A Note from Library Director Allison Gray: 

Public libraries count on at least one quarter of their collection being checked out at any time so as to have room to shelve the remainder of their materials. During COVID-19, and with the increasing popularity of our digital offerings, more physical materials have been returned than have gone out. Therefore, the inside of the Goleta Valley Library looks like it never has before! 

We’ve been creatively using the space we have for the extra materials.  You can see in the photos below that we are shelving items on the floors, in study carrels and on tables. Craft kits have taken over the Children’s Department; the wall showing children’s books two titles deep is of all the children’s books we have no room to shelve right now. The Young Adult corner has been taken over by piles of paperbacks.

We are so proud of the way our staff has adapted to our new circumstance and is providing high quality online and Sidewalk Service to you, our valued patrons.

Check out our online offerings available at www.GoletaValleyLibrary.org. Information on how to select and pick up books for Sidewalk Service is available here. If you come to the library for Sidewalk Service, you must wear a face covering and keep six feet of distance between yourself and others. I appreciate how many of you have treated my staff with respect during this time, and especially those of you who have taken a moment to let them know you are thankful and appreciative.

Stay up-to-date on what’s happening at the Library by following us on our Facebook (@GoletaValley Library), Instagram (goletavalleylibrary) and YouTube (Goleta and Santa Ynez Valley Libraries) accounts. We post regularly about programs, books, websites, and more. We would love you to follow us on our social media platforms!

B. Allison Gray
Library Director

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Library Director Allison Gray at the Goleta Valley Library Sidewalk Service

Books and children's craft kits overtaking the Goleta Valley Library!

Strays Author Britt Collins Speaks Live Saturday September 12!

The author of our Book to Action title “Strays” will be joining us virtually from her home in London at Noon on September 12 to tell us about the book, show a little film and answer any questions you may have. She is a wonderful presenter and we’re so lucky to have her. You can participate in this fantastic opportunity by tuning in for the live stream via Facebook.com/GoletaValleyLibary or Goleta & Santa Ynez Valley Libraries YouTube Channel.

Children's September Craft Kits are Ready!

It's time to come to the Goleta Valley Library and pick up your child's September craft kits!  If you have registered to be part of the Craft Club, you know that you will receive two craft kits for each of your children every month. If you haven't signed up your children, it's never too late - complete our online form today!

Craft kits can be picked up during Sidewalk Service hours, 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Wednesday - Saturday. When you arrive at your local branch, you will have three options to let the library staff know you are there (see below). Be sure to tell staff you are there to pick up your craft kit.

New! Grab-N-Go Book Bags

We are excited to share that we are now offering additional books for pick up at Sidewalk Service! The Grab-N-Go Book Bags are made up of six paperback books all from a specific genre, such as Mystery/Thrillers, Fiction/Non-Fiction, Romance/Historical, and coming soon, various categories of Children’s materials. When you arrive for Sidewalk Service, let Library staff know what genre you would like to take, and they will deliver them to you along with your holds. You may bring them back whenever you are done with them.

The Annual Children’s Bookmark Design Contest is back!

The Goleta and Santa Ynez Valley Libraries will be holding their annual Bookmark Contests this fall!  All kids ages 12 and under are eligible to participate.  Goleta Valley Library’s theme this year is “Every Book is an Adventure…” and the theme for the Santa Ynez Valley Libraries is “A Friend is…”  There is a limit of one entry per participant, and entrants are encouraged to use their best idea: make it colorful, fun and let your imagination run wild!

Entry forms are available here on the Goleta Valley Library website and can also be picked up from your home branch the next time you pick up library materials.  All entries should be turned in to your local library before the deadline of September 30^th.  There will be boxes for submitting entries outside each library during Sidewalk Service hours on Wednesday – Saturday from 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Entries will be considered in four different age categories: age 3 and under, ages 4-6, ages 7-9, and ages 10-12.  Winners will be announced for both contests on October 13^th, and winners’ work will be shared via social media and printed for distribution in Sidewalk Service bags during the month of November.  Winners will also receive a certificate of participation and a gift card from Blenders in the Grass!

Read the press release for more information.

Teen Graphic Novel Club Launches this Month at Goleta Valley Library!

Comic lovers, rejoice! Fans of art, comics, and graphic novels will be thrilled to learn that Goleta Valley Library is introducing a Teen Graphic Novel Club to their set of virtual programming.

