Marin County Free Library Blog

Frequently Asked Questions About the Library

2008-07-25T09:44:00.000-07:00

Do you have questions about library cards, renewals, branch locations, obituary requests, wireless access, or other library services? Find answers to these and other questions on our Frequently Asked Questions page.

Henna Party for Teens

2008-07-22T15:02:00.000-07:00

Come to the Corte Madera Library on Monday, July 28th, from 3:30-5 p.m. for a Henna Party! Learn about the art of henna and get a design just for you. Sign up by calling the Reference Desk at (415) 924-6444. Parental permission required.

All facilities are wheelchair accessible. To request sign interpretation or other accommodation, call 415/499-3220 (voice) or 711 (California Relay Service) three working days prior to the event.

Puppeteer Randel McGee at Marin City Library

2008-07-21T07:27:00.000-07:00

Join us at the Marin City Library on Thursday, July 24^th from 11-noon for a lively children's program by acclaimed puppeteer Randel McGee. Everyone is welcome to attend this fun and free event! For more information, contact the Marin City Library at 332-6157.

A Highly Recommended Place to Start!

2008-07-18T16:04:00.000-07:00

Check out our Recommended Web Resources, where you'll find a variety of informative and helpful websites that our reference staff recommend and use everyday. Topics include Arts & Entertainment, Consumer Information, Job Resources, Local History, Recreation, Senior Services, and more!

Fun for Teens

2008-07-15T13:57:00.000-07:00

Corte Madera Library is hosting a LAN party for teens on Thursday, July 17, from 5-7 pm. Play computer games like Rock Band, Dance Dance Revolution and Need for Speed! Free pizza and drinks will be provided. Registration is required. Please call the Corte Madera Library at (415) 924-6444 to reserve your spot.

Magic at the Bolinas Library

2008-07-14T07:25:00.000-07:00

Magician Timothy James will display his amazing skills in an exciting show at the Bolinas Library on Saturday, July 19 from 2:30 to 3:00 pm. Timothy's magical interaction with his audience combined with his wonderful humor and sleight of hand will entertain and enthrall you! This free program is suitable for children ages 3 and older. For additional information, contact the Bolinas Library at 868-1171

Civic Center Library Book Club - August Selection

2008-07-11T13:03:00.000-07:00

Join the Brown Bag Book Club on August 27, from 12-1, for a discussion of Alexander McCall Smith's Tears of the Giraffe, the second title of the popular series The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency.

The club meets monthly at the Civic Center Library and new members are always welcome!

For more information, call 499-6102.

Greek Shadow Puppet Theater

2008-07-07T07:14:00.000-07:00

Bring your friends and family to Point Reyes library on Tuesday, July 15th from 2-3pm or to the Stinson Beach Library on the same date from 7-8pm to see a spellbinding Greek shadow play by Leonidas Kassapides. Mr. Kassapides has performed shadow puppet theater in the U.S. and Europe since 1989 to wide acclaim. This special event is free. For more information, contact the Point Reyes Library at 663-8375 or the Stinson Beach Library at 868-0252.

Bay Area Friendly Gardening @ Civic Center Library

2008-07-02T15:11:00.001-07:00

Learn how to water your Bay Area garden from the Marin Master Gardeners. The Civic Center Library is hosting a program about Bay Area friendly gardening techniques. Learn about reducing water consumption, proper irrigation techniques, and low-water use plants.

FREE - Pre-registration is not required

When: July 16, 2008
Time: 12 Noon to 1pm
Where: Board of Supervisors Chambers,
Civic Center Building, Room 330

Questions? Please call the Civic Center Reference Desk at 415-499-6058

The Grasshopper and the Ant

2008-06-30T07:18:00.000-07:00

P&T Puppet Theatre will present the timeless tale of "The Grasshopper and the Ant" at Fairfax Library on Monday, July 7th from 7-7:30 pm. This fun play recounts Aesop's fable of a foolish grasshopper who plays his fiddle while his cousin Ant works hard to store food for the winter. P&T will also perform "The Tortoise and the Hare" and "Androcles and the Lion" during this free program for ages 3 and up. For more information, call the Fairfax Library at 457-5629.

