All pimped out and no books to shelve

The MTV show Pimp My Ride has become so popular that it has now infiltrated the library world. Another blogsite called Unshelved came up with a funny idea that has now become a phenomenon. This year, we decided to enter the "Pimp My Bookcart" contest with a pirate theme. Unfortunately, we did not win, but staff member Conrad Orozco did a fantastic job! Come into the library and check it out in the display case in the lobby. Let us know if you have any comments or ideas for next year's contest.

You can also check out the winners and all other entries including ours at: www.unshelved.com/PimpMyBookcart/2007/

Tutoring/Sevice Hours

Attention all elementary and high school students!

High school students will be offering tutoring services and reading to elementary students this Saturday.

If you are a high school student and are in need of service hours, then come on by and participate!

If you are an elementary school student and need tutoring or want a reading buddy, then come on by and participate!

Tutoring/reading will take place this Saturday, Nov. 10 from 10am-12pm and 1pm-3pm.

Call or email Lisa at the library for more info.

Happy American Indian Heritage Month and Thanksgiving!

In 1990, President George H.W. Bush proclaimed November to be "National American Indian Heritage Month." El Paso is fortunate to have a rich American Indian heritage. We hope that you will join us in celebrating our city's diverse culture with the following events:

Kachina dolls will be on display all month.

Saturday, Nov. 10 @ 1 pm
The Ysleta del Sur dancers will perform

Saturday, Nov. 17 @ 1 pm
A musical journey for the entire family with Nancy Green

...and the Dorris Van Doren Library would like to wish everyone a safe and happy Thanksgiving! We are grateful for your support and patronage!

The El Paso Public Libraries will have the following hours of operation in observance of Thanksgiving:

Wednesday, Nov. 21 9 am-5:30 pm
Thursday, Nov. 22 Closed
Friday, Nov. 23 Closed

Halloween Party!

On Saturday Oct. 27, we will be having a Halloween party at 1 pm!

• Wear your costumes to compete in a costume contest
• Enjoy a spooky cupcake walk
• Play a round of hot pumpkin
• Trick-or-treat throughout the library

All ages are welcome. Come join us for a fun and safe Halloween for the entire family!

LOL! Teen Read Week October 14-20

We’re joining thousands of other libraries, schools and bookstores across the country to encourage teens to read. This year’s theme is "LOL (laugh out loud) @ your library," and we’ve got a week’s worth of events planned to celebrate!

Read any good books lately or have a favorite? Write a short review about it and you could win a prize! Details and entry forms are at the Dorris Van Doren Library.

Events for teens, ages 13-19:

Tuesday, Oct. 16 @ 5 p.m.: Teen Hangout

Wednesday, Oct. 17 @ 5 p.m.: Movie: Blades of Glory

Thursday, Oct. 18 @ 4:30 p.m.: Duct Tape Crafts

Friday, Oct. 19 @ 4:30 p.m.: Pizza Party! Book Review Contest Winners will be announced!

Saturday, Oct. 20 @ 3 p.m.: Anime Club

Banned Books Week Sept. 29-Oct. 6

Banned Books Week is observed during the last week of September each year. This annual American Library Association event has reminded Americans not to take this precious democratic freedom for granted since 1982.

The ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) received a total of 546 challenges last year. A challenge is defined as a formal, written complaint, filed with a library or school, requesting that materials be removed because of content or appropriateness. Public libraries, schools and school libraries report the majority of challenges to OIF.

Here are some of the events that will take place during the week to celebrate our freedom to read:

Saturday, Sept. 29 @ 1 p.m.
Book Circle: Come discuss banned books or any of your current/favorite reads

Wednesday, Oct. 3 @ 5 p.m.
Movie: Beloved
This movie is based on the book that was challenged this year

Saturday, Oct. 6 @ 1 p.m.
Read Out!
Passages from several of this year's challenged books will be read

September

September is a very important month to us here at DVD, and we've planned some events to commemorate it.

National Library Card Sign-Up Month

If you don't have a library card yet, now's the perfect time to get one! You are never too young and never too old to get one. There's more than just books at the library. With a library card, you can checkout DVDs, videos, music CDs, audiobooks, graphic novels and manga, magazines, bestselling books, have access to electronic databases, and more! Also, effective Sept. 10, 2007, you will need a library card to use our computers. Our computers have free Internet access, Microsoft Applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.), and printing capabilities ($0.10 per copy). You will need a card because we will be acquiring a computer system that will assign computers.

Disaster Preparedness Month
A free public program offered by Texas Cooperative Extension on Sept. 14, 1-2 p.m.

Hispanic Heritage Month
Celebrate our rich Hispanic culture from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15!

We kick off the celebration by playing Loteria on Sept. 15 @ 2 p.m. Loteria is a Mexican version of bingo using images and words. Come have fun and learn a few Spanish words. All ages are welcome. 30 player limit. Horchata will be served.