Food for Fines

Each year, on the third Monday of January, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is observed in America. Congress designated it as a federal holiday and national day of service – a "day on, not a day off." Also known as MLK Day of Service, this holiday's purpose is to empower individuals, strengthen communities, bridge barriers, create solutions to social problems, and move us closer to Dr. King's vision of a "Beloved Community."

Public libraries embody this dream every day as a place that equalizes and empowers everyone. In celebration of MLK Day of Service, we are hosting our annual canned food drive. You'll be able to drop off non-perishable food items at any of our locations from January 4-21, but you might want to wait until January 12.

"When you are growing up, there are two institutional places that affect you most powerfully-the church, which belongs to God, and the public library, which belongs to you. The public library is a great equalizer." Musician Keith Richards

From January 12-19, you'll be able to pay down your library fines. One canned or non-perishable food donation will equal $1 worth of fines. Please remember that you are donating food to other people. Don't donate something that's expired or that you wouldn't eat. The food donated will be sorted and distributed to local shelters.

Food for Fines overview:

• Effective January 12-19, 2013
• 1 canned or non-perishable food item = $1 worth of fines
• $5 limit per account
• All public library locations are participating

Here are the top food items requested by the West Texas Food Bank:

• Canned Meat (ham, tuna, meat spread)
• Peanut Butter
• Chunky Soups & Beef Stew
• Macaroni & Cheese
• Pastas
• Spaghetti Sauce
• Dry Cereal & Oatmeal
• Rice, and Dry & Canned Beans
• Canned Vegetables & Fruits
• 100% Fruit Juice (Cans or plastic bottles)
• “Sugar Free,” “Low Sodium,” & “No Salt” Items

Check out some books about Martin Luther King, Jr.

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.

Food Day @ Your Library

Food Day is a nationwide celebration and a movement for healthy, affordable, and sustainable food. This annual celebration is in its second year, and the Dorris Van Doren Library is excited to participate this year! Food Day is officially on Wednesday, October 24, but that happens to be the day of our annual Halloween party for children. The Halloween party will be at 4:30 pm and feature a "spook alley," crafts, and fun!

Our Food Day festivities kickoff this Saturday, October 20 at 2 pm at our monthly Cook the Book Club. We've selected Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything: The Basics. It's one of the cookbooks on the Food Day suggested reading list. If you haven't signed up for the Cook the Book potluck, there's still time if you sign up by Friday! If you're curious about the club, stop in on Saturday to see what it's all about.

On Thursday, October 25, the Vegetarian Society of El Paso is sponsoring a special event during our usual Teen Hangout time, but all ages are welcome to attend. At 4:30 pm we will have a sampling of quick, easy, and healthy snack ideas. At 5:30 pm we will screen the documentary Vegucated. Vegucated is part sociological experiment and part adventure comedy that follows 3 meat- and cheese-loving New Yorkers who agree to adopt a vegan diet for 6 weeks. The movie is 1 hour and 17 minutes.

If you can't make it to either event, stop in the library during the week to view our Food Day display, which will consist of books from the reading list that will be available for check out. Information from various local organizations such as the El Paso Master Gardeners, Mountain View Market, the Vegetarian Society, and more will also be available to take home.

Art @ Your Library: Lizzie Ochoa

This past spring, our library was fortunate to receive Lizzie Ochoa as an intern through the GOAL (Grow Your Own Librarians) program. She has been a major help during our busiest times and when we are short-staffed. We didn't realize that we would also get a very talented professional artist and teacher. Lizzie has recently taught youth art programs at our library, and now we are very excited to be exhibiting her artwork and Dia de los Muertos/Day of the Dead Collection in our lobby.

Source: El Paso Times
Here's a pic of Lizzie when she was featured in the newspaper last year. Read the full article here.

Stop in during our hours of operation throughout October to view her artwork and personal collection. You'll get to read her complete bio, as well as the inspiration behind each art piece.

Here's a peek at what you'll find:

Lizzie's Day of the Dead/Dia de los Muertos collection.

Some of Lizzie's art on display in the lobby.

