided by the AARP (American Association of Retired Persons). First come, first served. Registration is not required. Just show up!

Link to Shoreline Public Library

Link to AARP

Link to IRS

Opera Preview at Shoreline Library, Thursday Jan 29

Bluebeard's Castle and Erwartung

The 20th Century has provided many challenging musical experiences including this double-bill, one-act masterpieces, containing some of the most dramatic operatic music written in the last 100 years.

Veteran opera lecturer, Norm Hollinghead will explain how both operas are troubled love stories—Bela Bartok’s Bluebeard's Castle and Arnold Schoenberg’s Erwartung. In recent years, it has become common to mount these two works together, creating an immensely powerful evening of theater.

(this info is from the King County Library System website)

Photos - Michael Cooper, Canadian Opera Company and Mutarzynski, National Opera House in Warsaw

Link to information at KCLS website

Link to Shoreline Library: An Appreciation

Juggletunes circus arts and music at Shoreline Library Sat. Jan 24

Linda Severt's Juggletunes is a fast-paced, uniquely original show featuring music, circus arts, puppetry, and physical comedy. Linda weaves tricks, music, and puppets into hilarious routines. (from the Juggletunes website)

What: Juggletunes
Where: Shoreline Library, 345 NE 175th, Shoreline, 98155
When: Saturday, January 24, 2009 at 11am
Who: All ages welcome!

Link to Juggletunes webpage

Link to Shoreline Library Calendar of Events

Friends of the Shoreline Library book sale this weekend

This weekend is the Friends of the Shoreline Library Book Sale at the Shoreline Library.

According to the Shoreline Library's website:

The Friends of the Shoreline Library is a non-profit group whose purpose is to support the Shoreline Library through volunteering, raising funds, and sponsoring programs and services. Since 1963 they have sponsored numerous children's and adult programs and purchased items for the library that haven't been covered by the budget. Membership dues and book sales support these activities.

This is a great opportunity to support the library while loading up on books, magazines, movies and music without having to spend a lot of money. There's a special sale on Sunday ($3 per bag) and a preview sale tonight from 5-7 for members of the Friends of the Shoreline Library. Not a member yet? No problem - they'll have membership forms available at the entrance.

Link to: Shoreline Library - an appreciation

Game On! Video games for teens Shoreline library: Sept 3rd @ 4pm

Darth Vader plays Guitar Hero?

For: Teens

What: Game On!

Where: Shoreline Library

When: Wed, Sept 3rd, 2008 at 4:00pm

They're turning the meeting room into a video game arcade with Wii, PS2 and Gamecube games including DDR, Guitar Hero, Cooking Mama and more.

Link to: Shoreline Library schedule of events

Dudley Manlove QuartetFree concert tonight in Richmond Beach

Dudley Manlove Quartet
(photo is from their MySpace page)

According to their website, the DMQ plays "Lounge music for the now generation." And on their MySpace page they list their influences as "Cocktails; drink tickets; girls jumping up and down to "Suspicious Minds"; Englebert Humperdinck; leisure suits; the comedic stylings of Shecky Greene; doubles; Tom Jones from the waist down; lobster tanks; and, of course, you."

And since the concert is free, how can you not be there?

When: Wednesday, August 27, 2008 @ 7:00pm
Where: Richmond Beach Community Park (at the RB Library)
More info: 206-417-4645

Link to: Dudley Manlove Quartet website

Link to: Dudley Manlove Quartet's MySpace page

Link to: Story about DMQ at The Enterprise newspaper

Free concert tonight at Richmond Beach library

Free concert tonight

The Delivery Boys - Acoustic Pop/Harmonies 

When: Wednesday, August 20th 2008, 7:00 pm

How much: Free

Where: Richmond Beach Community Park (near the library) 

Info from the Shoreline / LFP Arts Council webpage:

Please join us on Wednesday, August 20 for the Delivery Boys at Richmond Beach Community Park. Pop harmonies will serenade you as these gentlemen “deliver” the good. Bring your picnic and some friends and have a relaxing evening.

Richmond Beach Community Park is located at Richmond Beach Rd at 21st Ave. NW. in Shoreline. All concerts are free to the community. Information about these and other Arts Council events and programs is available by calling 206-417-4645. 

Bookgroups in Shoreline

Thanks to Sara for the following information:

Looking for a bookgroup in Shoreline? Here are a few -- if you know of others that are looking for new members, please post a comment.

The Shoreline Library Book Discussion Group meets for "lively discussions of both fiction and non-fiction titles. New members are always welcome!" It meets the second Monday of each month at 7 pm. September's book is "Angelica: a Novel" by Arthur Phillips.

Richmond Beach Library also has a bookgroup, which meets meets the first Monday of each month at 7 pm, and the second Thursday of each month at 2 pm. For September they're reading "Hearts of Horses" by Molly Gloss.

The Shoreline Unitarian Universalist Book Group is also always welcoming new members (no church affiliation necessary). We meet the third Tuesday of every month at 7:30 pm. September's title is "The World Without Us," by Alan Weisman; October's is "Miami and the Siege of Chicago," by Norman Mailer; and November's is "The Open Road: The Global Journey of the 14th Dalai Lama" by Pico Iyer. For more information e-mail Bob Beekman at RLBeekman@comcast.net.

Happy reading,
Sara

Stone Man Family at Richmond Beach Library

Stone Man Family by Barry Namm is a fountain sculpture made out of rocks and water.

It's right outside the Richmond Beach Public Library. Here's a short video of it.

And here's a photo of Barry Namm himself, posing with The Stone Family, apparently while it was being installed. I found this photo on his website.

Link to: Barry Namm's website

Link to: more info about the art at Richmond Beach Library

Shoreline Public Library - An appreciation

I've always been a big fan of my local public library. Usually, when I move to a new town it's one of the first things I make a point of locating. Since the summer of 2000, the Shoreline Public Library has been my local public library. And it is lovely.

Perhaps you're already a library lover like me. If so, right on! If not, there are some compelling reasons to get and use a library card.

As you may have heard over the past few years, the library is not just about books anymore. Oh no! While books are still the mainstay of the library, you can also borrow movies and music, magazines and newspapers. What with everything getting more and more expensive these days, the library might be a great option for helping save some cash. And our Shoreline Library has dozens of computers available for public use. The computers are chock full of useful software, including word processing, spreadsheet, database, Powerpoint, and of course, web browsing software with free internet access. And check this out - you can print up to 70 pages per week - for free! 70 pages, on a high quality laser printer. Sure, it only prints in black and white, but still. That's a lot of free ink and paper (cha-ching!). And if you bring your own laptop computer, the library offers free wifi to the internet. No coffee purchase required! :)

There she is!

Children's books to help teach your kids a foreign language!

Be careful. The children's section is full of little monsters! :)

You can't see it, but it's there: free wifi

Dozens of computers free to use

Why pay for magazines? Borrow them from the library!

Lots of movies to choose from

Any kind of music you like, they have it here for you to borrow

Books in many foreign languages

The library also offers all kinds of events, classes and programs for people of all ages, including Story Times for kids, help with taxes during tax season, computer classes, English language conversation skills, and more. They even offer video game get-togethers for teens!

Link to: Shoreline Public Library