Arizona celebrates 100 years of statehood on Feb. 14, and Pima County’s Joel D. Valdez Main Library, 101 N. Stone Ave., is hosting a series of fun and thought-provoking Centennial happenings for people of all ages on Saturday, Feb. 11.

On display:

• Items submitted by Pima County teens for placement into an archival-quality Teen Time Capsule to be opened in the year 2062.  If you want an original story or poem written by a teen, a school newsletter, a favorite (small) toy, photos, drawings, a small item you’ve crafted or a scrapbook page included in the time capsule, take it to your branch library no later than January 15.
• Photos from the Arizona Historical Society that were taken in the Tucson barrios before urban renewal projects between roughly 1965 and 1971 changed them forever.  The photos on display were chosen by former downtown dwellers or members of their families in December.

Speaking:

• At 1 p.m., Dr. Lydia Otero, associate professor in the University of Arizona Department of Mexican American and Raza Studies, will talk about Tucson before and after downtown reconstruction in the late 1960s and early 1970s.  She will sign her book, “La Calle: Spatial Conflicts and Urban Renewal in a Southwest City,” after her talk.
• At 3:30 p.m., Gregory McNamee examines the history of Arizona place names, from Ali Shonak to Zephyr, sharing little-known stories behind names on the land.  McNamee is a writer, journalist, photographer, publisher of the new Five Corners Press and a research associate at the University of Arizona Southwest Center.  McNamee’s talk is co-sponsored by the Arizona Humanities Council.

A reception with refreshments is open to the public from 2:15 to 4 p.m.

A Family Storytime begins at 11 a.m. in the Children’s Meeting Room.

For more information about the Main Library’s Centennial Celebration, contact Librarian Christine Dykgraaf at (520) 594-5563 or Christine.Dykgraaf@pima.gov, call 791-4010 or email askalibrarian@pima.gov.

For more information about Pima County Public Library, including branch locations, schedules, news and events, go to http://www.library.pima.gov/.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 10th, 2012 at 9:50 am and is filed under Pima County, Public Library, Southern Arizona, Tucson. Tags for this post: Arizona Centennial, Dr. Lydia Otero, Gregory McNamee, Joel D. Valdez Main Library, Teen Time Capsule, Tucson barrios. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.