RINCON LATINO: V-me Y RICARDO MONTANER.

Nacido en Buenos Aires , Argentina en Septiembre de 1957 como Hector Eduardo Reglero Montaner, Ricardo Montaner y su familia se trasladaron a Maracaibo, Venezuela donde pronto desalloró una pasión para la música participando en coros parroquiales en su adoptado Venezuela. Desde entonces, ha destacadose como uno de los intérpretes más talentosos de América Latina colaborando con otros cantautores como Yuri, Laura Pausini, Carlos Arjona y Alejandra Guzmán.

Mañana noche a las 22:00 hrs en Estudio Billboard en V-me y de nuevo el Domingo a las 20:00 hrs. También acuden a nuestras estanterías para disfrutar de mi compatriota Ricardo Montaner.

Portland, Oregon...Green, Hip and Full of Books

Portland, Oregon, got its name from, of all things, the flip of a coin. The alternative was Boston. Be that as it may, PDX (as it's affectionately referred to by natives) could - just as well - be called Booktown. This Sacramento Librarian had heard rumblings of Portland's literary side, but had to take a first-hand look. Ergo, a long weekend...

My first stop was Powell's Books on Burnside (an ancient road that runs East-West through Portland). It's also located amidst the VERY fashionable Pearl District of Portland (again, Portlander's use code for such spots; in this case we refer to this place as "the Pearl") . Back on task, Powell's is - in a word - huge, and as is reputed to be the largest independent bookstore west of the Mississippi River. Aptly enough, upon entering the store, one is greeted with a map. Genres are divided into rooms, with there being a total of 8. Purple is where one can find history, biography; red is where one can find theology; and, gold is where one can find fiction, etc., etc.

There's certainly nothing fancy about the 30-year-old store. Dust isn't too rare a sight and the Linolium HAS to predate the business. What's more, the place just smells like books. Cellulose, milldew, the whole deal.

After grabbing a few choice titles, one can then make their way to the cafe, located just west of the Gold Room. I recommend coffee and a chocolate chip cookie. Upon entering, the place is packed. Scarves, jackets and bags are thrown over chairbacks and the floor is slippery, due to the near-constant fall/winter rain. It's certainly one of the only places where you can sit elbow-to-elbow with a total stranger and feel a mentionable detachment, simply because whatever you've chosen to read has taken you away.

In sum, this is a must-see spot with quantum-size character. The presence of high quality used books at a reasonable price, not to mention, new titles, means that Powell's will rarely disappoint the frugal book hunter.

Just up Eleventh Avenue is one of the most charming Central libraries in the country. The Multnomah County Library's Main Branch was built in 1913 and rennovated in 96-97. Little authenticity has been lost to time; simply put, it's hard to imagine the building having changed much over the past 90-some years, save the addition of 130 public computers. I guess I was most
taken by the mass amount of granite used to build the library. Both inside and out, the stone's sparkle is remarkable. Another spectacle is the granite benches that ring the entire branch, each one etched with the name of a literary great...Voltaire, Twain, William Something-Or-Another. Another few items of note are the branch's Starbucks booth (with a portion of coffee sales going to the library) and fantastic giftshop (where else are you going to find a "Where the Wild Things Are" backpack?).

Portland is a charming, progressive town that possesses a youthful hum. It's worth mentioning that the city's protector, Portlandia, a massive sculpture resting just outside the city government's Portland Building is reaching for something. There's clearly nothing there, but she might as well be reaching for a novel by long-time Portland resident Chuck Palahniuk. Visit PDX and enjoy and don't worry about bringing a book...

When the Internet is Down

We quickly learn who our real constituency is when our Internet connection goes down. What is normally a bustling reference floor turns into a deserted expanse of empty tables and empty terminals. The very few who are in the library seeking information approach the reference desk with an apologetic "I don't want to bother you, but ..."

Well, actually, library staff gets paid to answer questions and to help put information/answers/books into your hands! Trust me, it's no bother! We're doing our jobs when we help you discover and use the rich array of resources the library provides. We'd love a chance to show off some of the neat stuff we've collected over the years and show you how to use them in the library and at home or work.