Instagram photo courtesy of Lisa Martinez

Celebrate "Bless Me, Ultima" as a Community

Rudolfo Anaya's novel Bless Me, Ultima has recently been adapted into a film. The Plaza Theater will host the movie's worldwide premiere on September 17, and it will then be released in area theaters on September 21. In anticipation of the movie, the El Paso Public Library has partnered with CommUNITY en ACCION to create a community-wide reading event to promote literacy and celebrate this classic novel.

Read the Book
Extra copies of the novel have been purchased for the library system and Sun Metro. A limited number will be available on various bus routes (read the press release here). Bless Me, Ultima will be available in English and Spanish at all library locations, but if they are all checked out, you can request a copy here.

Attend a Program
The Dorris Van Doren Library will have a special presentation entitled The Medicinal Herbs of Bless Me, Ultima this Saturday, September 15 at 2 pm.  Jose O. Rivera, Pharm.D. and Armando Enrique Gonzalez-Stuart, Ph.D (Alt. Med.) will discuss the healing properties of local plants and herbs.

eReader Raffle!
Win a free eReader by entering our essay raffle each week! We have already had 3 winners, but there are still 3 more chances to win. Just read the book, answer a short essay question, and you'll be entered into the raffle. Enter online by clicking the links below or pick up and submit your entry at any library location. Entries are due on Saturdays and winners are drawn on Wednesdays.

Question 4 deadline is September 15, 2012:
English
Espanol
Question 5 deadline is September 22, 2012:
English
Espanol
Question 6 deadline is September 29, 2012:
English
Espanol

Read Essays by Local Authors
The El Paso Times is also participating by running guest essays in the Sunday issue:

• Ultima the Healer by Denise Chavez (8/19) 
• Like Characters in Bless Me, Ultima, El Paso isn't Easily Defined by Cecilia Weddell (8/26) 
• Bless Me, Ultima Also Helped Guide Us to This Place by Bobby Byrd (9/2)
• Bless Me, Ultima is Story of Faith vs. Evil, Never of Satanism by Felipe de Ortego y Gasca (9/9)
• How 'Ultima' Changed Course of This Writer's Life by Daniel Chacon (9/16)

Watch and Listen to local celebrities read from the book here.

Watch the Movie Trailer:

Visit the official site.

Cook the Book Club: July/August

July

You would think that a cookbook of salads would make for one boring and unfulfilling potluck, but quite the opposite occurred. A medley of fresh and flavorful salads abounded that included leafy greens, legumes, pasta, potatoes, and fruit. You really need to check this cookbook out! Each recipe is accompanied by a beautiful photograph, and the recipes have creative and unlikely flavor combinations. Reserve a copy by clicking here. The only problem that our group encountered was the lengthy amount of preparation time that went into the recipes. Also, some ingredients were expensive, but were easily substituted without compromising any flavors.

Top, left to right: Cooking Light Big Book of Salads, BLT Bread Salad, Candied Walnut, Pear, & Leafy Green Salad.
Middle, left to right: Farmers' Market Potato Salad, Pasta Salad w/Green Beans, Pistachios, & Lemon Thyme, Grilled Peppers & Lentil Salad.
Bottom, left to right: Romano Bean Salad, Romaine Salad w/Balsamic Vinaigrette, Winter Jeweled Salad.

August

We're trying something different this month by allowing participants to vote for this month's featured cookbook. Stop by the information desk to peruse the three selected titles, then vote for your favorite one by August 6.

Perfect Ten

Happy 10 Year Anniversary 

to The Bookmark!!!

The Friends of the Westside Libraries group is a non-profit organization that raises funds for all four Westside region public libraries, including the Dorris Van Doren Regional Branch library. Funds are raised through donations and sales from their bookstore, The Bookmark. 

The Bookmark is a gem of a used bookstore that sells books, magazines, CDs, and more. Most of the books are in excellent condition, and are even recent bestsellers or popular titles. If you haven't visited the Bookmark, now's the perfect time to go! To celebrate their anniversary, they are having a 50% off sale on everything in the store. Hurry, the sale ends tomorrow, July 21!

They are located at 7348 Remcon Circle, across from the post office.
Phone#: 833-2342
Hours:
Wednesdays 3pm-6 pm
Thursdays 9am-3pm
Fridays 3pm-8pm
Saturdays 9am-3pm

Check out their great selection! Book and magazine donations are gratefully accepted. You can become a member for only $5 a year and receive 10% off all purchases.