Silicon Valley Reads 2024 Kickoff
 
You are invited to the Silicon Valley Reads 2024 Kickoff event to celebrate the theme A Greener Tomorrow Starts Today!
 
Join us for a conversation with featured authors and contributors: Heather White (One Green Thing), Lily Brooks-Dalton (The Light Pirate) and Favianna Rodriguez, president of the Center for Cultural Power and teen climate activist Alexandria Villaseñor (contributors to All We Can Save). This conversation will be moderated by NBC Bay Area reporter Damian Trujillo.  
 
Don't miss out on the opportunity to learn from this esteemed panel, ask questions and have your books signed by the authors after the event!
 
The kickoff is on Wednesday, January 31, 2024 at the Visual Performing Arts Center (VPAC) at De Anza College at 7 p.m. Doors open at 6 p.m. It will be simultaneously live streamed by the Commonwealth Club of Silicon Valley. Please register for this free event*:
  • Click here to register for the in-person event
  • Click here to register for the live-streamed event
*Please note: you can change your response at any time by emailing siliconvalleyreads@gmail.com.
 
Attendees are encouraged to visit the Euphrat Museum of Art located adjacent to the VPAC lobby for "Sacred Terrain," an exhibition focused on the beauty and healing power of the natural world that features Bay Area artists. The Euphrat Museum of Art will be open from 6 – 7 p.m. before the program, and after the program until 9 p.m.
 
Throughout February and March 2024, Silicon Valley Reads will offer a diverse range of free virtual and in-person public programs suitable for all ages. The complete schedule of events will be published on the SiliconValleyReads.org website in early 2024. 
 
We hope you join us for these exciting events!

Check Out the Best Books, Movies and Music of 2023!
 
Every December, our librarians compile the best books of the year. They go through more than two dozen sources, from trade publications to bestseller lists, popular blogs, and websites. Then they are put in order to find the most agreed upon titles.
 
Without further ado, the top fiction of 2023 was The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride. The top nonfiction book of the year was How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair. Find the full lists here and start putting holds on these titles fast!
 
Our Music and Movies Team also released its 2023 favorites. Make sure to check out their picks for Best DVD/Blu-Ray Releases and Best Music. 
KIDS AND FAMILIES

Unlimited Videos for Kids
Our Online Library 24/7 offers kids free video streaming services, which may come in handy during the winter break!
 
Kanopy Kids offers educational and engaging videos for children including kids' movies and TV shows, animated storybooks, classic fairy tales, & much more. Children's accounts have unlimited play credits. 
 
Several of our libraries are also offering matinee movies. Check out the calendar here. 
Holiday Schedule
We want to let you know about our upcoming holiday hours.
 
All libraries will be closed and services unavailable on Mondays, December 25 and January 1. Libraries will close at 5 p.m. on Sundays, December 24 and 31.
 
Our Online Library is available 24/7 at sccld.org/online-library/. 

TEENS AND ADULTS

Career Online High School
For adults looking to earn their accredited high school diploma, Santa Clara County Library District provides the Career Online High School (COHS) program in partnership with the California State Library and Gale Cengage Learning.
 
You don't always learn in a traditional classroom. With the COHS program you'll have 24/7 access to an online classroom and guidance from an academic coach! You can earn a diploma in a few as five months, and receive a career certificate in one of ten high-growth, high-demand fields.
 
There are a limited number of scholarships, so apply today! Visit sccld.org/cohs/ for more details.
 
Please note: you must be 19 or older and live in the Santa Clara County Library District service area to qualify.
SimplyE Update
The New York Public Library, the developers behind the SimplyE service, will be ending support for SimplyE in 2024. It will also be removed from the SCCLD website.
 
Due to this, SCCLD encourages users of SimplyE to transition their eBook and Audiobook usage to another one of our many providers including OverDrive/Libby, The Palace Project or Cloud Library.
 
If you have any questions about moving away from SimplyE or using one of the other eMaterial sites recommended, you can always ask a librarian for guidance. Read this blog for more information.

