#CupertinoCA - #KnitAlongs at #CupertinoLibrary

Friday, December 12, 2025
Friday, December 19, 2025
2:30PM – 4:00PM
Cupertino Library
10800 Torre Avenue
Cupertino CA 95014

Community Room 201A

Description

"Cupertino Library Knit Alongs continue in 2025!. All adult knitters and crocheters are welcome. No registration or sign up required. We're always happy to meet someone new, so please feel free to join us. Meet new friends, start a new project, or finish an old one.

*Please note, This is mostly a social group for knitters and crocheters aged 18 and older. It is not intended to be a class for regular knitting and crochet instruction.

*We can supply some knitting and crochet supplies, but everyone is encouraged to bring their own knitting needles, crochet hooks and yarn.

For accessibility accommodations (ex. ASL), please fill out the online form at sccld.org/accessibility 7+days prior to the event. If you need assistance with the form, speak with a staff member at your local library, call (408) 540-3945, or email us at ask@sccl.org."

Source:
https://sccl.bibliocommons.com/events/6726c1203d18bc3d00ad9be0

#FiberArts #LibrariesRule #KnittingGroups #DIY #SolarPunkSunday

#GilroyCA - #WatercolorWorkshop for adults & teens: #WinterWonderland Animals / Taller de acuarela

Sunday, December 07, 2:00pm–3:30pm
Gilroy Library
350 W. Sixth Street
Gilroy CA 95020

"Celebrate the season with a cozy watercolor session featuring charming winter animals in snowy landscapes. Whether you're painting a fox nestled in frosty woods or a deer beneath twinkling stars, this guided workshop invites you to relax, create, and enjoy the magic of winter through art.

All necessary supplies will be furnished. Registration is not required. Seating is limited to the first 30 attendees and is available on a first-come, first-served basis. We kindly request that attendees refrain from saving seats.

For Teen and Adults, Ages 13+

For accessibility accommodations (ex. ASL), please fill out the online form at sccld.org/accessibility 7+days prior to the event. If you need assistance with the form, speak with a staff member at your local library, call (408) 540-3945, or email us at ask@lib.sccgov.org."

Source:
https://sccl.bibliocommons.com/events/68f293dddff9d93e00cb9073

#SolarPunkSunday #MakeArt! #GilroyLibrary #LibrariesRule

#BangorPublicLibrary in #BangorME has a very cool #LibraryOfThings which includes nature kits, telescopes, microscopes and an oscilloscope! They also have electronics and maker's kits!

https://bangorpubliclibrary.org/services/library-of-things/

https://bangorpubliclibrary.org/services/electronics-maker-kits/

#SolarPunkSunday #MaineLibraries #RepairKits #NatureKits #SpendTimeInNature #LibrariesOfThings #LoT #LibraryOfThingsMaine #Science #LibrariesRule!

LIBRARY OF THINGS – Borrowing Beyond Books

"Obtain a Curtis Memorial Library card to borrow from our Library of Things. This collection can be browsed by category below or seen throughout our Nonfiction shelves. Oversize items can be fetched by staff and you may reserve Things for checkout just as you do a book. A listing of all kits is available in Minerva. By checking out a Thing you agree to the Borrowing and Use Guidelines.

Some items in our Library of Things are referred to as “Specialty Items”. Specialty items can only be checked out by our 18+ patrons due to legal and/or safety concerns. For a listing of these Specialty Items, see link below.

Let us know what else we should lend, share how you want to use an item, learn how to share your consumables and repair your items, find out where you can acquire items we don’t lend, or browse more of our community’s ideas at our registry. If an item does not circulate in a year, we give it to another library. Learn where else you can borrow items, why we have a Library of Things, how we support the UN Sustainable Development Goals and how you can do so too, by exploring our videos at the bottom of the page. We want to help. Get in touch!"

https://curtislibrary.com/library-of-things/

#SolarPunkSunday #BorrowDontBuy #LibraryOfThingsMaine #LibrariesOfThings #MaineLibraries #BrunwickME #HolidayCooking #HomeRepairs #Crafting #LoT #LibraryOfThings #LibrariesRule!

The winged statue on the top of Govanhill and Crosshill Public Library in Glasgow. It was created by William Kellock Brown in the early 1900s.

