Our Top Ten Most Requested Books

Glendale History Drive 2011!

The Glendale Public Library is pleased to announce the launch of History Drive 2011!

In the Library's first History Drive in 2009, when we invited folks to share images from their collection with the Library, we collected over 100 images documenting the history and culture of the Glendale and the surrounding area.

One set of photographs, donated by former Mayor John Drayman as a part of the History Drive Kick Off event in March 2009, fetures the work of local professional photographer Glenn B. Ward. Ward's images, taken primarily in the 1950s, provide a rich history of a specific time in Glendale and the nearby areas of Montrose and La Crescenta.

For History Drive 2011, we're asking for information about these pictures!

Flickr users can leave comments and tags that will help tell each picture's story: who, what where, when, anything that describes the image and its context. Those without a Flickr account can still view the images on Flickr and participate by emailing their comments to the library at centlibref@ci.glendale.ca.us.

Click here to get started!

For more information on the History Drive, please visit the Glendale Public Library website.

Glendale Public Library Is Now on Historypin!

The Glendale Public Library is now sharing photographs from the Special Collections Room on Historypin!

Historypin, a collaboration between We Are What We Do and Google, allows individuals and institutions to share photographs (and video and audio clips) geographically, "pinning" images to their current street view on Google Maps. The image above compares Brand Boulevard in 1934 to its circa 2009 counterpart.

Click on the button below to explore the Glendale Public Library's collection of images, and feel free to share your comments and recollections.



Once you've got it down, set up an account and post your own images!

For more information on what Historypin is and how it works, check out their introductory video:





Follow the Glendale Public
Library on Facebook!

Follow the Glendale Public Library on Facebook!

The Glendale Public Library is now on Facebook!

Follow us to find out about events, lectures, new books and materials, and other important information by "liking" us.

And while you're at it, here are a few more Facebook pages you might like to follow:

• Brand Library and Arts Center

• Glendale Public Library Children's Room

• One Book One Glendale

• Friends of the Glendale Public Library

The Book Talk blog may continue to publish posts from time to time, but the Facebook page will now be the easiest way to keep up on GPL news and events. See you there!

Our Top Ten Most Requested Books

New KCET/LA as Subject Blog: SoCal Focus

A photograph from the Special Collections Room of the Glendale Public Library was featured in a post last week on SoCal Focus, a new blog on the KCET website.

The blog, a collaboration between KCET and LA as Subject, incorporates local history materials from archives, museums, libraries, and other institutions across Southern California and will cover myriad topics related to the culture and history of the region's past (as well as an occasional glimpse into its future).

Only a month old, the blog has already posted some great stories (and some really wonderful images), so be sure to check back regularly!

February Events for Adults and Teens at the Glendale Public Library

Gallery events and a Library Renovation Community Meeting at the Brand, free movies at the Central Library Auditorium, teen book groups at Central and Montrose, and Microsoft Word instruction en Español at Pacific Park!

Plus Central Auditorium lectures by authors Krikor Beledian (Mantraner, Armenian Futurism) and E.J. Stephens (Early Warner Bros. Studios) in the continuing Authors, Artists, and Friends Series sponsored by the Friends of the Glendale Public Library!

There's plenty going on in February at the Glendale Public Library, so come join in the fun!

Click on the images below to view a larger version of the February Events and see what's happening throughout the Glendale Public Library system.

January Events for Adults and Teens at the Glendale Public Library

Art talks and openings at the Brand, free movies at the Central Library Auditorium, a Harry Potter vs. Twilight debate for teens at Central, plus a dulcimer talk and ongoing book clubs! And, a one-day only Armenian book sale!

There's a lot of things to do in January at the Glendale Public Library, so come join in!

Click on the images below to view a larger version of the January Events taking place throughout the Glendale Public Library system.

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December Events for Adults and Teens at the Glendale Public Library

Gallery events at the Brand, free movies at the Central Library Auditorium, a teen gaming tournament at Central and a discussion of Kathryn Stockett's The Help at the Montrose Adult Book Club meeting! There's plenty going on in December at the Glendale Public Library, so come join in the fun!

Click on the images below to view a larger version of the December Events taking place throughout the Glendale Public Library system.

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Glendale History: Thanksgiving Friday Shopping on Brand Boulevard?

