Glendale Public Library

The Los Angeles Dodgers and the Glendale Public Library will reward children who read "just for fun" in the Library's 60th annual Summer Reading Program. All children through eighth grade who read eight books and redeem their reading log at the Glendale Public Library were to receive one free ticket to the Dodgers vs. Nationals game tonight (Friday, June 30.) "The Los Angeles Dodgers have been the staple of Southern California baseball for more than 47 years and during that time the Dodgers have established themselves as major contributors to the greater Los Angeles community," Howard Sunkin, SVP, Public Affairs, said in a prepared statement.

CHUCK WIKE I work for the Glendale Public Library! I bet you're smiling. Most people do when I tell them where I work. That's probably the best "perk" of my job. People love the library. It's right up there with mom and apple pie, and for good reasons. The library is the place where you find the information you need to make decisions and answer questions. Decisions like which new water heater to buy. Decisions like which books would your kids enjoy.

"Tonight Show" host Jay Leno recently chuckled over a newspaper headline about the Library that stated: "Practice reading skills with a real dog." Families who attend the Glendale Library's Barks & Books program know that the dog can't talk back, but he's a great listener! See the Central Library Children's Room section for program information. Special Programs Homework Help! Students in grades 4 - 12 can get special assistance from the Library's high school Homework Helpers.

The Friends of the Glendale Public Library unanimously support Senate Bill 659 to extend the deadline to dissolve redevelopment agencies from Feb.1 to April 15 (“Support for SB 659,” Jan. 27). This additional time would allow for the orderly unwinding of California's redevelopment program. The Glendale public library system has benefited from redevelopment funds. Most recently, it was hoped that that such funds would support a major renovation of the Central Library. We urge all residents to write their legislative representatives to support SB 659. John Steele Glendale Editor's note: Steele is president of the Friends of the Glendale Public Library.

Tim Willert DOWNTOWN -- Award-winning poet Charles Harper Webb will appear at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Glendale Public Library, 222 E. Harvard St. Webb is a Glendale resident who teaches English at Cal State Long Beach. His poems have appeared in several journals and anthologies, including Best American Poetry and The Pushcart Prize. His latest book, "Tulip Farms and Leper Colonies," was published in November. His 1997 and 1999 books books were honored with literary prizes.

When Friends of the Glendale Public Library was soliciting ideas for the used bookstore they planned to open in the Glendale Central Library, 12-year-old Teagan Blain-Rozgay thought about submitting "You need the books, we need the money." Instead, Teagan, whose mother said she got her first library card at around age 2, went with "Book Nook." The same name was proposed 31 times among the more than 300 suggestions for the bookstore's name. "I was just thinking of something that rhymed," Teagan said.

With the help of a little imagination and the appearance of a few friends of the feathered and scaly variety, J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" series came alive for children at the Grandview branch of the Glendale Public Library on Thursday. Representatives from Wildlife on Wheels, a nonprofit organization that rescues injured animals, brought a burrowing owl, an American bullfrog and a boa constrictor to the library and discussed what kind of roles these animals played in the magical books.

Author Jonathan Kirsch reveals the secrets of the Book of Revelation, the single most controversial book in the Bible, and shows how its apocalyptic text has been used and abused over the last twenty centuries. Kirsch is the author of ten books, including six books on the history of religion and religious texts. Kirsch will be speaking on Wednesday, May 16 at 7 p.m. at the Glendale Public Library. The library is located at 222 E. Harvard St. in Glendale. His presentation follows the Friends of the Glendale Public Library annual meeting at 6:30.

AHEAD WITH HORSES INC. Ahead with Horses Inc. is looking for volunteers to help disabled and disadvantaged children who receive developmental therapy lessons on horseback. High school students, this is an opportunity for you to earn your community service hours while helping others. A love for children and animals is appreciated. Ahead With Horses is at 9311 Del Arroyo Drive, Sun Valley. For more information, call Jennifer at (818) 767-6373. GLENDALE PUBLIC LIBRARY Friends of the Glendale Public Library are seeking volunteers for the new Book Store at 222 E. Harvard St., Glendale.

Tim Willert DOWNTOWN -- Former prosector Vincent Bugliosi, whose book "Helter Skelter" became a best seller, will discuss his latest book at 7 p.m. Sept. 7 at the Glendale Public Library, 222 E. Harvard St. Bugliosi's new book, "The Betrayal of America," centers around the 2001 presidential election. Bugliosi also wrote "Outrage," which was highly critical of the way O.J. Simpson was prosecuted. Bugliosi was the L.A. County deputy district attorney who prosecuted Charles Manson and several of his followers for the August 1969 murders of actress Sharon Tate and others.