#glasgow #statues #govanhill #architecture #glasgowarchitecture #glasgowbuildings #architecturephotography #glasgowlibraries #librariesrule

Excellent resource! @MaQuest @OccuWorld

#SolarPunkSunday #SeedSaving #SeedSharing #LibrariesRule!

The Crack Squad of #Librarians Who Track Down Half-Forgotten Books

Reuniting stumped readers with the books from the edges of their memories.

by Jessica Leigh Hester, published August 2018

Excerpt: "A few years ago, staffers in the New York #PublicLibrary’s reader services division drafted a blog post about how to track down a book when its title eludes you. This post spurred a follow-up, in which reader services librarian Gwen Glazer recommended library resources and a number of other strategies (among them are Goodreads groups, a sprawling Reddit thread called whatsthatbook, an indie bookseller in Ohio who is happy to poke around for a $4 fee). Thanks to Google—“how to find a book”—many stumped people seem to land on that post, and they have often written about their enduring puzzles in the comments section. The messages now number in the thousands. Glazer says she often arrives at work to see another 10 title requests.

"To solve these little mysteries, Glazer assembled a team of sleuths from across the branches: Chatham Square, in Chinatown; the Jefferson Market, in Greenwich Village; the Andrew Heiskell Braille and Talking Book Library, near the Flatiron Building; and the Mulberry Street branch, in Nolita. At lunchtime on a Wednesday in 2018, they were gathered in that computer lab in the library’s offices—across the street from the soaring, spectacular Stephen A. Schwarzman Building (the Main Branch)—to nibble on homemade lemon rosemary cookies and apple, carrot, zucchini bread while they clattered away on their keyboards. Other members of the team participated remotely. The '#TitleQuest' #hackathon was underway."

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/the-crack-squad-of-librarians-who-track-down-half-forgotten-books?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us

#LibrariesRule! #ReadABook #Bookstodon #Books #Libraries

Cancel your subscriptions and sign up for a library card. It's free.

#Library #LibrariesRule #Libraries #Free

https://youtube.com/shorts/aVtsM1sDQ-M?si=Q6XyNN8CFHOFDTCD

Tagging for #SolarPunkSunday, @RepairCafeFFX ! #RepairCafes #LibrariesRule!

Tagging for #SolarPunkSunday! That is so cool, @rachel_thern !

#Library #Libraries #LibraryOfThings #LibrariesRule #CircularEconomy #BorrowDontBuy

It's been a week...! Can we start #SolarPunkSunday on Saturday? Anyhow, I do have some cool articles I'm planning to share, and I'm looking forward to seeing everyone else's posts!

#DeGrowth #RightToRepair #LibraryOfThings #BuildingCommunity #Resiliency #RepairReuse #RepairCafes #VisibleMending #LibrariesRule #SpendTimeInNature #Rewilding #GrowYourOwn #PreserveTheHarvest #GardeningForPollinators

Oooooh... If you can't make the #MikmaqStoryteller #JenniferPictou event this Saturday, there's this one in October!

#Wabanaki #GhostStories with Jennifer Rae Pictou

October 14, 2025

Cape Elizabeth Historical Preservation Society

Price: Free
Time: 6:30 PM

"Get in the Halloween spirit with authentic Wabanaki Ghost Stories told by Mi'kmaq citizen and storyteller, Jennifer Pictou. Come and listen to indigenous stories from the deep woods and waters of Maine and find out why you never, ever want to sleep with your windows uncovered. These indigenous stories have been passed down from generation to generation and are still part of vibrant Wabanaki cultures today. Jennifer advises, 'Bring a friend... you won't want to be alone in the dark after.'

"Pictou has been telling ghost stories for 11 years on Mount Desert Island. She was bitten by the storytelling bug when she was 8 years old at summer camp where she listened to traditional Mi'kmaq stories for the first time and hasn't looked back since.

"Jennifer tells traditional Mi'kmaq stories in the oral tradition. Currently she is also part of a Wabanaki artist group leading the 4-year run of on-stage performances called Wabanaki Stories, through Portland Ovations.

"Pictou, is a traditional storyteller and artist with a diverse background as a museum director, tribal historic preservation officer, and historian. Her true passion lies in sharing stories that connect people to Maine's landscape and Wabanaki cultures. She is the founder of Bar Harbor Ghost Tours, which has been recognized by USA Today as one of the top ten ghost tours in the country for seven years. Most recently, she co-authored the book Haunted Bar Harbor, published in May 2025.

