Santa Cruz Public Libraries

SCPL and the Conflict Resolution Center are teaming up to bring you Living Room Conversations (LRC), a film and discussion series fostering community connections, trust, and understanding among communities. The first session kicks off with the eye-opening documentary "Divided We Fall", followed by the sequel "Listening With Curiosity". Let's get cozy and dive into these thought-provoking films together!
https://loom.ly/wpWf5_w
https://loom.ly/PO4SqfM

Prize drawing!

Do you prefer to read stories that are plot driven, or character driven?

Answer this question in the comments below and get entered into a prize drawing for a mystery book bag! Did you miss the posts from the past 3 Saturdays? Go comment on those too for additional entries! One winner will be drawn next week.

Happy Friday! ✨

Join our casual social meetup for tech discussions, where everyone is invited to share about their tech challenges and new discoveries. Enjoy facilitated talks, share experiences, and connect over coffee/tea and pastries.
https://loom.ly/2OA8wnM

Bodhi, one of our Summer Reading Prize winners, dropped off this lovely letter at his local library!

Join this weekly meditation space and learn more about this practice at our Downtown Branch, every Thursday in September, starting September 5th! No meditation experience is required. Visit link to register. https://loom.ly/S3xXtqY

PRESS RELEASE – Students returning to California public schools – and every Californian with a library card – now have free access from their phones or their laptops to a large collection of performing arts videos, Ken Burns’ documentaries, world music and 11,000 plays.

Read the full press release here:https://www.library.ca.gov/uploads/2024/08/PressRelease-2024-08-19-COMPASS-extended-Alexander-Street-release.pdf

Prize drawing!

Do you prefer to read stories told in first person, or third person?

Answer this question in the comments below and get entered into a prize drawing for a mystery book bag! Then come back next Saturday for a chance at another entry. Did you miss last Saturday's? Go comment on that one too! One winner will be drawn at the end of the month.

Join us in this commemoration of loss and celebration of community and resilience. Come to our Felton Branch for an opportunity for healing and dreaming through dialogue. The Heavy Lifting project opens with a display of the Felicia Rice's artists' book and the experimental film, On Heavy Lifting, followed by a conversation between poet Theresa Whitehill and the audience, in which she alternates reading her poems with an invitation for audience members to share their own work or stories in response. https://loom.ly/WUHCO6A

To honor and recognize local talent - The Friends of the Aptos Library are hosting a reception event in the Betty Leonard Community Room. Food and drink, stories, and an opportunity to question the artist on their methods and inspirations. https://loom.ly/FV1bxng

Join this group of writers working together to improve their writing and find ways to get published. The group meets every 4th Saturday of the month in the Barbara Gorson Multipurpose Room. Begins on Saturday, August 24th. https://loom.ly/qoqeEPU

Congrats to Elias, our first teen Summer Reading Program grand prize winner!
Elias is a Sophomore at Aptos High. He uses the Capitola Branch, and he enjoyed reading The Road, by Cormac McCarthy this summer.
Swipe to see the lovely note he left for his library 💜

Two truths and a lie... Back to school edition!
SCPL has many free education help resources (you just need a library card!), but which of these is not one of them?
a. College application help
b. Live online tutors
c. Learn to write cursive

Let us know in the comments!

There is no place like your local library! ✨Come see this amazing Children's display at our Live Oak Branch celebrating the 85th anniversary of the release of The Wizard of Oz movie. Share in the comments who your favorite Wizard of Oz character is.

Prize drawing!

Do you prefer to read stories that are fast paced, or leisurely paced?

Answer this question in the comments below and get entered into a prize drawing for a mystery book bag! Then come back every Saturday this month for a chance at another entry. Did you miss last Saturday's? Go comment on that one too! One winner will be drawn at the end of the month.

Explore the fascination of bees while celebrating the 30 year anniversary of The Beekeeper's Apprentice, by Laurie R. King! Apiarist Emily Bondor, a full-time beekeeper and educator, will share her knowledge of bees while Laurie shares how they continue to inspire. There will be a honey tasting! 🐝Registration recommended. https://loom.ly/tLMPrQg 😍

Celebrate National Honey Bee Day with us at La Selva Beach Branch Library! 🐝💓 See bees like you’ve never seen them before in the PBS Nature documentary, My Garden of a Thousand Bees by filmmaker Martin Dohrn. After the film, there will be time for discussion with local beekeeper Richard Smith. https://loom.ly/6coWQcY

Two truths and a lie! Comment below- which isn't true?

a. You can check out a guitar from the library.
b. You can check out an induction cooktop from the library.
c. You can check out a microscope kit from the library.

During August, our Youth Librarians take a break from programming to recharge, and to prepare for the new school year and next year of programs. All Storytimes, Make and Explore, Tales to Tails and R.E.A.D. programs will be on pause. The Volunteer-led Chess Clubs and ACT Groups in APT and FEL will continue to meet.Regular Youth programming will resume on Tuesday, September 3rd.

Durante el mes de agosto, nuestros bibliotecarios juveniles se toman una pausa para recargar energías en preparación para el año escolar y nuevos programas. Todos los programas de las horas de cuento, Make and Explore, Tales to Tails y R.E.A.D estarán en pausa. Los programas guiados por voluntarios como el club de ajedrez y los grupos ACT en Aptos y Felton seguirán en curso. La programación juvenil comenzará de nuevo el martes 3 de septiembre.

Prize drawing! Summer Reading may be over, but there's another chance to win a library prize!

Do you prefer to read standalone stories, or a series?

Answer this question in the comments below and get entered into a prize drawing for a mystery book bag! Then come back every Saturday this month for a chance at another entry. One winner will be drawn at the end of the month.

It looks like pirates remain at our Boulder Creek Branch after Pirate Jack Spareribs visited this week. Come by to check out this amazing display made by our staff. Check out a book from the loot for the weekend while you are there! 🦜🏴‍☠️

In these stressful times, we hope that Group Meditation will promote harmony and self-care in the open and peaceful setting of your local library. Come join members of your community in taking a breath!

The first group meeting will take place Saturday, August 10th from 3:00-5:00pm in the Aptos Library. We will meet in the Dorosin Memorial Conference Room. https://loom.ly/9CslDjE

Award-winning author, Clifford Mae Henderson, is delighted to appear at her neighborhood library, Garfield Park. "We are so lucky to have this little gem on the Westside,” she says. Author of six novels, several of which feature Santa Cruz, she considers libraries to be sacred ground. She has been a proud Santa Cruz resident of Santa Cruz since 1979. When not hammering away at a novel, she, along with her wife, runs the Fun Institute, an improv school for grownups, because grownups need to play too.

She will read from her latest novel, Bait and Witch, a mystery, and chat with participants about fiction: writing it and reading it. “Just because it’s fiction, doesn't mean there aren’t deep truths in it,” she says. Previous novels have won a ForeWord Book of the Year Award, an Independent Publisher Book Award, and two Golden Crown Literary Awards.

A lot of our kids programs are taking a break this month so that our librarians can prep for back-to-school, but we still have lots going on!
🌸 Download the August events calendar: https://loom.ly/_rysr5E