Library Website Show and Tell Video

You may not know how much the Goleta Valley and Santa Ynez Valley Libraries have to offer without needing to walk through the front door. It is incredible all you can access at www.GoletaValleyLibrary.org with the click of a mouse or on your phone. The library offers Spanish Language materials for adults and children, as well as Spanish language programs. Bilingual staff are available to assist patrons. 

Don’t miss this show and tell tour of our library website with Library Director Allison Gray where she shows you how easy it is to find everything you could possibly need. Prepare to be impressed. Watch now in English (https://youtu.be/zYi7m0nKDPM) or Spanish (https://youtu.be/U7vN5A8DiTI).

Participate in our Book to Action Program!

The Goleta and Santa Ynez Valley Libraries third annual Book to Action program is currently taking place. This year's book is George Takei’s stunning autobiographical memoir They Called Us Enemy, which centers around the themes of equity, diversity and inclusion. The community is invited to read this compelling book (available at your local branch) and participate in engaging online programming that will honor this story and celebrate inclusion for all. See below for May program highlights and learn more here.

Book to Action Event with Sigrid Toye

On Saturday, May 15 at 3:00 p.m. Sigrid Toye will speak on “Tuna Canyon Detention Station, and the History of German American Incarceration in the United States during WWII.” Toye will share with us her family’s experience of her father’s three years at Tuna Canyon Detention Station and will cover a brief history of German American incarceration during World War II. Part of her presentation is a short original film dramatizing the night her father was taken. Toye is an educational and behavior therapist in private practice and holds a PhD in clinical psychology. She currently writes for Voice Magazine and the Montecito Journal and volunteers in Santa Barbara. Toye loves all things creative, including her two grown children, both working artists. A link to watch will be available here.

Artist and Illustrator Harmony Becker Participates in Book To Action

Artist and illustrator Harmony Becker will be featured on Saturday May 22 at 2:00 p.m., to speak about creating the artwork which is so much a part of George Takei’s graphic novel “They Called Us Enemy,” which was published by Top Shelf Productions in 2019.  Becker is the creator of the comics Himawari Share, Love Potion, and Anemone and Catharus. She is a member of a multicultural family and has spent time living in South Korea and Japan. Her work often deals with the theme of the language barrier and how it shapes people and their relationships. She currently lives in Colum­bus, Ohio. A link to watch will be available here closer to the date.

Watch June Aochi Berk's Book to Action Event

In case you missed our Book to Action Event with June Aochi Berk speaking on “Camp Rohwer Memories,” you can watch it here on YouTube. From age 10-13, Berk was incarcerated with her family in the Rohwer Japanese American Relocation Center in Arkansas. Between 1942 and 1945, more than 8,000 Japanese Americans were interned in this 500-acre camp surrounded by armed guards and barbed wire, including George Takei and his family. During this presentation, Berk will share her memories of this time, as well as the stories of other Japanese American survivors of incarceration which she has preserved via oral interviews. Before retiring, June worked at the Japanese American National Museum, where she still volunteers today. She is active on many committees and boards.

Live Online Wiggly Storytime

Join Miss Hilary from the Buellton Library for a virtual Wiggly Storytime Fridays at 11:00 a.m. where we will sing, dance, read and have fun! Storytimes are a great way to build necessary skills during a child's first five years and a great way to stay virtually socially connected to other toddlers and parents during this time of social distancing. Register on the Library Events Calendar for the link. All library events are free and open to the public. Best for ages 5 and under.

Buellton Bookworms

Join the Buellton Library's bookworms book club and meet a new friend! This monthly group meets every third Friday afternoon of the month at 1:00 p.m., with the next meeting on May 21. This month we will be discussing “The Dutch House” by Ann Patchett, a multigenerational novel about a family in Philadelphia after the second world war. Click here to register. This event is free and open to the public. Contact the Buellton Library at 805-688-3115 for more information on this title and next month's selection.

Sweet & Savory Cooking Conversations

Louise Smith, aka "the Cheesecake Lady" will join us May 27 at 1:00 p.m. to talk about her cooking inspirations and, of course, cheesecake! Louise Smith founded Louise’s Kitchen Table in 2004; her culinary adventures have included working as the Executive Chef at the only Five-Diamond, AAA-rated Bed and Breakfast in North America, as a private chef to numerous families all over California, as a cooking instructor, a caterer and a wine and food pairing consultant. Solvang Library's Sweet & Savory Cooking Conversations is an interactive monthly program - the link to participate is available here. We hope you will join the conversation!