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Passport to Japan

On Thursday, May 28th, the library was privileged to host Ms. Jenese Giles, journalism adviser at Northeast High School, and a Japan Fulbright Memorial scholarship recipient.

Jenese did a presentation on life in Japan and talked to us about the differences between American & Japanese schools. Did you know that in Japan, students clean up the schools (including sweeping and mopping the halls and bathrooms), not janitors? Teachers have special rooms available to them where they can take naps during the day. They can leave the classroom and the students will behave....even without adult supervision! Imagine that! We also learned about the curriculum in Japanese schools, which includes horticulture (the kids were growing their own garden on the school's rooftop), art, music and English.

Jenese created a poster board with some of her pictures from her travels


And see all that stuff on the table? Japanese newspapers, magazines, pens, toys...all up for grabs! Jenese let us pick whatever we wanted to take home as a souvenir.

We even got an origami lesson








and enjoyed some sushi from Mikado Japanese restaurant. The program was a great success. If you couldn't make it, we hope to see you at the next one in the fall.

Got any ideas or suggestions for a program? Email them to me!

New CDs!

We are on a serious roll! Today I went and purchased a ton of new CDs. These will take a bit longer to catalog and get out to you on the shelves, but if there is something in particular you'd like us to process ASAP, just let me know. Here's a sampling of what we got.

Beyonce- I am.....Sasha Fierce
Katy Perry- One of the Boys
Madonna- Hard Candy
Taylor Swift- Fearless
Seal- Soul
Andrea Boccelli- Incanto
Adele- 19
Duffy- Rockferry
Estelle- Shine
Jennifer Hudson- Jennifer Hudson
Coldplay- Viva la Vida
Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack
Music from the movie Juno
U2- No Line on the Horizon
Bruce Springsteen- Working on a dream
Twilight soundtrack
Lady Gaga- The Fame
David Cook- David Cook
The Killers- Day & Age
Britney Spears- Circus

and much, much, much more!

New DVDs!

I know, I know, we have been behind, but we FINALLY got a shipment of DVDs in yesterday! You are going to LOVE our new additions to the collection. Here is just a small sample of what we got yesterday. These will be processed and ready for check out over the next two weeks!



Rose Weiss: Mother of Miami Beach


We have a very exciting program coming to the Oakland Park library on Thursday, March 26th at 6:00 PM. Mark your calendars! Storyteller Carrie Sue Ayvar will be performing as Rose Weiss, the "Mother of Miami Beach."

Rose Weiss never planned on being a pioneer. She just did “what needed doing.” This feisty, compassionate Jewish mother fought prejudice, created jobs, and helped the needy, all with persistence and a smile. Her life is ample proof that one person can indeed make a difference.

Rose helped transform Miami Beach from a sparsely populated sandbar (where Jews like her could only live in the southernmost tip) into the world famous multicultural metropolis it is today.

Interested in this event? It is free and open to the public, and all ages are welcome. Refreshments will be served. See you there!

An Experience of Black Unity & Love

Students from Piper High School appeared at the library on Saturday, February 28th to perform An Experience of Black Unity & Love, in honor of Black History Month. The performances were amazing! Check out these clips of the kids dancing and singing up a storm!










If you weren't able to make it, you missed out on a wonderful performance! Check this blog and the Oakland Park Library's website regularly for more performance schedules.

The Write Side Poets perform!

The Write Side Poets, a youth poetry group that has been featured on HBO's Def Poetry and is the subject of a new documentary entitled "Brave New Voice," will perform at the Oakland Park Library on Thursday, January 22nd at 6:30 pm. This event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served. Please arrive early as seating is limited.

Want a taste of what you can expect at January 22nd's performance? Check out this clip of Write Side Poet Write Now.

For the Higgins Clarks, Suspense is a Family Affair


Best-selling suspense author Mary Higgins Clark published her first story when she was pregnant with her daughter, Carol. Now Carol is a famous author in her own right and the two even write books together. Their latest, Dashing Through the Snow, is a holiday mystery.




The two authors were recently interviewed on NPR, which you can listen to here. You can also find an excerpt from the book on NPR's website.