While the picture on the postcard above probably wasn't taken the day after Thanksgiving, it's certainly a good representation of how the scene might have looked on Brand Boulevard at the kickoff of the holiday shopping season, circa 1958.

In observance of this year's Thanksgiving holiday, the Glendale Public Library will be closed from 5 pm on Wednesday, November 24 through Sunday, November 28. Regular hours for the Central Library, the Brand Library & Arts Center, and all of the neighborhood branch libraries will resume next week.

This postcard is one of the thousands of images available to library patrons and researchers at the Special Collections Room in the Glendale Central Library.

The Special Collections Room is currently open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m and 1 to 3 p.m. and by appointment. Please call (818) 548-2037 for additional information.

TWO MEATY TITLES

Both of these titles share a common subject, meat. Cleaving by Julie Powell, author of the inspiration for a blockbuster movie Julia & Julie, is a memoir of a cook who becomes fascinated with butchery and her path to become a butcher. My Year of Meats, while a work of fiction, chronicles a year in the life of a young filmmaker who has been hired by beef lobbyists to create a series of television documentaries to be shown in Japan.

As a long-time dedicated vegetarian, meat is not a topic on which I am particularly fluent or even interested. My Year of Meats by Ruth L. Ozeki came my way a few years back when it was recommended by a local bookseller. At the time she thought it was one of the best things she had read in a long while and she was right. The author is telling several stories here, the American filmmaker's, the Japanese wife's and that of the beef industry. While the later might now sound enticing, the author manages to craft an entertaining and unique story. One reviewer said that this is a book that even a vegetarian could enjoy...and they were right.

Cleaving: A story of marriage, meat and obsession by Julie Powell is a much different story. Why it was intriguing I am still at a loss to articulate. Parts are a bit gross and descriptions of separating meat from sinew and bone were not enthralling and often difficult but for some yet to be discovered reason, I liked this one and am glad that I don't read the reviews, even though they were in part correct, until after I finish. See what you think.

A TREAT FOR HALLOWEEN

A dark look at a possible future for mankind is presented in this engrossing novel by Justin Cronin. The entire world has been infected by a lab created virus. Originally developed to create super soldiers out of condemned criminals the experiment made them into monsters with the capability to infect and spread their disease throughout the population. These "virals" have reduced the world's population to a few small scattered enclaves of healthy humans who struggle to live off the land but with resources are running out have to seek other solutions. This must be done while avoiding the the virals who are very similar to vampires in that they are sensitive to light, infect humans by biting them on the neck and are capable of a degree of mind control. Ultimately the survival of mankind rests on the shoulders a six-year-old girl who will have to face the enemy in a battle of wills to determine the fate of the humans.

An unusual take on vampires is a perfect read for Halloween weekend--spooky enough to make you want to keep the lights on and suspenseful enough to keep you reading. Since the current weather forecast is for rain, this one is also a good reason to stay inside curled up with a good story.

LA as Subject Archives Bazaar Follow-Up

(Photo courtesy USC Libraries/ Marius Constantin)

The (new and improved!) LA as Subject website has posted a slideshow and feature article from last Sunday's Archives Bazaar, held at the beautiful Doheny Library on the USC campus.

Roughly 80 exhibitors, including the Glendale Public Library's Special Collections, filled the library's two first-floor reading rooms, while panel discussions and film screenings took place throughout the day a floor above.

It was our second year in a row taking part in the Bazaar, and once again we had a great time sharing our collection with researchers, students, and local history buffs (with their own Glendale stories to share in return). Plus, we visited with plenty of wonderful museum, archive, and library folk with great Los Angeles-themed collections of their own.

We're already looking forward to the 6th Annual Bazaar next year--see you there!

LA as Subject's 5th Annual Archives Bazaar, Saturday, October 23rd

The Glendale Public Library will be participating in the 5th Annual Los Angeles Archives Bazaar, presented by LA as Subject and hosted by the USC Libraries on Saturday, October 23rd.

The free event will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Doheny Memorial Library on USC’s University Park Campus.

LA as Subject is an alliance of libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions dedicated to preserving and celebrating Los Angeles's rich history and culture.

The complete Archives Bazaar program, with parking information, a list of participating institutions, and a schedule of panels, film screenings, and author events is available here.