Civic Center Library Book Club - July Selection

2008-06-27T13:38:00.000-07:00

Join the Brown Bag Book Club on July 23, from 12-1, for a discussion of White Teeth by Zadie Smith. The club meets monthly at the Civic Center Library and new members are always welcome! For more information, call 499-6102.

Salomy Jane: A Revival Screening of a Native Film, 1914

2008-06-27T13:23:00.000-07:00

The Anne T. Kent California Room and the Smith Rafael Film Center present a rare screening of the 1914 silent film, Salomy Jane, by the California Motion Pictures Corporation, whose studios were located in San Rafael. Based on a story by Bret Harte, Salomy Jane stars Beatriz Michelena in a western melodrama set in the era of the 1849 Gold Rush. Exteriors were filmed in Marin County as well as the Russian River area.

Preceding this historic screening will be an illustrated presentation by silent film historians David Kiehn (Niles Essany Silent Film Museum) and William Sagar (Fairfax Historical Society).

Piano accompaniment by Bruce Loeb.

When: Saturday, September 27, 2008
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Where: Smith Rafael Film Center, 1118 Fourth St., San Rafael
Cost: $15/$12. CKI Member; Tickets available at the Rafael Box Office

Proceeds to benefit the Anne T. Kent California Room

History of the Point Reyes Peninsula

2008-06-27T11:39:00.000-07:00

Talk & book-signing by Carola DeRooy and Dewey Livingston

Authors, Carola DeRooy and Dewey Livingston, give an illustrated talk on the history of the Point Reyes Peninsula to celebrate the publication of their new book, which forms part of Arcadia Publishing’s Images in America series.

When: Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Time: 12 – 1 p.m.
Where: Board of Supervisors Planning Chambers, Room 330, Civic Center Administration Building

Sponsored by the Anne T. Kent California Room, Marin County Free Library

Catch the Reading Bug This Summer!

2008-06-24T17:14:00.000-07:00

Help your kids Catch the Reading Bug at the Marin County Free Library this summer. Wonderful performers and great reading-incentive prizes are planned. All activities are free. Visit your local Marin County Free Library branch to pick up a flyer with exact dates and events for your branch. Make sure you have a library card, then fly on over after the last day of school, join the fun and be sure to read!

All children, including pre-readers, may read for prizes. Join the hive for a summer of wonderful performers and fun games. For a detailed list of programs, investigate the Events page and our ongoing storytimes. If that does not work, ask a librarian!

Teens are invited to the Metamorphosis Teen Summer Reading program at participating branches. Check out the Teen Web Page to catch the buzz.

This summer grab your library card and swarm over to the library!

Generously funded by the Marin County Friends of the Library.

Unicycles, Juggling and Extreme Origami

2008-06-23T07:14:00.000-07:00

Unicycles, juggling and extreme origami by Jeremy Shafer are just some of the fun you can expect to see on Saturday, June 28th at the Fairfax Library! Jeremy creates fun and laughter wherever he appears so don't miss this action packed program which begins at 11 am in the Fairfax Library meeting room. Children ages 3 and up are welcome to attend this free special event. For more information, contact the Fairfax Library at 457-5629.

How Are We Doing?

2008-06-20T11:30:00.001-07:00

The most important goal of the Marin County Free Library is satisfying our customers. If you are not satisfied with Library services, please let us know. We’d also like to hear about what we are doing well! Request a customer comment form next time you visit the Library, or submit your comments online.

Bay Area Friendly Gardening

2008-06-18T14:15:00.000-07:00

Learn how to garden and water in the Bay Area from the Marin Master Gardeners. The Civic Center Library will host a program about Bay Area friendly gardening techniques. Learn about reducing water consumption, proper irrigation techniques, and low-water use plants.