Our Internet connection went south a couple of days ago due to an equipment failure. While certainly not on the same scale as the bombing of Pearl Harbor (today's the 66th anniversary,) it nevertheless caused waves among our service population. It's been interesting to watch the reactions of our regular Internet users, which ranged from the resigned to the actively angry.

We all recognize that widespread use of the Internet and other online resources has fundamentally changed the way libraries offer materials and services. We hope, if you came to use the Internet and were disappointed, that you will stay a while and enjoy some of our other more traditional offerings: the Art of Glass exhibit in the lobby, the gingerbread house collection in Kids' Place, the newspapers and magazines on the third floor, the holiday books and videos on the first floor. We are looking forward to having a healthy Internet connection - and happy patrons - again. Very soon.

RINCON LATINO: LA FIL 2007 DE GUADALAJARA.

La Feria Internacional del Libro de Guadalajara 2007 despegó el 24 de Noviembre hasta el 2 de Diciembre con Colombia como País Invitado de Honor. La FIL es la segunda feria del libro más grande del mundo después de la de Frankfurt de Alemania. Desde su empiezo en 1993, la FIL ha crecido astronómicamente brindando elogios a los autores más destacados del mundo entero y no solamente del mundo hispanohablante. En 2007, el país invitado era Colombia. Este país sudamericano cuenta con uno de los paisajes más primorosos del mundo caracterizado con una belleza avasalladora ecológica y cultural.

Hector Abad Faciolince era uno de los autores homenajeados en Guadalajara como un novelista revelando la belleza y la violencia de país natal con su nueva obra literaria titulada : El Olvido Que Seremos.

En la superficie, este es un libro sobre la vida de uno de los hombres que vivio (y murio) luchando por enseñar a los colombianos a ser tolerantes: Hector Abad Gomez. En el fondo, el libro recorre la historia reciente de Colombia: una lucha silenciosa, violenta, y efectiva para decimar a aquellos que piensan de manera diferente. Una guerra inteligente, sistematica y ordenada contra aquellos que deciden soñar con una sociedad mas justa. Hector Abad Gomez (el padre) fue tan solo una victima mas de esta lucha, en la que lamentablemente estuvo de lado de los perdedores. Mas que a la vida de Abad Gomez, este libro hace honor a las anonimas vidas de las miles de personas que han muerto a cuentagotas de sangre. Gracias a este libro las victimas se humanizan: tienen familias amigos y trabajo. Tienen nombre y apellido. Y los victimarios tabien: tienen nombres, apellidos, y poder. Pero lo mejor del libro es que es una historia sencilla del amor de un hijo hacia su padre. Y del amor de los padres hacia los hijos. Y depronto si saberlo, Hector Abad Faciolince nos entrega una gran leccion de convivencia. Esa leccion que su padre intento exponer en multiples articulos con poca resonancia en la sociedad. A lo mejor esta vez si escuchemos.

Por el momento, este libro de Héctor Abad Faciolince no hemos adquirirlo pero pronto estará en nuestras estanterías. ¡Estén atentos!

Discovering Your Roots, Part 2

As promised, the Central Library has some great genealogy programs lined up for the new year! Presentations are scheduled for three Sundays in January, 2008. They will be held in the West Meeting Room on the 1st floor at Central Library from 1:30 - 3: 00 p.m. Please join us for research hints from these knowledgeable speakers!

Beginning Family History Research, Lisa Lee, January 6th
Researching your family’s history can uncover fascinating information, and it’s easier to get started than you might think! Come to this program and learn about the basic tools, techniques and resources you can use to search for your ancestors.

Yes Indeed! Answers in the Land Records, Barbara Leak, January 13th
Land records hold answers to family puzzles, offering implied information along with the stated facts. Learn how to effectively analyze the information involved in property transfers.

Obituary Records – An Untapped Resource, Glenda Lloyd, January 27th
Obituary records may provide the tidbits of information needed to extend your family tree. In this program you will learn to search these records for clues for further research about your family.