"This special program is free to all, and light refreshments will be served. This event is appropriate for all ages."

More about #WabanakiSpiritTales...

https://www.mdislander.com/news/wabanaki-spirit-tales-with-jennifer-pictou-the-little-people/article_6e8ab950-8275-11ef-b997-bbad0da48c15.html

Event page:
https://www.mainetourism.com/event/wabanaki-ghost-stories-with-jennifer-rae-pictou/10464/

#WabanakiStorytelling #SpookyStories #CulturalPreservation #Wabanaki #IndigenousStorytellers #MaineLibraries #LibrariesRule

If you're in #Maine, SAVE THE DATE!

Free Day at #MaineStateParks (Note, not all parks - see * below) for #LibraryCard Holders on September 20

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 4, 2025

Augusta, Maine – "September is #NationalLibraryCardSignUpMonth, and thanks to a proclamation by Governor #JanetMills, it is also officially #MaineLibraryCardSignUpMonth. To mark the occasion, the #MaineStateLibrary and Maine State Parks are partnering to offer a special day of free admission to participating state parks.

"On Saturday, September 20, simply show your Maine library card at the entrance of any participating Maine state park and enjoy a day outdoors at no cost.

" 'This collaboration is a perfect way to highlight the value of libraries and the exceptional outdoor values of Maine’s State Parks,' said Andy Cutko, #DACF Bureau of Parks and Lands Director. 'Libraries open your mind to the world of literature, and on September 20, your library card is also a ticket to the outdoors.'

" 'Maine State Library is delighted to partner with Maine State Parks for Library Card Sign-Up Month,' said #LoriFisher, Maine State Librarian. 'With the fall season upon us, providing free admission to many Maine State Parks on September 20th is a natural extension of the types of services and resources that our public libraries provide regularly to their communities.'

"Visitors are encouraged to bring a favorite #book, find a shady spot, and enjoy some quiet #ReadingTime surrounded by Maine’s natural beauty. Whether it’s a novel at #CrescentBeachStatePark [my favorite beach], #poetry under a pine at #LamoineStatePark, or a field guide on a trail atop #BradburyMountainStatePark [another favorite], the day is a celebration of learning, relaxation, and connection.

"Don’t have a library card yet? Stop by your local library to sign up — it’s free, and it opens the door to countless opportunities, from books and digital resources to programs and events.

"To find your nearest library, go to www.maine.gov/msl/libs/directories/public.shtml.

"To explore Maine State Parks, including maps and locations, visit http://www.parksandlands.com.

"Free admission applies to day-use at Maine’s Maine State Parks and #HistoricSites on Saturday, September 20, from 9:00 a.m. until closing."

* The free admission does not apply to:

Acadia National Park
Allagash Wilderness Waterway
Baxter State Park
Maine Wildlife Park
Peacock Beach
Scarborough Beach
Swan Island
Penobscot River Corridor
Penobscot Narrows Observatory in Prospect

Image: Crescent Beach State Park in #CapeElizabethME

#MaineEvents #SolarPunkSunday #FreeParksDay #LibrariesRule #Maine #SpendTimeInNature #ReadABook

Tagging for #SolarPunkSunday, @houstonpublicmedia ! We love #LibraryOfThings!!!

#LibrariesRule !

Good to know, @mutualmorris ! Tagging for an early #SolarPunkSunday!

#SolidarityMarket #DoverNJ #SharingEconomy #FreeStuff #LibrariesRule!

Why the Brain Prefers to Read on Paper

by Kris deDecker, October 25, 2013

" 'Beyond treating individual letters as physical objects, the human brain may also perceive a text in its entirety as a kind of physical landscape. When we read, we construct a #MentalRepresentation of the text in which meaning is anchored to structure.

"The exact nature of such representations remains unclear, but they are likely similar to the mental maps we create of terrain—such as mountains and trails—and of man-made physical spaces, such as apartments and offices.

"Both anecdotally and in published studies, people report that when trying to locate a particular piece of written information they often remember where in the text it appeared. We might recall that we passed the red farmhouse near the start of the trail before we started climbing uphill through the forest; in a similar way, we remember that we read about Mr. Darcy rebuffing Elizabeth Bennett on the bottom of the left-hand page in one of the earlier chapters.

