LibraryAware

MPL Connect

September 2022

From the Director:

Great news! There is still time to get your tickets to the Wild West Casino Night fundraiser. This year’s fundraiser, on September 17th from 6:00-10:00 pm, will feature an authentic Jalisco-style taquiza, a 360 video keepsake, slot machines, poker, blackjack, and much more! Tickets are available through our payment portal by going to www.southtexasbookfestival.com and clicking on the QR code. Or just call us at (956) 681-3006 and we can take your information by phone. All proceeds benefit our 9th annual South Texas Book Festival. While you’re at the Festival website, check out schedule of authors and encourage a youngster in your life to enter the bookmark contest. The theme is “Mythology & Folklore.”

On August 30th, walk-in traffic at the Main Library was redirected while we got a mini-makeover. That is, we did a recarpeting project from the entry gates to the interior of the Library. We hope you love the results as much as we do. Main receives so much foot traffic, that we opted to install a tough-duty carpet tile at the entry point to keep the rest of the Library’s carpeting looking bright and inviting. On September 1st, we begin a major makeover at our Lark and Palm View Branches. Phase 1 was completed this year when both branches received a fresh coat of paint. Phase 2 is the recarpeting project in the public and staff areas to revitalize and improve environment. Phase 3 will take place in the near future and I will tell you more about that in a subsequent newsletter!

Just in time for the end (hopefully) of hot weather and into some snuggly fall weather comes biblio+, a streaming movie and TV show service, free for MPL patrons through the cloudLibrary app. The app is available to download for free from iTunes or Android Playstore. Biblio+ features a curated collection of all-you-can-watch popular movies and TV shows, which showcase content for children, high-profile casts, films based on or inspired by books, Hallmark romances and comedies, Canadian-based shows, and much more. New titles are added to the service each week. This streaming service on the cloudLibrary app is in addition to a wide variety of free, downloadable e-books, e-audiobooks, and magazines. Need guidance? Just ask one of our friendly staff for help in English or Spanish.

Until next time – stay cool!

Kate P. Horan, MLS

Library Director

Current Hours of Operation

Main Library

Monday - Thursday

9 AM - 9 PM

Friday - Saturday

9 AM - 6 PM

Sunday

1 PM - 9 PM

Lark & Palm View Branches

Monday - Thursday

10 AM - 9 PM

Friday - Saturday

10 AM - 5 PM

Sunday

1 PM - 9 PM

Connect one-on-one with local child development professionals for FREE in our 5-week series!

Meet with other parents, ask questions about your child's growth to our professionals, and have fun with us!

For children ages 0 - 4

Registration begins September 1st!

Call (956) 681-3010 to reserve your spot!

South Texas Book Festival Youth Bookmark Contest

Children's Programs

For more information on children events, visit the MPLKids Facebook!

Program Highlight:

Bilingual Storytime Celebramos Mexico

Wednesday, September 14th at 6PM

Share bilingual stories, songs, rhymes and activities!

Programs

Toddler Time

September 1, 8, 22,& 29

at 10AM

Toddler Time (Palm View Branch)

September 6, 13, 20,& 27 at 2PM

Bilingual Storytime (Palm View Branch)

September 7, 14, 21,& 28 at 6PM

Baby Storytime (Palm View Branch)

September 8, 15, 22,& 29 at 11AM

Family Storytime Grandparents' Day

September 11th at 2PM

Family Storytime (Palm View Branch)

September 12, 19,& 26 at 6PM

Family Storytime (Lark Branch)

September 13, 20, & 27 at 6:30PM

Crafty Kids (Lark Branch)

September 14, 21, & 28 at 6PM

Once Upon a Time (Lark Branch)

September 19th & 26th at 11AM

Teen Programs

For more information on teen events, visit MPLTeenFacebook!

Program Highlight:

Alebrije Art

Wednesday, September 28th at 6PM

Let's celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month by painting our own bright and whimsical alebrijes! Learn more about this popular and traditional Mexican Folk art!

Programs

Mazes and Monsters Club

September 1st & 15th at 6PM

TAC Meeting

September 3rd & 10th at 2PM

Teen Improv

September 7th & 14th at 6PM

Homeschool Hangout

September 13th at 2PM

Color N' Chill (Palm View Branch)

September 14th & 21st at 4PM

Teen Sign Language Class

(Lark Branch)

September 17th & 24th at 2PM

Shrinky Dinks

September 19th at 6PM

Libflix (Palm View Branch)

September 20th & 27th at 4PM

Paper Flower Craft (Lark Branch)

September 21st at 5PM

Teen Improv Showcase

September 21st at 6PM

Unfolded: Poetry Project

September 27th at 6PM

Mad Slime Lab (Lark Branch)

September 29th at 5PM

Adult Programs

For more information on adult events, visit the MPL Adults Facebook!

Program Highlights:

Hispanic Heritage Month: Chips and Salsa

Palm View Branch Library

Thursday, September 15th at 10AM

Kick off Hispanic Heritage Month with our annual Chips and Salsa event hosted by the Palm View Branch Library. Come eat and try your luck playing some lotería! Prizes will be given to lucky winners. You don't want to miss out on this event!