Goleta’s Teen Graphic Novel Club welcomes everyone between the ages of 13 and 17 who loves comics and wants to connect with other likeminded individuals. Each month the club will focus on a unique genre, represented by a hand-picked assortment of graphic novels. For the month of September, the genre is High Fantasy and we will be reading Nimona by Noelle Stevenson and Wynd: Issue #1 by James Tynion IV. Members are encouraged to read either or both options, and to bring their insights to the September 30^th meeting to share with others. Meetings will be held once a month for an hour each meeting, using the platform GoToMeeting. The mood will be casual and the meetings fun and discursive — recommend it to your friends!

Interested in joining, or know a teen who might be? Register for our first meeting through the library’s online calendar of events here and receive a link to join the club. We can’t wait to talk about the incredible genre of graphic novels together at our first meeting on September 30^th from 4:30-5:30pm! Wear a cool costume to the meeting and we’ll even feature your look on our Instagram page @goletavalleylibrary. 

More information on the program is available here. Read the press release here.

Buellton Library

Tech-Xpert Tuesday - Every Tuesday at 1pm (All Ages) Join the Buellton library staff on Facebook live as we guide you through the e-resource Libby! It's hosted on Facebook live where we encourage you to ask questions for our tech instructor to answer. No registration is required, but if you would like to receive a reminder then please register on the Events Calendar or visit our Facebook page (@BuelltonLibraries) at 1:00 p.m., every Tuesday.

Buellton Library Writers' Workshop - Saturday, September 12, 12:30-2:00 pm (Adults)
Join a conversation with author Stephen Graham Jones and Buellton Library staff Craig Clevenger about readers accepting the impossible in fiction. Click here on Saturday, 9/12 at 12:30 p.m. to join. Stephen Graham Jones is the author of approximately twenty-five novels, collections, novellas and comic books. Stephen’s been an NEA recipient, has won the Texas Institute of Letters Award for Fiction, the Independent Publishers Award for Multicultural Fiction, a Bram Stoker Award, four This is Horror Awards, and he’s been a finalist for the Shirley Jackson Award and the World Fantasy Award. He’s also made Bloody Disgusting’s Top Ten Horror Novels, and is the guy who wrote Mongrels, The Only Good Indians, and, soon, Night of the Mannequins (Tor.com). Stephen lives in Boulder, Colorado.

Buellton Bookworms Every Friday September 18th, 1-2:30pm (Adults)
Become a Buellton bookworm! Attendees are welcome to engage with questions and comments or just listen to to the discussion prompts by library staff.  September's book is Carson McCullers's The Heart is a Lonely Hunter. Pick up a copy at the Buellton Library or request a copy through the catalog on the Goleta Valley Library website. Click here to join the meeting on the scheduled date and time.

Solvang Library

B.Y.O. (Bring Your Own) Book Club Tuesday September 8, 6-7:30 pm
Meet up online with Solvang Library staff on the second Tuesday of each month; share what you’ve been reading with other readers and hear about their recent favorites!  The theme for September is "Twisted Fairy Tales" - any book based on a fairy tale or myth, from any culture. Click here to join this Tuesday, September 8.

Investors' Roundtable Saturday September 12, 3:00 - 4:30 pm
Helping individual investors since 1995, Roundtable welcomes both novice and veteran investors to informal presentations and discussions. Join the conversation on September 12 here.

James Lawrence Powell: Deadly Voyager Thursday September 24, 7:00 pm
Author Jim Powell will discuss his latest book, DeadlyVoyager: the Ancient Comet Strike that changed Earth and Human History, published in April 2020. Dr. Powell, always a dynamic speaker, will walk us through geologic and biologic events of 13,000 years ago, and unwind the much more recent research and findings relating to these events. The event will be streamed live on the Goleta and Santa Ynez Valley Libraries Youtube Channel, and  is co-sponsored by the Santa Ynez Valley Natural History Society. 

Great for kids! Solvang Storytime every Wednesday at 10:30 am with Mr. Zack. Stream lived on Facebook (@solvanglibrary). Music with Miss Diane on Wednesday, September 23 at 10:30 am. Fun music and movement activity for children ages 0-5. Also available on Facebook.

Mr. Zack Storytime

Music with Miss Diane

Thank you for your interest and support in our libraries. Happy Reading!