The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, containing the first twelve short stories about the famous detective by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, will be honored during February at the Sierra Madre Public Library as the City of Sierra Madre’s One Book One City selection for 2012. All events are free and open to the public.
Sierra Madre, CA – After an extensive recruitment process, the City of Sierra Madre is honored to announce that Carolyn Thomas has been selected as the City's new Director of Library Services.
We welcome financial support as well as donations of books, your time or expertise. In addition we encourage you to join our support group, The Friends of the Sierra Madre Library.
Computer Classes
The Library offers free beginning computer classes for adults taught by expert volunteers. Instruction takes place on PC computers using Microsoft Windows.
Current classes include:
Classes are limited to 4 students and meet on Mondays & Wednesdays from 10:00 - 11:30 a.m. Schedules and Registration forms are available at the Library.
There is a $20.00 registration fee, refundable on day of attendance. For more information please call the Library at 626-355-7186.
Download current schedule of classes:
Teen Book Club
Middle school and high school students are invited to join the Teen Book Club, Wednesday afternoons from 4 to 5 p.m. during the school year. Participants receive free paperback books, eat snacks, play board games, meet other students their age, share ideas, and make friends.
Teen Summer Reading Program
We sponsor a popular Summer Reading Club division for teens. Participants read eight books by the end of the program and earn prizes for every two books read.
Teen VolunteersThe Summer Reading Program depends on teen volunteers in grades seven and up. Volunteers are asked to work two hours a week to help with the Summer Reading Club, read to children, keep books organized on the shelves, clean books, and perform other necessary tasks during their shifts. We have always been fortunate to have many enthusiastic teen volunteers during the summer.
Teen Collection
The Young Adult collection includes fiction and non-fiction for seventh through twelfth grade, for both recreational reading and educational support. Our fiction collection includes popular books and classics.
Online Databases
In addition to print materials, our online databases support both recreational and educational inquiry. Databases include: Biographies, Contemporary Literary Criticism, Opposing Viewpoints, Maps, NoveList, ReferenceUSA, World Book Online, Language learning.
You can access these excellent resources in the library and remotely at home and school. Remote access requires a library card and a PIN.
For more information about programs and services for teens or to make a suggestion, please contact Meegan Tosh, Youth Services Librarian or by phone at 626-355-4672.
Children's Bookflix Online Storybooks:
Scholastic BookFlix pairs classic video storybooks with related nonfiction eBooks from Scholastic to build a love of reading and learning. The engaging way to link fact and fiction, BookFlix reinforces early reading skills and introduces children to a world of knowledge and exploration.
Barks & Books: Children are invited to read to a gentle and friendly dog visitor on the second Thursday of each month between 3:30 and 4:30 p.m.
Preschool Storytimes: This very popular program brings babies, toddlers, pre-school children, parents and caregivers together for stories, songs, puppets and crafts. Days and times are:
Parent Child Workshop Series: Part of the Family Place project. This is a popular five-week parent/child workshop series. The workshops are for families with children ages three and younger. Parents interested in taking the class may contact the Library for more information and the dates of the next session: 626-355-7186.
Personal reference assistance: Library staff is always ready and able to assist our young members of the public in finding information, both print and electronic.
Study space: Children use our library after school as a place to study, do homework and research topics for schoolwork.
In-Library Class Visits: Teachers and leaders of youth organizations bring children to the library to listen to stories, do research and find books.
The Children's Collection includes board books, picture books, beginning readers, fiction, non-fiction audio books and DVDs. Our fiction collection includes popular books and classics for both leisure reading and academic support.
In addition to print materials, our online databases support both recreational and educational inquiry. Databases include: Biographies, Bookflix, NoveList, ReferenceUSA, and World Book Online. You can access these excellent resources in the library and remotely at home and school. Remote access requires a library card and a PIN.
For more information about children's programs and services or to make a suggestion, please contact Meegan Tosh, Youth Services Librarian or by phone at 626-355-4672.
Sierra Madre Public Library is a Universal Borrowing Library, serving residents from anywhere in California.
Patrons must complete and sign a registration form and be present to receive their cards.
A yearly city-wide read of a selected book to encourage members of the community to share in the reading experience and to participate in programs relating to the book. Events are planned for February of each year.
Unbroken: a World War II Airman's Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption, by Laura Hillenbrand, has been chosen as the City of Sierra Madre 2013 One Book One City selection by the Sierra Madre Public Library.
A month-long series of free events, open to the public, is being planned for February 2013, focusing on WW II. Copies of the book to check out are available now at the Sierra Madre Public Library.