Hispanic Heritage Month: Mexican Fiesta

Lark Branch Library

Saturday, September 17th at 1:30PM

Join us for an afternoon celebrating our Hispanic culture! The Mission Parks and Recreation Folkorico Dancers will share with us a wonderful performance of traditional dances from the various states of Mexico. You don’t want to miss them! We invite you to a great event for the whole family.

Programs

Living Healthy at MPL

September 1,6,8, 13 & 15 at 11AM

DIY Macrame Mason Jar (Palm View Branch)

September 8th at 10AM

Adult Painting Class (Lark Community Center)

September 10th at 1:30PM

Knitting Group (Lark Branch)

September 13, 20, & 27 at 2PM

Virtual Painting Class (Lark Branch)

September 17th at 7PM

Diabetes Awareness

September 17th and 24th at 10AM

Tech Help (Lark Branch)

September 17th & 24th

Adult Sketching (Lark Branch)

September 20th at 6PM

Pop Up Fans Craft (Lark Branch)

September 29th at 6PM

Love Beyond Body, Space and Time edited by Hope NIcholson

Nicholson again brings together a strong collection of works by talented Native writers. This time, the short stories all have an LGBTQ sci-fi twist. The introduction gives readers background information about how two-spirit people have always been a part of life. The pieces are varied as people find one another on Mars, on their way to Mars, or through a touch that transforms humans into hummingbirds. The diverse characters experience transitioning,

virtual-reality romance, and the transformative power of love. The only downside: the yearning for more tales to continue. VERDICT An accessible book that will intrigue readers looking for love in unusual places.- Amy Zembroski, Indian Community School

Registration is required for new members.

Contact reference at 956-681-3000 to register.

The House of Broken Angels by Luis Alberto Urrea

Luis Alberto Urrea is a master storyteller, and he delivers a masterwork with The House of Broken Angels, a dazzling display of narrative fireworks. There are lives intimately depicted and fully realized, losses redeemed by love; and larger-than-life characters across two borders who cross all borders and become ours. We laugh and tear up and shake our heads in wonder all the way to the ending of a book we don't want to end. Urrea delivers on every page.

— Julia Alvarez, Author of How the Garcia Girls Lose Their Accents

Registration is required.

Please call 956-681-3100 to register.

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

From the bestselling author of Everything I Never Told You and Our Missing Hearts comes a riveting novel that traces the intertwined fates of the picture-perfect Richardson family and the enigmatic mother and daughter who opened their lives. “Witty, wise, and tender. It's a marvel.”

— Paula Hawkins, author of The Girl on the Train and A Slow Fire Burning

Join MPL's New Diverse Voices Book Club! Enjoy a variety of literary works and meaningful discussion amongst peers! Registration required. Please call 681-3000 to register.

A Ballad of Love and Glory by Reyna Grande

“Panoramic and sweeping, A Ballad of Love and Glory immerses us in the history of the Mexican-American War, a history all the more relevant today as we face the legacy and painful aftermath of that bloody war. Grande integrates a sweeping Tolstoyan vision and command of language with her very own Latin American popular traditions . . . This is indeed a grand and soulful novel by a storyteller who has hit her full stride.”

-— Julia Alvarez, bestselling author of In the Time of the Butterflies and Afterlife

Join us for the new Sunday Afternoon Book Club!

The first meeting will be September 11th at 2PM in the Board Room.

Registration required. Please call 681-3000 to register.

Stream hit movies and series.

Meet Biblio+, a library of entertainment at your fingertips.

Stream unlimited movies and series on any device, ad-free. All you need is a library card to get started.

Login to the site here with your McAllen Public Library card!

Thousands of books at your fingertips.

Overdrive and Libby have got your reading handled.

Check out items from the comfort of your home. We have e-books, e-audiobooks, and reads for all ages and tastes, all available with a McAllen Public Library card.

Download the Libby app or visit mcallen.overdrive.com!

Thousands of e-books and e-audio books.

Cloud Library

Check out items from the comfort of your home. We have e-books, e-audiobooks, and reads for all ages and tastes, all available with a McAllen Public Library card.

Login to the site here with your McAllen Public Library card!

Unlimited e-books selection for kids.

AR testing at home? Need books?

TumbleBooks is a service full of picture books, beginning readers, read alongs, and chapter books. The books are always available and have AR testing information included.

Login to the site here with your McAllen Public Library card!

Free online tutoring and more!

Free online tutoring and more.

Tutor.com combines online tutoring, homework help, test preparation, and career support with a variety of self-study resources to provide a well-balanced and flexible educational environment.

Login to the site here with your McAllen Public Library card!

Collection of guides listed by topic.

Library Subject Guides

A wide variety of guides organized by subject featuring library and internet resources on topics of cultural, historical, literary, and local interest.

Access the page here!

Free streaming shows with your library card.

Unlimited streaming shows and movies.

Educational, enriching, entertaining!

Stream hundreds of videos for free, brought to you by your library.

Download the Kanopy app or visit mcallenlibrary.kanopy.com!

Find us on Facebook!

Make the most of McAllen Public Library by following the Facebook pages that you're most interested in. All pages contain age-appropriate virtual content. It's one way MPL is keeping you connected!

For information about all library services and events: McAllen Public Library
For the parents of children birth up to 5th grade: MPL Kids
For teens from 6th grade through 12th grade and their parents: MPL Teens
For adults: MPL Adults