The Sacramento Public Library Authority imposed furloughs on 241 library employees Friday after six months of intense negotiations with the employees’ union broke down. Calling it their “last, best and final offer” to International Union of Operating Engineers Local 39, Library Director Rivkah Sass said in a press release Monday that the SPLA will implement 12 furlough days per year for the next two fiscal years for the library workers. “Wage reductions, furloughs and layoffs are unfortunately more the rule rather than the exception in public employment these days,” Sass said. But the union sees it as "little more than a 4 percent pay cut" – and they consider the move to implement furlo

April 1 kicked off National Poetry Month, an event “inaugurated by the Academy of American Poets in 1996 . . . when publishers, booksellers, literary organizations, libraries, schools and poets around the country band together to celebrate poetry and its vital place in American culture. Thousands of businesses and non-profit organizations participate through readings, festivals, book displays, workshops, and other events.” Although National Poetry Month is held every April, and Sacramento and its neighbors are celebrating in various ways, Sacramento is certainly no stranger to poetry and the banding together of poets. About poetry, bookseller Richard Hansen, aka The Book Collector (24th a

NFL player Lance Briggs will make a special appearance at the Sacramento Public Library’s celebration of Dr. Seuss’ 108th birthday on Friday afternoon, March 2 at the Elk Grove branch, 8900 Elk Grove Boulevard, Elk Grove. The library’s free party honors Dr. Seuss, author Theodor Geisel. The 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. family festivities include a visit with Scooter the Safety Dog, craft making, face painting, refreshments, and Dr. Seuss stories. A graduate of Elk Grove High School, Briggs will read a favorite Dr. Seuss story at 3:30 p.m. in the library branch. For more information, please telephone the Sacramento Public Library at (916) 264-2920 or visit www.saclibrary.org. # # #  

Has it been a while since you’ve gone out on a date? Perhaps you are you looking for something different to do? However you would like to spend this Valentine’s weekend, let The Sacramento Press be your guide. Valentine’s craft day Thursday Sacramento Public Library 4235 Antelope Rd., Antelope 3 - 4 p.m. Free Children and teens are invited to make their own paper valentines with candy roses. The library will supply all the necessary materials. According to Teen/Adult Librarian Justin Azevedo, this event was organized by the teen volunteers. “They wanted to organize an event for other kids and teens,” Azevedo said. “It’s a fun and easy way to make unique valentines just in time for Val

The Sacramento Youth Symphony and Academy of Music enchanted an audience of approximately 350 guests at the Tsakopoulos Library Galleria. The free holiday concert was hosted by the Central Library on Sunday afternoon. The Sacramento Public Library invited the public to celebrate music performed by the 85-member ensemble. Musicians played to a full house which has been common for many of the events held at the Central Library. Sacramento Youth Symphony and Academy of Music’s Artistic Director, Michael Neumann, presented the Academic Orchestra and the concert also featured the Saltarello Flute Ensemble and the Clarion Clarinet Ensemble. Neumann addressed the audience by welcoming and t

It was like a pub crawl for history buffs – without the crawl. Saturday was the first ever Archives Crawl in Sacramento, an event where four leading historical research facilities highlighted their offerings to the general public. For five hours the California State Archives, the California State Library, the Sacramento Central Library and the Center for Sacramento History opened their doors, their files and their secret vaults to the general public. All of the information on display Saturday, can be seen for free but other than serious historians few people ever take advantage of the resources. For those who missed the crawl, here were some of the highlights: Mugshots: One of the popu

In light of the most recent cuts to its operating budget, the Sacramento Public Library system is conducting an online community feedback survey to receive input on what programs and services the community values most. The goal is to make the “best possible decision we can with the least amount of impact,” said Denise Davis, deputy library director of the Sacramento Public Library. The Sacramento Public Library system held three community forums in mid-July to address the 10 percent cut in its general fund, which came out to about $800,000. Sixty-five people in total attended the three meetings, most attending the McKinley Library forum. In order to receive the input from those who were

When the Sacramento City Council passed the budget last week, funding for the Sacramento Public Library system was cut by nearly $800,000, and that means the possibility of reduced branch hours and even branch closures. But deciding just what to cut is a challenge that library staff wants the community to help with. “We want to talk to the community to see what’s important to them,” said Brenda Haggard, Strategic Communications Officer for the Sacramento Public Library. “We want to make decisions based on what’s important to the people we serve.” Haggard said the desire is to keep public service intact as much as possible, despite the cuts to funding. Library staff members are inviting

The American Sabor exhibit at the Sacramento Public Library got a boost on Wednesday bringing in many visitors. Renowned percussionist Pete Escovedo was at the Tsakopoulos Library Galleria with his Latin Jazz Orchestra. The Galleria was packed early but standing room was available. Limited seating, on a first-come basis was offered on the second floor but that too was packed. Pete’s son, Juan, joined his dad and the Escovedo Latin Jazz Orchestra as they played several songs that had people dancing in the aisles. As I looked up towards the glass walls leading to the second and third stories of the library I could see people inside moving to the Latin rhythms. Pete Escovedo will be 76 y

The Smithsonian Traveling Exhibition is in town for an exhibit called “American Sabor: Latinos in U.S. Popular Music,” which showcases the contributions of Latinos in popular music. The Sacramento Public Library, located at 828 I St., is hosting the exhibit. Although the library will be closed Saturday through Monday for the Memorial Day holiday, the exhibit will stay in Sacramento until Aug. 7 and then depart for a showing in San Francisco starting on Aug. 27. The exhibition was created by Experience Music Project and organized for travel by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. “American Sabor,” its national tour and related programs are made possible by the Ford M

