Here’s a promotional video about the program:

I heard Jamie Larue speak at an NSLS workshop a couple of months ago and he was great. One of the best speakers I’ve heard in terms of what he said and how he said it. I highly recommend subscribing to his blog.

When Nancy Pearl, the model for the coolest action figure on the planet, was the Executive Director for the Washington Center for the Book, she asked the question, “What if all Seattle read the same book?” Well, she made that thought come to life by creating the first-ever “One City One Book” program and soon after libraries all around the country began creating similar community-wide reading programs.

For the past 6+ months, I’ve been a part of a dedicated group of people (mostly Library staff) committed to bringing this “One City One Book” concept to Thousand Oaks. It’s easily the biggest project I’ve been involved with since I started here, and I have to say, it’s going to be an incredible program. The book that the committee chose for the inaugural Thousand Oaks Reads is Jonathan Safran Foer’s Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. If you haven’t read it yet, you really should pick it up.

In the Fall of this year, there will be several weeks when book discussions (at the Library, coffee shops, bookstores) and special events will take place all around the City. Jonathan Safran Foer is even visiting Thousand Oaks to talk about his book and his work. I’m really excited about this project because it really represents many of the positive things that libraries bring to their communities. It’s meant as a celebration of reading and literature…it’s meant to strengthen the community…and it’s meant to enrich people’s lives.

If you’re interested in learning more, check out the project’s website at thousandoaksreads.org. Working on the website has given me the chance to become more familiar with WordPress and learn a bit more about web design and CSS, so I’m very happy about that. It’s very much a work in progress, so if you have any suggestions on how to improve it, please let me know.

By the way, when I was in grad school at UM-SI, I heard Nancy Pearl give a lecture on campus and she was truly inspirational. Afterwards, I approached her to say hello and have my Nancy Pearl action figure autographed (yes, that makes me a certified librarian geek!). I told her that I planned on becoming a librarian and she asked me what type. I told her I was interested in public and academic libraries, and she encouraged me to become a public librarian. I believe her exact words were, “Public. Go with Public. We need more good people in public libraries.” I took her advice

I’m really excited about two of our upcoming events at the Library. On Wednesday night (March 28) at 6:30pm, we’re showing the award-winning documentary film, The Lost Boys of Sudan, directed by Megan Mylan and Jon Shenk. The film tells the story of two of the “lost boys,” focusing on their journey to and life in the U.S. Watching it a few months ago reminded me of just how fortunate I’ve been in my life up to this point. Things I often take for granted, like a roof over my head and the opportunity to get a college education, are simply things that these “lost boys” have had to struggle for their entire lives. Their stories, both collective and individual, are truly amazing.

The screening is actually a prelude to the main event, which is a visit to the Library by Valentino Achak Deng. Deng is a “lost boy” and is the subject of Dave Eggers’ (A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius) new bestselling book, What is the What. He’ll be at the Library on Thursday, April 5 from 7-9pm to talk about his experiences and life story. If you haven’t read this book yet, start now. Copies of the book will be on sale at both the film screening on Wednesday and the Deng visit. Of course, the Library also has multiple copies available to checkout.

For more information on both events, visit the Library’s website or go straight to the flyer for the two events.

Used Book Sale sign

Originally uploaded by tolrich7.

I stopped by the Friends’ used book sale this past Saturday morning. Arriving shortly before the doors opened, I was surprised to see just a small group waiting to get in. Later, I heard from a Friend that most of the serious book sellers and collectors showed up the night before, which makes sense. Apparently there were about 200 people Friday night and over 40% of the books on sale were sold. Still, I found a lot of interesting stuff on Saturday morning and came home with four nice books for the grand total of $5! By the time I left, around 10:40am, there were quite a few people there. The next time the Friends have a big book sale, I’ll definitely try to get there on the first day and take pictures of the madness