The Friends of the Glendale Public Library unanimously support Senate Bill 659 to extend the deadline to dissolve redevelopment agencies from Feb.1 to April 15 (“Support for SB 659,” Jan. 27). This additional time would allow for the orderly unwinding of California's redevelopment program. The Glendale public library system has benefited from redevelopment funds. Most recently, it was hoped that that such funds would support a major renovation of the Central Library. We urge all residents to write their legislative representatives to support SB 659. John Steele Glendale Editor's note: Steele is president of the Friends of the Glendale Public Library.

So what's the fuss about eliminating redevelopment agencies? That money just goes to big developers, generally provides housing units or more stores. Glendale Chamber of Commerce President Jeanne Brewer listed many things redevelopment has funded. But there are a few that are critical to me as a Glendale senior citizen. I enjoy the concerts at the Alex Theatre. I don't want to lose that as a venue, which also draws folks from all over to spend their dollars right here. And if we don't have stores for people like me to shop, right here, I'll have to get in my car and drive to Pasadena or Burbank.

One day, a young girl named Kaylie Becerra went to the Glendale Public Library to get a library card. When she saw one of their commemorative cards (a series of photo cards issued when the library turned 100 in 2007) she told her mother, "That's the one I want. " The photo on the card she selected was of a group of people standing in front of the last Pacific Electric car to make the trip from Los Angeles to Glendale. As it turns out, one of the men in the picture was young Kaylie's great-great-grandfather, Ernest Abbott.

CITY HALL — In the roughly 2 1/2 years Cindy Cleary has headed the city's library system, she has tried to do more with less. Faced with budget cuts, Cleary and her staff have been forced to grapple with reduced hours, less staffing and narrowly avoided a closure of the Chevy Chase branch. At the same time, she has pushed forward with key renovations at the system's flagship Central Library and the Brand Library & Art Center. Now, Cleary and other library administrators want to hear from the community how the library system can better meet community needs.

The former reunion committee of the Class of 1937 of Hoover High School no longer plans reunions but meets every three months for lunch to keep up longtime friendships. Their most recent event was a Christmas luncheon at the La Canada Flintridge home of Tom French . As of September, all 11 members had reached the age of 91, two already 92. All but one of the 11 still drive, and all are active in one or several activities, such as travel, bridge, organizations and volunteering.

I continue to be surprised how people will play fast-and-loose with the facts, especially when those facts are on videotape. Larry Nemecek ("Free speech no excuse for lack of civility," July 30) is either grossly misinformed or he is part of the apologists for Assemblyman Mike Gatto, who would like to smear me instead of dealing with reality. Nemecek was "unnerved" recently when I showed up on the sidewalk at a public park club picnic to ask Gatto to clarify his unclear position on the legalization of marijuana.

O ne story-obsessed couple help to make used books a destination for other local bookworms at the Glendale Public Library's Book Nook. After living in Cincinnati all their lives, Stan and Helene Block moved to Glendale in 2001, and by 2002 they were trying to make the library better with Friends of the Glendale Public Library. Each week, either one can be found on the first floor of Glendale Central Library in the Book Nook, a spot where library patrons can buy gently used books or DVDs.

F ormer Secretary of the Navy Paul R. Ignatius will talk about his experiences working with President John F. Kennedy and his military service when he is the featured speaker at two Memorial Day events in Glendale. Ignatius grew up in Glendale and graduated from Hoover High School in 1938. He graduated with honors and Phi Beta Kappa membership from USC in 1942. "I went into the Navy for four years, and most of my service was on an aircraft carrier," he said. He achieved the rank of lieutenant and also performed assignments in Washington, D.C. Following his military service, he received a master's degree in business administration from Harvard Business School in 1947.

MEALS ON WHEELS Meals On Wheels Drivers provide home-delivered meals for the elderly and home-bound in Glendale. Meals are picked up at The Salvation Army at 10:30 a.m. and then delivered between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Most routes only take one hour. The program runs Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. Volunteers must have a valid driver?s license, insurance and use their own vehicles. For more information, call Rick White, volunteer coordinator at the Salvation Army (818)

Sometimes I wonder what role the Glendale Public Library plays in today?s environment of information that just keeps coming to us on the Internet. Do we still read books? The Jewel City Kiwanis Club has had a tradition of giving a children?s book to the library almost every week in the name of their guest speaker. To say thank you for all the books given over the years, Cecile Pham , the library assistant in charge of the Children?s Room, spoke at the club?s meeting recently.