Goleta and Santa Ynez Valley Libraries Now Reopen!

The Goleta, Solvang and Buellton library branches are pleased to be reopen to the public in limited capacity for Express Service! Library staff is excited to serve patrons again in-person following COVID-19 safety guidelines. Express Service Library Hours are Wednesday – Saturday, 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. The hours are the same as Sidewalk Service, which will remain open. Please note, the entire library will be open at all three branches except for the restrooms. Each branch will operate a little differently – learn more here.

Participate in the 2021 Online Summer Reading Program

The Summer Reading Program has begun! Readers of all ages can sign up for this eight-week program full of great reading, fantastic prizes, and fun livestreamed shows for the whole family. The program is held completely online through Beanstack, a website and app where you can track your reading. To encourage participants to keep reading all summer long, many local businesses have generously donated prizes that readers can earn as they log books in their Beanstack accounts. Plus, fun online shows will be livestreamed through the libraries’ social media channels through the end of July, including visits from children’s musicians, a magician, puppeteers, and even the zoo! Check the Events Calendar for full program details. The Goleta and Santa Ynez Valley Libraries extend their heartfelt gratitude to all of this year’s Summer Reading sponsors. We greatly appreciate your support! For more information, click here.

Congratulations to our Book to Action Teen Bookmark Design Contest Winners

During the month of April, local 7th - 12th graders were invited to design an original bookmark celebrating the theme “Equity. Diversity. Inclusion. What does it mean to you?” as part of our 2021 Book to Action program. The Goleta & Santa Ynez Valley Libraries received many wonderful entries that were beautiful, empathetic, and thought-provoking. We are excited to announce the winners of the contest: Dulce Perez, Eva Worthey, Lauren Hubbs, Natalie Meyers-Johansing, Jessica Xu, Gabriela Navarro, Reiner Zhang, Nolan Waters, Adam Marmorstein, Helen Pruitt-Kennett, Charlotte Hecker, Brandon Williams, and Gray Arredondo. Each winner received a certificate and a gift card for a free smoothie from our generous sponsor, Blenders in the Grass! To see the winning designs, visit our website and social media pages. Copies will also be available at the libraries through June 30th.

Book Club Kits

To celebrate the fact that we can once again start gathering in-person with friends and family to discuss a good book, the Friends of the Library of Santa Ynez Valley, with the help of local independent bookstore The Book Loft, are funding ten new Book Club Kits, for both adults and children. Each kit contains 10 books and supplemental materials, and will be available to all readers in the Goleta and Santa Ynez Valley Libraries. Patrons can request a kit using the keyword search in the Black Gold catalog.

Pictured: Book Loft Manager Echo Molina and Friends of the Library of Santa Ynez Valley President Bonnie Jacobsen with the first kit, Prairie Lotus. 

MOXI Family Passes

MOXI, the Children’s Museum in Santa Barbara is open again and we have three family passes available for seven-day borrowing. Look up “MOXI Family Pass” in the Black Gold Catalog and place a hold on one of the passes so you can take your family to this fun museum for free!

Home Energy Savings Kit Available to Borrow

Thanks to the Tri-County Regional Energy Network, we have two Home Energy Savings Kits available for borrowing through our Library of Things collection. Library patrons can request one online using the search field in the Black Gold catalog. Each kit contains items to use to help assess the amount of energy you are using at home. There are a number of great items in the kit for you to keep, including: a low-flow showerhead, four light-emitting diodes bulbs, a water flow rate bag, water leak detection dye tablets, two low-flow faucet aerators, weatherstripping, and outlet gaskets. The kit also contains the following helpful items which need to be returned to the library: a Kill-a-Watt meter, infrared laser thermometer, refrigerator thermometer, pliers, and pipe thread seal tape. We are most grateful for 3C-REN for creating these kits for you to make your homes more energy efficient.

Dr. Russell Endo presents: “Before the Mass Incarceration of Japanese Americans”

Many people are aware of the mass incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II, but fewer people know about the prior detention/internment of thousands of Japanese, German and Italian immigrant leaders who were seen as risks to national security. This talk on Saturday, June 19 at 2:00 p.m. will discuss this tragedy with a specific focus on Japanese in Santa Barbara County and the Tuna Canyon Detention Station. Dr. Russell Endo is a retired professor at the University of Colorado and a Tuna Canyon Detention Station Coalition board member. A live Q&A will follow a prerecorded video presentation. Viewing information will be available here closer to the date.

Conrad Caspari: My Father's Story

Fritz Caspari, a convinced anti-Nazi, left Germany when WWII broke out to escape from the Nazi regime. He was teaching at Scripps College in California but was on an FBI watchlist and arrested and detained right after Pearl Harbor. This is the story of his experience. Fritz' son Conrad Caspari, a board member of the Tuna Canyon Detention Station Coalition, will be joining us online Saturday, June 26 at 2:00 p.m. from London for this presentation. Q&A will follow. Information on how to participate will be available here closer to the date.

Teen Graphic Novel Club

This month the Teen Graphic Novel Club will meet online Tuesday, June 22 at 3:30 p.m. to discuss the moving content and compelling artwork of our 2021 Book to Action title They Called Us Enemy, written by George Takei, with Justin Eisinger and Steven Scott, and illustrated by Harmony Becker. The club will also discuss Superman Smashes the Klan: The Graphic Novel by Gene Luen Yang. Register now to save your seat.

Teen Volunteer Opportunities

Teens in search of volunteer opportunities this summer can earn community service hours online through two exciting programs. First, they can write detailed book reviews that will be posted on the library website to build our for-teens, by-teens readers’ advisory page. Second, teens can volunteer through the Teen Graphic Novel Club as a discussion leader, blog writer or graphic designer! The Club meets once a month online to discuss all things illustrated. Full details on the library’s Teen Volunteer Opportunities are available here.