UPCOMING EVENTS
Arts & Crafts Programs for All
A lot of students are going on winter break. If you need something fun and FREE to do, stop by one of our libraries for a craft program:
 
Cupertino Library:
Winter Origami: December 21 at 2 p.m. School aged children are invited to make two different kinds of origami penguins. You can also fold a masu box to store a gift or keep your own items in it.
Art Therapy for Tweens: December 22 at 2 p.m. We will create various winter-themed crafts. For kids 10 and up and their adult caregiver, while supplies last.
Winter Craft: December 28 at 2 p.m. Kids in grades 2+ are invited for a hands-on experience with a winter-themed twist. Please register in person. 
 
Gilroy Library:
Drop-in Winter Break Crafts: December 18-30 (excluding December 25). There will be different crafts/activities available every day during open hours from origami to a Yeti scavenger hunt.
Grab & Go Craft for Adults and Teens 12+: Drop by anytime on December 23 to pick up a craft: paper trees that can be folded from newspaper or a magazine, while supplies last.
Grab & Go Crafts for Adults and Teens 12+: Stop by on December 30 to pick up a journal with supplies to decorate them. Available while supplies last. 
 
Morgan Hill Library:
Kids Art Club: December 20 at 3:30 p.m. This drop-in program is for kids 5+ and their parents where kids will explore different techniques, styles, and art materials.
Make Ornaments with Safe Space: December 22 at 4 p.m. Safe Space is an in-person supportive social group for LGBTQ+ youth and allies, ages 13-18, hosted by the library and LGBTQ Youth Space. At this final meetup of the year, participants will make felt and fabric ornaments and celebrate the end of the year. No registration necessary.
 
MORE FROM THE LIBRARY
 
Give the Gift of Literacy
The Reading Program of SCCLD offers FREE 1-on-1 tutoring for adults who want to achieve their lifelong goals and improve reading, writing, speaking and listening skills. Learner and tutors are paired and meet for weekly tutoring either online or in-person at an SCCLD location for 2 hours a week for at least 6 months.
 
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer literacy tutor, please register for an Tutor Orientation by submitting this online form. For more information, you can email readingprogram@sccl.org or call (408) 262-1349, or if you are in Morgan Hill or Gilroy, call (408) 848-5366.
 
In addition, SCCLD offers other English language learning programs that help patrons, including ESL Clubs and Resources and English Conversation Clubs. 
FREE Genealogy Resources
The library can help you start digging into your family’s history.
 
One of our most popular eResources, Ancestry Library, has records from the U.S. census, military records, court, land and probate records, vital and church records, directories, passenger lists and more. AncestryLibrary is only accessible within the library, whether you are using a library computer or connected to our WiFi network.
 
We have a page dedicated to our Genealogy resources available on our website. Find additional resources such as HeritageQuest, Fold3 Library Edition, and Digital ReeL to learn about the past.
GET A LIBRARY CARD
OR RENEW YOUR CARD ONLINE
Join the Library with an Instant Free eCard
 
If you live in Santa Clara County and do not have a library card with the Santa Clara County Library District (SCCLD), or would like additional household members to have their own library accounts, the instant free eCard is for you. 
 
eCards are available to all residents who live within Santa Clara County Library District with a valid residential mailing address (P.O. Box not accepted). 
 
An eCard gives you full access to our Online Library
services, including eBooks, streaming movies, and more.
 
REGISTER HERE
 
You can also visit any of our libraries during open hours to convert your eCard, or apply for a full use card to check out any of our physical and digital materials and resources.
 
Renew your library card online!

If you have a library card and would like to keep it current, now you can renew your library card online! SCCLD makes it easy to keep your account current and active. No visit to the library needed if your account is in good standing and you live within the Greater Bay Area. For more information or to renew online, visit sccld.org/cardrenewal.
Visit us at sccld.org
We're here for you 
Staff is available to answer your questions Monday - Sunday (excluding holidays). 
 
You can also call your local library directly during open hours, connect with us via chat or email Monday-Friday to Ask a Librarian, or if you have an Account Question.
 
Or text us at (833) 209-6600.