Rainy days and a list of errands half a mile long invariably make me think about a cozy afghan, steaming cup of tea (with honey and lemon) and a good, absorbing book.  Funny though, sunny days with yard work and errands also make me long for a good, absorbing book - only with a cozy reading spot in the shade and a tall glass of homemade sweet-tart lemonade. As the bumper sticker says "I'd rather be reading..."

But before I get there, I'll have to get through my to-do list, and make sure I've stocked up on some good reads for the season. And to do that - a trip to the Library is now top of the list. Maybe I'll even pick up a couple of last-minute gifts for book-loving friends - scarves, notecards, t-shirts - or the wonderful "Shades and Stories of Monterey" DVD, or a City employee cookbook - even re-usable shopping bags that say LIBRARY or READING in multiple languages, 

Luckily, the Monterey Public Library will be open much of the next two holiday weeks for your book-gathering or shopping pleasure. We're open Monday the 20th through Thursday the 23rd - closed Friday the 24th through Monday the 27th - and then open again Tuesday the 28th through Friday the 31st.  

See you at the Library!

The Library catalog, events listings, hours, and contact information are now available on your phone or mobile device using Library Anywhere.

You can download the iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch app, search the Android Market for "Library Anywhere", or visit the mobile web site. There's also a Universal/Accessibility site for customers who want to use the catalog on text or speech browsers or without javascript.

Using Library Anywhere, you can search the catalog, place requests, and check your account wherever you go.

If you live, work or pay taxes in the City of Monterey, the City is seeking your opinion about program and budget priorities. You get an imaginary $500 to divide among the benefits and services that the City provides. You can fill out the $500 Exercise on the Web. or pick up and return the survey at the Library and other City locations.

Your input will help the City Council make budget decisions for 2011-12 and beyond. More information about Priority-based Budgeting is available here.

Thank you for helping the City make these difficult and important choices.

Monterey Public Library is home to some wonderful art. Just look at the Shades of Monterey photograph collection of local history or the City's collection of original work found all around the building. Today we are happy to announce the addition of another space for local art in the Library.

The Linda McCabe Memorial Teen Art Wall is named for a local designer and author who was a longtime Library customer and supporter. Linda's friends and family members made generous donations to the Library to create the space for our new art display. The Art Wall will officially open at our Home from College Night program for teens on Monday, December 20th, from 6:00 - 7:30 p.m., but you can come by to see it as soon as you like.

The first art show to use the space comes from our longtime friends and collaborators at the Youth Arts Collective. We have even more plans for this space, including a show to celebrate next year's summer reading theme others to showcase the work of local young artists. Keep your eyes open for new talent and be sure to tell the young artists in your life about our new space!

Three cheers for the Monterey Public Library Friends! Formed in 2000, this group of dues-paying library supporters has raised over a quarter of a million dollars over the past ten years to support Monterey Public Library collections, programs and services.  

And they've made this happen with the help of every person who's purchased a membership, bought a used book at their daily, monthly or annual sale, attended their annual Wine and Chocolate Tasting (Friday, February 18, 2011 - tickets already on sale at the Library) or Home Tour (May 15, 2011 - mark your calendars), as well as generous business sponsors and community groups. 

Last weekend's giant book sale raised over $4,000, and "recycled" over 100 boxes of donated and discarded books to eager book buyers of all ages. A great start to the next quarter million dollars the Friends will be raising in years to come. We are thankful for our hardworking and creative Friends of the Monterey Public Library -  tremendous fund- and friend-raisers!

If you're anything like me, you've been looking at Kindles, Nooks, iPads, and their ilk with some distrust for the last couple of years. Sure, they let you read books, but do they really compare with the real deal? This year, I've personally been bombarded with new information, ads, and reviews about these devices. We at the Library have also had an enormous increase in the number of questions our customers have about ereaders and ebooks.

This holiday season, we invite you to join us in comparing ereaders and their functionality at our Digital Books Show & Tell. This event will be held on Saturday, December 11th, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Library. We will bring out all the reading devices we can get our hands on for you to try. We will also have demonstrations of how to access and borrow free books from our Northern California Digital Library using just your Library card.

So if you are one of the many people, like me, who is entertaining the possibility of buying one of these ereaders as a gift for a loved one (or yourself), or if you are already a seasoned veteran of electronic books, come by and tell us all about it.