Previous selections are The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, Tortilla Curtain by T.C. Boyle, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, Zorro by Isabel Allende, and On Gold Mountain by Lisa See.
If you need help finding information or materials please don't hesitate to ask Library staff at the service desks, by phone at 626-355-7186 or via our email reference service at ref@cityofsierramadre.com.
Our goal is to provide excellent services to the public; no question is too large, or too small. We have an excellent print reference collection and access to online reference resources. Questions beyond the scope of our local resources are forwarded to the Southern California Library Cooperative Reference Center (SCLC).
ReferenceUSA - Database of 14 million U.S. businesses contains verified, accurate data and is updated monthly. Information includes company name, executive title, business type, sales volume, year established and more.
EBSCOhost eBooks- Online non-fiction eBooks
Online Reference Books- eBooks on the Environment, Medicine, Science & Social Science
Overdrive - Downloadable eBooks and audiobooks, fiction and non-fiction
Ancestry.com - The world’s largest online family history resource, with 7 billion genealogical records from across the globe and millions of family trees. Access limited to in Library use only.
General Reference Center Gold- General interest and business titles, from national news magazines and encyclopedias to core business journals, providing a comprehensive reference resource
World Book Online- Encyclopedia covering a broad range of topics
ReferenceUSA – Find physicians and dentists
Bookflix- Reinforces early reading skills and pairs video storybooks with related nonfiction eBooks from Scholastic to build a love of reading and learning
Novelist K-8- Comprehensive reading recommendations for fiction and nonfiction titles, includes award winners and lexile reading levels
World Book Online for Kids- Encyclopedia covering a broad range of topics
World Book Online Info Finder (for older kids)- Encyclopedia covering a broad range of topics
World Book Online Reference Center (Teen & Adult)- Encyclopedia covering a broad range of topics
World Book Online Spanish version- Encyclopedia covering a broad range of topics
Biography in Context- Over 600,000 online biographies
NoveList- Comprehensive reading recommendations for fiction and nonfiction titles, includes award winners and book discussion guides
Worldcat Firstsearch- 247 million global information sources in all formats — books, full text, electronic books and journals, Web-based articles, and audio and video recordings—from the full range of recorded history.
Biography in Context- Over 600,000 online biographies
ReferenceUSA – US Standard White Pages
You will need a valid Sierra Madre Public Library card & PIN/password to access most of these databases if you are not within the Library. Once authenticated, you can browse between databases without further requests to log in.
Friends of the Sierra Madre Library Fund: Ancestry.com, Biography In Context, NoveList, ReferenceUSA, and World Book Online databases.
Bookflix is provided courtesy of the California State Library.
My Library Account is a record of your personal information at the library, items currently checked out, requested items, overdue items, and any fines/fees you may have.
To log into your personal account you will first need to obtain a PIN (Personal Identification Number) created by you at the Library with a staff member.
Once you have established a PIN you may access your personal information from home via the Internet.
PIN/password may contain letters and/or numbers and should be at least 4 characters long.
ACCESS to My Library Account:
Click on My Library Account
At the prompt, enter your 14 digit library card number (omit spaces)
Type in your PIN and press enter or click the “Submit Button”
Once you are logged in to My LibraryAccount you can:
View items checked out
Renew items
Request checked out items ($1.00 fee)
Modify your PIN
Modify your email address
View your fines and fees
Search the Catalog
Set up preferred searches
Reset forgotten PIN
FORGOTTEN PIN:
If you have forgotten your PIN you can reset it by email if you have a valid email address in your account.
On the account login page, click on the Forgot your PIN link.
Seniors particularly enjoy the large print collection, Playaways and books on tape.
Homebound patrons will benefit from the "Titles to Go" program which will deliver books to the door.
Volunteers help either in the Library or through the Friends organization.
Teachers may apply for a teacher card that can be used to check out items to supplement their classrooms.
Families enjoy many of our services and programs together, but check out the Children's and Teen's pages for age-specific services.
Travelers & Commuters use Audio Books and Playaways for long journeys.
Job Seekers benefit from how-to books on resumes, and online resources. Many people use the public computers to create resumes and apply online for jobs.
Readers can browse our online Catalog, or search for items around the world in Worldcat. Online databases such as NoveList, and the Thursday Book Club and Adult summer reading program encourage discussion on literary matters.
Life-long learners access how-to books on a variety of subjects, online reference resources that cover many disciplines and reference staff to help answer your questions. Books on specialized topics can be borrowed through our Interlibrary Loan service.