The Sacramento Public Library invites adults to meet mystery-author Michele Drier at a free program on Saturday, November 5 at 3 p.m. at its Belle Cooledge branch, 5600 South Land Park Drive, Sacramento.

Shadows from the past haunt a political family in Drier’s latest mystery book, Edited for Death. Her other book (available as an e-Book), SNAP: The World Unfolds, is the first of the vampire-romance series, featuring the Kandesky vampire family.

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The Sacramento Public Library will present Chris Gall, award-winning children’s book author and illustrator of Dinotrux and Substitute Creacher, on Wednesday, October 26 at two of its library branches:

• 3:30 p.m.: Rancho Cordova Library, 9845 Folsom Blvd., Sacramento
• 6:30 p.m.: Arden-Dimick Library, 891 Watt Avenue, Sacramento

Gall’s lively program will feature a reading of one of his popular illustrated books and a visual presentation of how a book gets made from writing to drawing to printing.  He will also show an animation he created highlighting his life as a child, as well as showing the animations he drew for his last two books. He was once a stand-up comedian, so this will be fun!

Copies of Gall’s books will be available for purchase and signing at each program. For more information, please telephone the Sacramento Public Library at (916) 264-2920 or visit www.saclibrary.org.

The Sacramento Public Library will present a free workshop for those planning to start a business. Led by a SCORE counselor, the class is scheduled for Saturday, October 15, from 9 a.m. to 12 noon, at the Central Library, 828 I Street, Sacramento.

Start-up Basics provides an overview of the skills and tools needed when deciding to start a business. This workshop focuses on the basics of testing a business idea and identifying the key factors that influence start-up success.

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As a result of significant funding reductions that have impacted staffing levels, Sacramento Public Library is announcing new hours of service for all of its 28 branch locations (see listing below for branch by branch hours of service).

The new hours of service provide a five-day per week schedule in 26 of 28 locations, with most branches closed on Sundays and Mondays. The new schedule provides Saturday service and extends Friday hours to 6 p.m. in all locations. The new schedule also provides services until 8 p.m. at least one evening per week in most locations. Carmichael and Central Libraries will remain open on Sundays from 12 noon to 5 p.m., and the library’s Telephone Information Service (TELIS) will continue to be available on Mondays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (916-264-2920). The changes reflect a system-wide reduction of 43.5 hours per week, the equivalent of closing one medium-sized branch.

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The Friends of the Sacramento Public Library enthusiastically support the public library in the city and county of Sacramento. If you, too, are grateful for public libraries and would like to help the Friends in their work, join us.

The Friends of the Sacramento Public Library, including Branch Friends, is a volunteer, community-based organization. Its dual mission is to advocate for the Library and to provide funding for books and materials, programs and Library activities, primarily through selling discarded and donated books and materials.

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The Friends of Sacramento Public Library, an all-volunteer organization that provides support for programs and materials to the Sacramento Public Library, will be presenting more than 400 gently-used and topic-appropriate paperback books to the residents housed at Sacramento County Juvenile Hall on July 27, 2011. The Friends of Sacramento Public Library donated the used paperbacks from the Friends’ Book Den, a used bookstore located at 8250 Belvedere Avenue, Sacramento. Each book is identified with a sticker printed with “Friends Let Friends Read,” crediting the Friends of the Sacramento Public Library for the donation.

“Although the detention center’s residents attend school, they have many hours of down time and this is time that they do not have access to a library or quality books to read. Probation officers do their best, but they do not have the budget for new books and have asked the library to help,” said Karen Thomas, Friends of the Sacramento Public Library board member and project coordinator. “The project’s goal is to motivate those youngsters to read for fun and pleasure,” Thomas added.

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The Sacramento Public Library will be changing the hours Central Library is open to the public beginning July 1, 2011. Hours for the Sacramento Room and the Library’s Telephone Information Service (TELIS), both of which are housed at the Central Library, will also be changing. The new public hours are:

Central Library, 828 I Street, Sacramento: Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday, 12 noon to 5 p.m. The downtown Sacramento library location will remain closed on Monday. These changes reflect an overall reduction in service of four hours per week.

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The Sacramento Public Library will present free computer classes to develop the skills and confidence to use technology effectively at the Central Library, 828 I Street, Sacramento.

Saturdays: July 2, 9, 16, 23, 2011

• 10:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.: Introduction to Computers
• 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.: Surfing, Shopping & Beyond

Tuesdays: July 5, 12, 19, 26, 2011

• 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.: Introduction to Microsoft Excel

Saturdays: August 6, 13, 20, 27, 2011

• 10:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.: Introduction to Microsoft Word
• 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.: Introduction to the Internet

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South Natomas Library is hosting several free events at its branch, located at 2901 Truxel Road, Sacramento.  For more information, please telephone the Sacramento Public Library at (916) 264-2920 or visit www.saclibrary.org.

Saturday, June 18, at 1 p.m.: Polymer Clay Jewelry Making with Yvonne Warren (adult program).

Hand-made jewelry is always in fashion. So why not start the process from scratch and learn how to make beads from polymer clay? We will learn how to imitate the look of ivory, amber and coral. Then use your beads to create a stylish bracelet or necklace. Artist Yvonne Warren will teach the techniques for making beautiful polymer clay jewelry.

Tuesday, June 21, at 6 p.m.: South Natomas Library Book Club (teens and adult program).

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Sacramento Public Library will be offering many free concerts and programs inspired by American Sabor: Latinos in U.S. Popular Music, a traveling exhibition from the Smithsonian that presents the musical contributions of U.S. Latinos from the 1940s to the present, exploring the social history and individual creativity that produced stars such as Tito Puente, Ritchie Valens, Celia Cruz, Carlos Santana and Selena. The variety of free programs include Latin Jazz concerts, dance demonstrations, film screenings, art displays, and other Latin cultural programs and are scheduled at several Sacramento Public Library locations.

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