Registration for these programs is preferred but not required. To register, click the title of the program(s) you want to attend. For more info, call Telephone Reference (916-264-2920) after 10 a.m. (12 noon on Sundays.)

~ Beth, Genealogy Librarian

RINCON LATINO: V-ME Y LAURA PAUSINI.

Otra vez la emisora local de V-me presentará Estudio Billboard presentando esta semana a la cantante italiana Laura Pausini quien también canta en español. El programa podrase ver hoy noche a las 22:00 hrs y de nuevo el Domingo a las 20:00 hrs. Esta bella italiana estrenará su nuevo CD titulado " Yo Canto." Laura Pausini comenzó su carrera hace algunos años atrás en Italia ( ¡dónde más! ) desde muy chica apareciendo en programas de televisión y concursos de talento juvenil. Desde entonces, empezó a cantar en francés , portugués y castellano; también cantando con el cantante italiano de renombre internacional Andrea Bocelli . En el mundo hispanohablante, han destacado no solamente estos dos artistas italianos mencionados sino también otros como Eros Ramazzoti y Zucchero. ¡Por favor disfruten de este programa musical en V-me y también de la música de estos interpretes italianos en nuestras estanterías!

Kids Are Avatars, Too

I recently helped a girl through AskNow, our online reference service. Her request, “Will you take me into an avatar chat room?".

Finally, in that moment, the strangeness of such a request struck me head-on. There I was in Sacramento, there she was halfway across the country, and here we were together traveling through cyberspace, or cobrowsing, seeking a place where she could settle. Later, I started wondering what defines an avatar in a computing environment. Must it do certain things to be called an avatar? Does it have to wear skirts that are way too short and heels that are way too high? Or is it required to spend an unnatural amount of time at the gym? N.B.: Second Life. I found that an avatar is any image, icon, or other representation of a user in a virtual reality environment (a computer environment represented by multiple users).

Interestingly, the Sanskrit word Avatara means “the descent of God.” According to India’s ancient Veda’s, avataras incarnate onto earth-- immune from those pesky physical laws of matter, time, and space. Then I got it. The desire to create identities and environments might represent characteristics not unlike those that the cliche “playing god” brings to mind. I was not at all surprised then that this word developed to define our all-powerful, non-destructible, matter and space defiant anonymous alter egos. That’s the why of it, but who thought of this and when? And did they know about the sacred Avatara beings?

Sean P. Egen wrote an enlightening article on the history of avatars. That history has many grey areas, but it is relevant to note that avatars appeared in the fiction genre, cyberpunk, with the publication in 1984 of William Gibson’s Neuromancer. Then they appeared in Neal Stephenson’s classic Snow Crash in 1992.

When my 11 year old virtual customer asked me to take her to an avatar chat room with her 7 year old cousin, I was at a loss. Aren’t avatars just for adults? She taught me the first rule to kid-endorsed avatar web-sites: blatant educational elements are not allowed. She was completely savvy on me when I took her to Whyville. “Not Whyville, they make you take tests.” So, sometime between after-school snacks and dinner, my in-house community consultants introduced me to some kid-approved and adult-approvable avatar sites.

At Webkinz your avatar choices include a selection of cute fluffy animals. There are two levels-- one uses pre-constructed messages and one requires parental permission. Neopets is innocent fun. More surreal than Webkinz, your avatar pet has the kind of distorted body part thing going on that we’ve come to expect from avatars. Confession: I have a neopet that I almost starved to death. The kids did not tell me that I actually had to feed it. At Club Penguin you create a penguin, give it an identity, and then waddle around meeting new penguin friends. I haven’t explored this one much, but I just may after recently watching the fascinating documentary March of the Penguins. At Toontown, players combine forces to rescue the world from the Cogs, humorless business robots who are attemping to transform joyful Toontown into a corporate metropolis. Sound familiar? Don’t expect the shiny-bling-in-your-face elements of the adult avatar sites, but do expect your child to hone their technology skills by using them. These sites are winners for parents and children. See you in cyberspace... ~Jami, Youth Services Librarian