"In most cases, paper books have more obvious topography than onscreen text. An open paperback presents a reader with two clearly defined domains—the left and right pages—and a total of eight corners with which to orient oneself. A reader can focus on a single page of a paper book without losing sight of the whole text: one can see where the book begins and ends and where one page is in relation to those borders. One can even feel the thickness of the pages read in one hand and pages to be read in the other.

"Turning the pages of a paper book is like leaving one footprint after another on the trail—there’s a rhythm to it and a visible record of how far one has traveled. All these features not only make text in a paper book easily navigable, they also make it easier to form a coherent mental map of the text.' "

https://www.notechmagazine.com/2013/10/why-the-brain-prefers-to-read-on-paper.html

#SolarPunkSunday #TechAddiction #Books #PhysicalBooks #ASMR #FullyEngaged #NeoLuddites #LessScreenTime #LibrariesRule #ReadABook #PaperMaps #PhysicalLandscape #Handwriting

Tagging for #SolarPunkSunday, @whykay !

@DublinMaker @micktwomey

#Ireland #Workshops #ZineWorkshop #LibrariesRule #Dublin

Federal funding cuts could impact South #Mississippi #library services

Aug. 7, 2025

GULFPORT, Miss. (WLOX) - "The Harrison County Library System is asking for support to prevent further federal budget cuts.

"If a new round of federal funding cuts is approved, it would impact the Institute of Museum and Library Services, which is a federal agency and a major source of funding for local libraries.

"South Mississippi library officials said that cuts at the federal level could result in a loss of various services.

" 'We don’t want this to happen,' said Sarah Crisler-Ruskey, Director of the Harrison County Library System. “This will impact our ability to serve our patrons.'

"The federal funding helps provide #DigitalMaterials, #InterLibraryLoans to share books from other Mississippi #libraries, and grants for technology and programs.

" 'Libraries also help patrons access the #TalkingBook service. So if they are visually impaired or have a physical reason they can not hold a book, this is a free service that is funded by the same money,' said Crisler-Ruskey.

"The Harrison County Library System is asking people to contact their Mississippi congressmen and senators and let them know that the library is important to them."

https://www.wlox.com/2025/08/07/federal-funding-cuts-could-impact-south-mississippi-library-services/

#LibrariesRule #USPol #FundingCuts #LibrariesAreEssential #LibraryCuts
#LibraryServices #LoveOfReading
#BuildingCommunity #Literacy #SupportingResearch
#CriticalThinkingSkills

Shhhhh... 🤫 #UK - #Librarians told not to express views on cuts

by John Wimperis, 8/8/2025

"Librarians have been asked not to express their views on cuts to the service while at work or within a #library.

"All libraries run by #NorthSomerset Council are under threat of reduced hours and three have been earmarked for closure.

"The move comes after the council announced it was axing its annual spending on libraries by £433k.

"When asked why librarians were being told not to talk to journalists about the cuts, North Somerset Council said librarians were just following the standard practice."

Read more:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cev200y3j3zo

#LibrariesRule #LibrariesAreEssential #LibraryCuts #LibraryServices #UKPol #ScotlandPol #LoveOfReading #BuildingCommunity #Literacy #SupportingResearch #CriticalThinkingSkills

#Scotland - #Librarian cuts at #Glasgow schools will 'rob kids of opportunities' as #SNP Government urged to intervene

EXCLUSIVE: #Labour warned library cuts on Scotland's largest local authority risked worsening the country's 'shameful attainment gap'.

Chris McCall Deputy Political Editor, 02 Aug 2025

Excerpt: "Glasgow Life, which manages the library service for the council, is proposing to take 16 librarians out of the city's education system. The plans would see the school service headed up by a principal librarian along with three area-based librarians, while an 'assistant' would be placed in high schools.

"An online petition against the cuts and shared among parents has since been signed more than 1,300 times.

"Joy McLean said she was concerned about how a decline in #LibraryServices would impact her daughter and other pupils. '#Librarians are essential #educators who foster a love of #reading, support research and #DigitalLiteracy, and help students thrive #academically and personally,' she added."

Read more:
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/librarian-cuts-glasgow-schools-rob-35659625

#LibrariesRule! #EducationCuts #ScotlandPol #LoveOfReading #BuildingCommunity #Literacy #SupportingResearch #CriticalThinkingSkills