Library Closed Saturday, May 25, through Monday, May 27.

Austin Public Library facilities and the Austin History Center will be CLOSED Saturday, May 25, through Monday, May 27. Recycled Reads, the Austin Public Library’s used bookstore, will be open Saturday and Sunday, but will be closed on Memorial Day.

reference's blog

Never too late to talk about Janis

 

I was lucky enough to grow up in a household where everybody loved music. From my grandpa I learned to enjoy opera, from my grandma, the music from the 1920’s and 1930’s in the US and Latin America. My mother listened to ballads and boleros, mambo and cha-cha-cha, but my uncle introduced me to Janis Joplin.

John Updike, Dallas, one lucky librarian

Last Thursday was a good day: I was out of bed by 7:00, ate some breakfast tacos, and met John Updike. Dallas’ Nasher Sculpture Center hosted the literary titan as the inaugural guest of their 2008 Salon Series. The preeminent man of American letters discussed a variety of topics—writing, baseball, twentieth century American fiction—all with a razor sharp acumen gleaned from a life lived with books.

Friendships lost in time? Not anymore!

 

Have you ever wondered what happened with your childhood friends? Or that high school classmate that used to go with you everywhere?

Traveling librarian goes to the International Book Fair in Guadalajara

Every year, the last week of November, the city of Guadalajara, Mexico, opens its doors to thousands of people from all over the world visiting their International Book Fair. This is the second most important book fair in the world after the one in Frankfurt Germany. Lucky me, I got to go!

 

Electronic Books: Welcome to a New Era

 
When people talk about electronic books they might be thinking about those books that you can read with the use of a special portable device or those that can be read on your computer. In both cases, the text of the book will be read in a screen or monitor and it is not in printed format.

Modern African Fiction


 

Africa boasts an amazing collection of writers. From Dangarembga’s familial strife to Gordimer’s race relations, Africa offers a diverse and noteworthy literary canon. Some of Africa’s great works were written in exile, while others have been penned in African metropolises such as Lagos, Johannesburg, and Nairobi.

Day of the Dead Celebration

A tradition that has been documented, studied, and still fascinates locals and foreigners is the Day of the Dead Celebration in Mexico. This celebration started as a ritual performed by indigenous people at least 3000 years ago. When the Spaniards came to America, they tried to eradicate this rite. When they realized it was impossible they decided to combine it with the Day of All Saints, celebrated by the Catholic Church on November 1st. The mix of these two traditions enriched this celebration and it has become one of the most captivating events in the world.
 

Che Guevara: polemic icon

 

Ernesto “Che” Guevara died on October 9th,, 40 years ago. His work throughout Latin America, and his ideals have been a point of controversy while he was alive and even today. For some, Che Guevara symbolizes the revolution, the fight for the common good and democracy, but for others he is seen as an enemy of freedom and a supporter of extreme communist ideologies.

 

Pantomime: silence and art

 

Who hasn’t seen a mime while passing by or while sitting comfortably under a tree at the park? Most of us have seen them and enjoyed their ethereal and magical silent art. Mimes can make us dream about love and freedom; they can also transmit deep messages about human nature and conflicts.
 

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