Huge Annual Book Sale at Chevy Chase Library, Feb. 8 - 11

It's finally here! The Huge Annual Book Sale put on by the Friends of the Library (FOL) at the Chevy Chase DC Branch starts on Wednesday from 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. for FOL members. Not yet a member? No problem. You can sign up at the door beginning at 5 p.m. (Minimum membership: $10)

When you reach the sale (2nd floor) you will find 30,000+ books, CDS, DVDs, audio books of every genre for adults as well as kids in scores of categories -- all clearly marked. Hundreds of pocket-sized sci-fi, mystery/thriller, and romance titles are just fifty cents.The vast majority of other titles are $2, but some of the newest fiction, vintage and rarer books, classics, art, cooking, and coffee table books in FOLio (DC's best quality used bookstore) are priced slightly higher.

You can shop the sale during regular library hours, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday (9:30 - 5:30). Watch this space for news about a special "yard sale" Saturday afternoon, and Bag Day on Monday, Feb. 13, when you can fill a bag that you bring -- or we can supply -- for $5.

Chevy Chase DC Friends of the Library

5625 Connecticut Avenue, NW

Members' Sale Starts Wednesday, February 8th, from 6 - 8pm

Public Sale: Thursday, Friday, Saturday (Feb. 9-11th) from 9:30am - 5:30pm

Bag Day (fill a bag for $5): Monday, Feb. 13th

Used Book Sale at Tenley Library This Saturday

The Friends of Tenley-Friendship Library are having a mini used book sale on Saturday, January 21 from 10:30 to 1:30 at Tenley Library.

You will find a great deal of fiction, mystery, children's books, cookbooks, history books and more. More books are coming in every day. Only good quality used books will be sold.

Great bargains are offered, especially on art and architecture books. Science fiction and romance books are two for one on Saturday only. Most other books are $3.00 and under. Cash or checks only.

The sale is on 10:30am and 1:30pm on Saturday.

It's not too late to donate books. You can bring them to the Tenley Library during the hours when the library is open, but please, do not push them through the book return slots, which are intended for circulating library books only.

The Tenley-Friendship DC Public Library
4450 Wisconsin Avenue NW

Washington, DC 20016
202-727-1488

Winter Book Sale at the Tenley Library December 3

Here's a great opportunity to buy gift books at rock bottom prices and help your local library at the same time:


 The Friends of Tenley Library are having a used book boutique, a preview of their next major book sale, on Saturday, December 3 between 10:30 am and 1:30 pm in the Friends Room on the second floor of Tenley Library.

All books are newly donated books, and are currently overflowing from the Friends room.

We have books in most categories, including novels, mysteries, science fiction, history and politics, biography and children's books. And we have over 100 new and "like new" art books, coffee table books, that range in price from $1 to $7.

Please join us and get some holiday shopping done.

And yes,we can use a few more donations, but please bring them inside the library; do not push them through the library book slots.

See you on December 3!

--The Friends of Tenley-Friendship Library

No Need to Rally Today to Save Sunday Hours at MLK Library - Celebrate Instead!

Today was supposed to be the day that library users and supporters would rally at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Library to save the Sunday hours that had been cut from the DC budget. The MLK Library is the only DC public library currently open on Sunday -- and that is the most popular day for use.

However, we learned on Friday that the rally has been cancelled due to complete victory on the party of the pro-Sunday-hours campaigners, who clearly did all the right things when it comes to getting through to council members, marshalling their facts, and showing the strength of their support.

Congratulations to all who brought about this impressive outcome! And we wish you a pleasant Sunday at the library (much more relaxing than marching around outside with bullhorns).

Cooking in Antarctica: Make Your Own Solar Oven

Antarctica photo by Bill Adler

The South Pole is about 8,990 miles from any library in Washington, DC but you can get a sense of what it's like to live there and cook food using a solar oven.  There will be presentations on this subject at the Chevy Chase Public Library and the Tenleytown Public Library on Wednesday, June 29.  Here are the details:

Cooking in Antarctica: Make Your Own Solar Oven

Learn what it takes to survive in Antarctica. Physics teacher Katey Shirey shares stories and video from her recent trip to the South Pole to work on the IceCube neutrino research project. She'll teach kids to construct their own pizza box solar oven to capture infrared radiation and cook solar s'mores.

Intended for children ages 8 - 12.

Wednesday, June 29 at 1 pm

Chevy Chase Library

5625 Connecticut Avenue NW

Wednesday, June 29 at 4 pm
Tenley-Friendship Library

4450 Wisconsin Avenue NW

Huge Used Book Sale at Palisades Library on March 26

This Saturday, March 26, there will be a great used book sale at the Palisades Public Library.  Hours are from 10 AM to 4 PM.  Come to the second floor of the library at 4901 V Street NW (at the corner of MacArthur Blvd. and V Street, NW).

The sale is put on by the  Friends of Palisades Library, and all proceeds will be used to benefit the Palisades branch.  There will be thousands of books of all types, most priced from 10 cents to $1.00, or you can fill a bag for $10. All fiction is alphabetized and nonfiction categorized for easy browsing. 

Call 202-955-2873 or 202-362-4492 for more information.

New Tenleytown Library Reviewed: Thumbs Down

by Warren Gorlick

My family came away disappointed after using the new Tenleytown branch for the first time. This new library allocates relatively little space to books and other media, in favor of a large atrium area, locked conference rooms and 40 (mostly unused) computers. In general, the library had the feel of a crowded bus station, with people literally sitting on concrete floors, and a noise level that is comparably loud. If this is the model for the eventual re-construction of the Cleveland Park branch, I say "no thanks."

I began my tour of the library by proceeding up to the adult level (one enters the library at the children's level). The amount of book space is remarkably small, not much more than the Cleveland Park library, notwithstanding that this library is significantly larger. Instead, the second floor devotes nearly half of its space to three large conference rooms, with further space taken up by various private offices for library employees. All of these conference rooms and offices were locked and unoccupied. Only a handful of the 30 computers were being used. (I understand that in poor areas computers are a critical library amenity, but should computers have the same priority in an area such as Tenleytown, where a larger number of residents have a computer and internet in their home?) There are only a handful of tables and chairs available for people to sit on the second level.

After the Fire: Celebrate the Re-opening of the Georgetown Library on Saturday

After three years of careful restoration, the Georgetown Public Library, ravaged by fire in 2007, has reopened, and the public is invited to celebrate at a party on Saturday, October 23, from 10 am – 4 pm.

Here's what's in the invitation:

Fun activities for all ages. Tours of the new library including highlights from the historic Peabody Collection, Jazzy Drawing for kids, music on the new reading terrace, lecture with Chris Palmer, author of Shooting in the Wild: An Insider’s Account of Making Movies in the Animal Kingdom, Beading Workshop for tweens and teens, performance by Blue Moose (from Kids’ Euro Festival), face painting, learn how to make mulled cider, and more.

The Georgetown Library is located at 3260 R Street, NW. Click on the full schedule of events.