Here Comes Santa!

It's beginning to feel like Christmas at the Dorris Van Doren Branch! We've been busily decorating the library in time for Santa's visit this Saturday, December 14 at 1 p.m. News Channel 4's meteorologist, Robert Bettes will be here reading stories as well. Don't forget your cameras! We've also been turning on the fireplace in the family room where it's been a cozy study haven for some.


Coming up in December, we're hosting a holiday movie festival. We'll be showing a holiday movie each day at 2 p.m. from December 23-27 (except for the 25th; we're closed Christmas Day). Then on December 28 at 3 p.m., we're showing our monthly matinee (hint: it's a very popular sequel that was released to DVD yesterday). Come visit or call us to find out the titles of the movies we'll be showing.

In case you can't attend our Santa visit, here's the list for other branches all over town:

Wednesday, December 11 @ 6 pm
Jose Cisneros Branch 1300 Hawkins
Santa Claus visits with City Representative Emma Acosta. Goodies will be provided.

Saturday, December 14 @ 11 am
Irving Schwartz Branch 1865 Dean Martin
Santa Claus Storytime. Bring your camera and take pictures with Santa.

Saturday, December 14 @ 1 pm
Dorris Van Doren Branch 551 E. Redd
Come see Santa at the library and get ready to take pictures. Enjoy a book giveaway, crafts and refreshments.

Saturday, December 14 @ 2 pm
Ysleta Branch 9321 Alameda
Santa Claus visits with City Representative Eddie Holguin.

Saturday, December 14 @ 3 pm
Memorial Park Branch 3200 Copper
Santa visits with City Representative Larry Romero. Refreshments, games and fun! Parents, bring your cameras.

Wednesday, December 18 @ 11 am

Armijo Branch 620 E. 7th Ave.

Santa storytime & visit.

Wednesday, December 18 @ 11 am

Main Library 501 N. Oregon
Santa visits with City Representative Cortney Niland.

Thursday, December 19 @ 5 pm

Judge Marquez Branch 610 N. Yarbrough
Santa visits with City Representative Lily Limon. Bring a camera and take a picture with Santa!

Thursday, December 19 @ 5:30 pm
Westside Branch 125 Belvidere 

Santa is visiting. Bring your wish list and your camera!

Saturday, December 21 @ 11 am

Esperanza Acosta Moreno Branch 12480 Pebble Hills Blvd.

Santa visits with City Representative Dr. Michael Noe. Listen to holiday stories.

Saturday, December 21 @ 2 pm
Main Library 501 N. Oregon St.

See Santa and their special Christmas party!

Saturday, December 21 @ 2 pm
Richard Burges 9600 Dyer
Santa Claus visits with City Representative Carl Robinson.
Bring your wish lists and cameras!

Beat the Thanksgiving Break Boredom

The Dorris Van Doren staff wishes you a safe and happy Thanksgiving! 

Downloadable magazine

Don't forget we'll be open from 9 am-5 pm today (November 27, 2013), closed Thursday and Friday, and open Saturday, 9 am-5 pm.

Sometimes having a lot of time off, along with tryptophan and carbs pumping through your veins can leave you a little bored. The public libraries may be closed Thursday and Friday, but we can still help you fight the boredom!





Make a New Tradition
All El Paso Public Libraries are now accepting poetry entries for our annual poetry contest. Entries are due January 31, 2014 (one entry per participant please). If you're in grades 1-12, you can enter! If not, then you can encourage the children and teens in your life to enter. You can make it an annual Thanksgiving tradition to read and write poetry during the break.

Collect Donations
We're hosting two different donation drives here at the Dorris Van Doren and you can help! The boxes are up front, near the circulation desk. One box belongs to the Girl Scouts, who are collecting gently-used winter clothing (any size) up until the end of next week. The other box belongs to the Ronald McDonald House, which will be collecting new, unwrapped toys up until December 16.  

Download Magazines

Dowloadable magazine

This is one of our favorite new services we offer. You get to download and keep new digital magazines for free! There are many popular titles to choose from and recent back issues are now available. Find some last minute Thanksgiving ideas with the Food Network Magazine and five other cooking magazines. Get crafty with Cloth Paper Scissors and two other craft magazines. Peruse the ESPN Magazine while watching the football games. For more information and instructions, read our previous post about Zinio.

Downloadable Music 

Download Books, Movies, & More
If you can't make it to the library in time to check out materials, visit our digital library, OverDrive. You can download books, audiobooks, music, and movies. It may seem like there aren't many movies to choose from, but there's actually a pretty good selection of indie, foreign, and documentary films. If you're feeling guilty about feasting, there are also yoga and workout videos!

It can be a little confusing at first to get started, but depending on what device you'll be using you'll need to download software and/or apps, have an Adobe ID or Amazon account, and have your library card and pin number handy. Visit the Help Center to get started

Request Materials and Make Lists
Keep track of materials you've checked out or want to check out by creating lists. You can print, email, and text the lists to yourself if you wish. Remember that creating lists does not mean you have requested items; you must click on "Place Hold" to be placed on a waiting list or request items be sent to your branch. To create lists or request materials, simply login to your account using your library card and pin number. Be sure to type in all letters and numbers without the spaces.  

Research
Why would you want to research during the break? We don't know, maybe you're getting a head start, have a last minute assignment due, or want some reliable medical information. We have access to subscription databases through TexShare that contain information and articles from books, magazines, and journals you can't access through Google or Bing. You can also study and take practice tests with Learning Express. All you need is your library card and a login and password (ask for it at the information desk).

Dowloadable movie

Dowloadable movie

Dowloadable movie

Dowloadable movie

Happy Holidays!

The Dorris Van Doren staff wishes you the happiest of holidays! Come take pictures with our decorations and don't forget to visit  the beautiful family room, which has a fireplace. 

This year has gone way too fast, but we are excited to start a new year with the many changes that have already been taking place within our library system. We recently upgraded our system and are still trying to adapt to all of the changes. We really appreciate how patient you have been with us as we learn and deal with the glitches. If you haven't already, check out our shiny new website and online catalog. Be sure to update your bookmarked links, as they have changed with the upgrade.

Santa visited our library this past week, but you can still catch him at other locations. He'll be at the Westside Branch on 125 Belvidere on Tuesday, December 18 at 5:30 pm. To see the complete list of locations that Santa will be at, visit this page.

All libraries, including this branch, will be taking a holiday break from our Ready to Read programs (storytimes) beginning December 17 and ending January 7. Storytimes will resume on Tuesday, January 8, 2013. The Teen Hangout program on Thursday, December 27 will also take a break due to our holiday hours.

Holiday Hours:
December 24-25: Closed
December 26-29: 9 am-5 pm
December 30-31: Closed
January 1: Closed
January 2-5: 9 am-5 pm

Our storytime break and holiday hours don't mean you have to stop bringing your children to the library! We posted Ruben Castaneda's holiday literacy tips last year, and we liked them so much, we're re-posting them here.

Literacy Tips for the Holidays:

• Set aside a special reading time.

• While cooking for the holidays, let your child read the recipe and measure the ingredients.

• Read a book while the food is baking.

• Let your child write the gift tags.

• Have your child read to others.

• Give books as gifts to the children in your life.

Our branch manager made this cute little book tree.