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.

Mother Goose on the Loose

All Events | All Adult Events | All Youth Events

Long, long ago, Mother Goose flew into our lives, bringing a world of imagination, songs, and stories so dear that it seems they've always been with us. Enjoy the ride as we lift off into the wild blue yonder of words that rhyme and ring with tradition!

Tuesday, March 27 @ 3:30 PM Twin Oaks Branch

Wednesday, March 28 @ 10:15 AM University Hills Branch

Thursday, March 29 @ 11:15 AM Faulk Central Library

Wednesday, April 4 @ 3:30 PM Hampton Branch at Oak Hill

Thursday, April 5 @ 3:30 PM Milwood Branch

Wednesday, April 11 @ 3:30 PM Manchaca Road Branch

Thursday, APril 12 @ 10:15 AM Little Walnut Creek Branch

Friday, April 20 @ 11:00 AM North Village Branch

Monday, April 23 @ 3:30 PM Old Quarry Branch

Tuesday, April 24 @ 11:00 AM Windsor Park Branch

Wednesday, April 25 @ 10:15 AM Cepeda Branch

Thursday, April 26 @ 3:30 PM Pleasant Hill Branch

Monday, April 30 @ 3:30 PM Spicewood Springs Branch

Wednesday, May 2 @ 10:15 AM Terrazas Branch

Thursday, May 3 @ 3:30 PM Yarborough Branch

Wednesday, May 9 @ 3: 30 PM Ruiz Branch

Saturday, May 19 @ 1:00 PM Recycle Reads

Monday, May 21 @ 3:30 PM Howson Branch

Performances also at:

Tuesday Tales at the Dougherty Arts Center, Tuesday May 22 @ 10:30 AM

1110 Barton Springs Road

and

Austin Museum of Art at Laguna Gloria, Saturday, May 12

3809 W 35th Street

Literature LIVE! performances bring stories to life using puppetry, storytelling, and dramatization with lively dialogue, beautiful sets, and a ready invitation to audiences to immerse themselves in story.

Time:

11:15am

Event Category:

Literature LIVE! Presents

Event Location:

Faulk Central Library

Events Blog

Friday, March 8

YA for Adults Bookclub - March

by: patti.cook

When:
Tuesday, March 12
7-8 p.m.
Where:
North Village Branch Library
2505 Steck Ave.
974-9960
Who: Adults who love Young Adult Books.
Book: Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John

Join us this month to discuss Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John.

There has been a slew of fantastic teen books to come out in the past several years featuring music for those of us who are musically inclined. This one has an interesting twist to shake things up. Piper has become the defacto manager of a popular band when she is offered up the challenge to get the band an actual, real, live, paying gig (like one that actually pays money and not snickers bars from your mom's pantry). That alone is quite the challenge, but add the fact that Piper is deaf into the mix and we've got some complications and an added level of complexity that she has to deal with.

Hey, It is SXSW people! Let's celebrate our love of live music, our love of teen books, and our love of avoiding traffic by staying out of downtown together!

Find this title in our print collection as well as in our downloadables.

Wednesday, March 6

Adult Craft Night @ Ruiz - March

by: patti.cook

When:
Monday, March 11
6:30-8:30 p.m.
Where:
Ruiz Branch Library
1600 Grove Blvd.
974-7500
Who: Adults interested in crafting.
What: Seed Bombs and Felt Shamrocks

For the month of March, Adult Craft Night will be having a green spring fling! We will be making seed bombs and felt shamrocks to help green up our community and to keep us from being pinched on St. Patti’s Day!

The seed bombs are little “bombs” of molded paper mixed with seeds tucked inside. We will be taking a paper pulp, adding seeds and pressing them into cute molds resulting in our little seed bombs. You can take these bombs, toss them into your yard, flower beds or abandoned lots that you think need some love – and when it rains, the paper will expand, provide a mulch to protect our seeds from hearty weeds and release our seeds into the ground. For this project we will be using a water wise flower mix that can be planted any time between March and June that will result in sunny blooms that can thrive in our Texas heat (think Zinnias, Cosmos, Sunflowers and Brown Eyed Susan’s), Mediterranean herbs like Basil, Thyme and Rosemary that appreciate our Texas soil as well as dark leafy greens like Spinach and Kale that love the sun. We will also have Texas wildflower mixes available – however you will have to save those bombs because they need to be planted in the fall.

Because the seed bombs are a rather quick craft, we will also have a secondary craft available - felt shamrocks! So please join us in celebrating the coming of spring this Monday at Adult Craft Night!

Friday, February 8

YA for Adults Bookclub - February

by: patti.cook

When:
Tuesday, February 12
7-8 p.m.
Where:
North Village Branch Library
2505 Steck Ave.
974-9960
Who: Adults who love Young Adult Books.
Book: Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

This month we are reading Leviathan a book in the newest steampunk series by Scott Westerfeld (author of the most excellent series Uglies and Peeps and the standalone title So Yesterday). All of which are available in both the hard copy and downloadable collections.

If you are already reading YA books, I don’t have to tell you that some of the best science fiction and fantasy being written these days is being published and marketed to teens. From hackers to dystopias to alternate universes, you can pretty much find a variety of excellent stories that will transport you to another place without loading you down with the (dare I say it) bloat that bogs down many of the adult titles.

I’ll be honest, I love George R. R. Martin’s Game of Thrones series as much as the next person and Neal Stephenson’s Snow Crash is a delight, but sometimes you just don’t want to dedicate an entire month to reading one book. Not that all adult science fiction is so long, Daniel H. Willson’s Robopocalypse is a fine example of a short and sweet, action packed book, and holy moly is it fun.

Phew, if you let me I will talk about these books all day! But instead of continuing on with this blog post, I do hope you'll join us as we discuss all of this and more at our next YA for Adults Bookclub.

Can't wait to get reading? Check out some of these excellent teen titles in the Austin Public Library collection:

Monday, February 4

Adult Craft Night @ Ruiz - February

by: patti.cook

When:
Monday, February 11
6:30-8:30 p.m.
Where:
Ruiz Branch Library
1600 Grove Blvd.
974-7500
Who: Adults interested in crafting.
What: Felt Valentine Spectacular.

The season of love is upon us and there is no better way to declare your feelings than with a handmade valentine. We'll be creating darling felt envelopes, hand sewn paper cards, and dare I say it, sophisticated heart-shaped pins.

As always we will provide all the supplies.

Can't wait to get crafting? Check out some of the fantastic craft books in the Austin Public library collection and get started today!

Tuesday, January 8

Adult Craft Night @ Ruiz - January

by: patti.cook

When:
Monday, January 14
6:30-8:30 p.m.
Where:
Ruiz Branch Library
1600 Grove Blvd.
974-7500
Who:
Adults interested in crafting.
What:
Re-usable Storage Jars. Details Below

Have you ever bought spices in a bulk bag and wondered what was the best way to store them? Well, I think it is fairly obvious that the best way is to attend Adult Craft Night and make some nifty re-usable storage jars. We're taking a variety of old jars and re-purposing them with a little elbow grease and chalkboard paint.

And then to get fancy we're going to modge podge the lids with pretty paper, because why not? Our pantries deserve a little beautification now and then.

As always we will provide all the supplies.

Can't wait to get crafting? Check out some of the fantastic craft books in the Austin Public library collection and get started today!