FREE - Pre-registration is not required

When: July 16, 2008
Time: 12 Noon to 1pm
Where: Board of Supervisors Chambers,
Civic Center Building, Room 330

Questions? Please call the Civic Center Reference Desk at 415-499-6058

Creepies, Crawlies, & Critters

2008-06-16T07:31:00.000-07:00

The East Bay Vivarium's traveling reptile show is crawling into several West Marin libraries this summer! Don't miss this exciting opportunity to see a variety of amazing lizards, snakes, and bugs. On Thursday, June 26^th, this free program will be at San Geronimo Library from noon-12:30pm and at Point Reyes Library from 2:30-3pm. On Friday, June 27^th, the traveling reptile show will be at Stinson Beach library from 2:30 to 3pm and Inverness Library from 4:30-5pm. Come and catch an up-close view of some fascinating creepies, crawlies and critters at one of these libraries this month!

Reading Suggestions in your InBox

2008-06-10T11:55:00.000-07:00

On average more than 170,000 books are published annually in the U.S. Makes the task of keeping up with new titles seem overwhelming, doesn't it?

But now there's an easy way to be sure you don't miss out on the types of books you'd really like to read. It's our free e-newsletter service, BookLetters. Just subscribe to as many e-newsletters as you'd like and you'll receive e-mail book lists with brief descriptions of each title as well as links to the library's catalog so you can easily reserve titles of interest.

Or, if you'd prefer not to get e-mail, you can always check out the lists on the library's website.

Choosing the Right Pet

2008-06-09T07:16:00.000-07:00

Thinking about adopting a pet? Whether you’re interested in a dog, cat, rabbit or something more exotic, it’s important to make sure your favorite animal fits your lifestyle. Darlene Blackman from the Marin Humane Society will discuss the needs of some of the most common pets and explain the Society’s adoption policy during a free program at the Novato Library on Tuesday, June 17th from 6-7 pm. For more information about this program, contact the Novato Library Reference Desk at 897-1142

Check out the new issue of e-Connect

2008-06-03T14:41:00.000-07:00

Stay connected to what's happening at the Marin County Free Library through e-Connect, our electronic newsletter.

The new issue includes items like a list of popular, newly released DVDs that have recently been added to our collection. Also featured is information about how to catch the reading bug with our Summer Reading Programs for kids and teens! The newslette r is available on our website, or you can subscribe and receive a copy each month via e-mail.

Ross, California: The People, The Places, The History

2008-06-02T12:34:00.000-07:00

To celebrate the centennial of the incorporation of the Town of Ross, the authors of the recently published: Ross, California: The People, The Places, the History, will present an illustrated talk on the process of writing their book and on the history of the town. Books will be available for purchase.

When: Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Time: 12-1 p.m.

Where: Board of Supervisors Planning Chambers, Room 330,

Civic Center Administration Building

Henna Workshop at the Novato Library

2008-06-02T07:33:00.000-07:00

Join artist Rachel-Anne Palacios at the Novato Library on Monday, June 16^th from 2-4 pm to learn about the art of henna adornment. Rachel-Anne will also show you how to create a temporary henna tattoo. Space is limited to 20 teens and parental permission is required. To reserve a space or for additional information about this free event, contact the Novato Reference Desk at 897-1142.

Civic Center Library Book Club - June Selection

2008-05-30T09:25:00.000-07:00

Join the Brown Bag Book Club on June 25, from 12-1, for a discussion of The Awakening by Kate Chopin. The club meets monthly at the Civic Center Library and new members are always welcome! For more information, call 499-6102.

Tell Us What You Want

2008-05-29T14:12:00.000-07:00

For the past three years the MARINet consortium of libraries has been offering access to online articles through Infotrac Magazines, a Gale|Cengage Learning product. We now also have on trial Masterfile Premier by EBSCO which we call EBSCO magazines and newspapers.

Both products include thousands of magazines, newspapers, and academic journals. Both products can offer a special search interface for children and students as well as selected subsets of articles aimed at business, legal, or health researchers. But, we can only afford to keep one. Please give them a try, then tell us what you think.

One will go away in the Fall and the other will stay.

This trial access will be available until June 11, 2008.

For either product if you are not searching while visiting a library, you will be asked to login using the same method you use for other library owned databases. For EBSCO, you will need your library card number. For Gale you will need your name, library card number and PIN.

Please take our short survey to tell us which one you would prefer. Thank you!