Award-winning and prolific writer Roy Blount Jr. appeared at the last lecture of the eighth season of California Lectures Tuesday evening. The evening was in partnership with the Sacramento Public Library and held in the Tsakopoulos Library Galleria. Library director Rivkah Sass welcomed the audience that filled the floor of the galleria and overflowed onto the mezzanine. California Lecture founder and president Suzette Riddle introduced Sands Hall, who would be in conversation with Blount. Hall is a writer, director and actress who resides in Nevada City. She is also a visiting professor of creative writing at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pa. Blount, who was interviewed in

The 4th Annual Sacramento Homeless Connect event will take place this Saturday, May 21 at Sacramento City College from 10:00 am-3:00 pm. It is hosted by Sacramento Steps Forward, with support from presenting sponsor The Salvation Army. Speakers at the event include Assemblymember Roger Dickinson, Mayor Kevin Johnson and Supervisor Phil Serna. Over 1,000 homeless guests are expected; additionally the event hosts 500 community volunteers and over 60 different service providers. Project Homeless Connect is a national Best Practice model for bringing services directly to homeless folks. Started in San Francisco, it now occurs in over 150 communities across the country. Homeless Connect events

The Sacramento Public Library, located at 828 I Street, will host an exhibition by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES). The exhibition titled “American Sabor: Latinos in U.S. Popular Music” highlights the contributions of Latinos in American music and will be on exhibition from May 25 to August 7, 2011. American Sabor: Latinos in U.S. Popular Music is a creation by Experience Music Project (EMP) and organized for travel by SITES. The exhibition, its national tour and related programs are made possible by Ford Motor Company Fund. A luncheon preview event was held at the Sacramento Public Library on Thursday to introduce the exhibition. Representatives from SI

The Sacramento Public Library has been selected as the inaugural host site for American Sabor: Latinos in US Popular Music, a traveling exhibition from the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) that highlights the musical contributions of U.S. Latinos from the 1940s to present, and explores the social history and individual creativity that produced stars such as Tito Puente, Ritchie Valens, Celia Cruz, Carlos Santana and Selena. Developed by the Experience Music Project and SITES, American Sabor (sabor is the Spanish word for “taste” or “flavor” and is commonly used to describe good music) will travel to 12 cities over the next four years. The exhibition, its natio

The Sacramento City Council will gather Tuesday afternoon to brainstorm ways City Hall can help the city’s financial recovery. Joann Cummins, district director for City Councilwoman Sandy Sheedy, said Interim City Manager Gus Vina has worked on the economic recovery plan that will be outlined at Tuesday’s workshop. “It’s basically a blueprint for getting Sacramento on the road to recovery,” Cummins said. Council members will gather for the economic recovery workshop at 2 p.m. at the Sacramento Library Galleria, located at 828 I St. The meeting is open to the public. City spokeswoman Linda Tucker said Vina’s economic recovery plan includes goals for economic recovery and prosperity; han

Once the introductory applause had quieted down in The Crest Theatre, Dave Eggers settled into his chair and asked his audience of literary fans and admirers the score of the Giants/Phillies game. He said he wouldn’t be able to relax until he knew. With similar candidness and humor, Eggers opened up about his latest nonfiction book “Zeitoun,” which documents the life and wrongful imprisonment of a Muslim-American man, Abdulrahman Zeitoun, in New Orleans during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Sharing the stage with Eggers was Sacramento State’s Joseph Palermo, an associate professor of history. Together they discussed what it was like to have a relative wrongfully incarcerated, the mi

Dave Eggers spoke about his book, “Zeitoun,” at the Crest Theatre Wednesday in the feature event of the sixth-annual One Book Sacramento: Connecting Our Communities. In her opening remarks, Sacramento Public Library Director Rivkah Sass mentioned the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina (Aug. 29) and the flood threat to the Sacramento region as reasons the library selected “Zeitoun.” Eggers took the stage in hiking boots and a pinstripe jacket. He was joined by interviewer Joseph Palermo, associate professor of American history at Sacramento State. Palermo has written two books on Robert F. Kennedy and blogs at The Huffington Post. “Zeitoun” narrates the story of Abdulrahman Zeitoun,

Are you a fan of Jane Austen or of great literature in general? Then don’t miss the unique opportunity to study Austen’s novels this fall at the Central Library branch of the Sacramento Public Library in downtown Sacramento. Grab a copy of “Emma,” download the study questions from the library’s website, and join in the fun this Sunday. The wildly popular 12-part series How Austentatious! began in June and continues through November. Each month, presenters discuss one of Austen’s novels over the span of two meetings. Remaining for the fall are “Mansfield Park” in September, “Northanger Abbey” in October, and “Persuasion” in November. The series will conclude with a birthday tea in honor

Sacramento City Councilman Robbie Waters wants to advance public safety in his district by bolstering neighborhood associations and watch groups. Waters, a former Sacramento County sheriff, said that public safety is his top priority for the year. The Sacramento Press is publishing a series on the 2010 goals of members of the City Council. Links to stories on other councilmembers’ goals can be found at the end of this story. Waters represents District 7, which includes the Greenhaven, Pocket and Valley Hi neighborhoods. He is running for re-election in June. His opponents in the race are Darrell Fong, who had a longtime career as a Sacramento police officer, and Ryan Chin, the strategic

A task force that will examine developers’ ideas for a new Sacramento entertainment and arena center will hold a town hall meeting on Dec. 3. Mayor Kevin Johnson’s 12-member task force includes real estate, finance and communications executives. Members are not paid. Citizens are invited to attend the meeting and present their views on a future complex. Johnson will attend the meeting. “The goal of the kick-off town hall meeting is to have the public identify the issues that it wants the task force to analyze and understand as it works to develop a proposal for a world class arts, entertainment and sports complex,” according to a Nov. 25 press release. The meeting will be held from 7 t