The library will remain open during regular hours throughout the project, which involves installing four new public computers and additional checkout stations, adding more comfortable seating in the quiet area and the children’s area, and installing a new customer service desk. In addition, upgrades will be completed to ensure compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and staff workspace in the rear of the building will be reconfigured to improve efficiency and security.

During the renovation work, the library’s large meeting room will not be available to the public. Organizations interested in reserving meeting space may contact other library locations which offer  meeting rooms to the public free of charge. Please call PCPL’s Infoline at 791-4010 for more information.

Summer Reading programs will be held at Himmel Park Library beginning in late May. For a list of current events, patrons are encouraged to check the PCPL online calendar at www.library.pima.gov or pick up a copy of the Himmel Park Library monthly newsletter.

Himmel Park Library opened in 1961 and was the first library branch in the city of Tucson.

About Pima County Public Library

The Pima County Public Library (PCPL), which is headquartered in Tucson, Arizona, enriches lives and builds community through opportunities to learn, know, interact and grow. With 27 public libraries serving Tucson and the surrounding communities of Arivaca, Green Valley, Sahuarita, South Tucson, Ajo, Marana, Oro Valley and Catalina, PCPL provides a wide range of free services that contribute to the economic development of the community. For more information, visit www.library.pima.gov.

Pima County Department of Environmental Quality’s (PDEQ) Clean Air Program staff will be available to provide information and offer clean air tips.

From 7 to 9 a.m., commuters can pick up information about Bike Fest commuter contests, Pima County’s commuter contest, PAG’s travel reduction program, and the latest Tucson Metro Bike Map. There will be juice, fruit, small pastries, and Ike’s will provide free coffee.

“We all know that non-motorized bicycles don’t pollute the air, but there are so many other benefits to bicycling that we don’t always consider,” said Beth Gorman, PDEQ Senior Program Manager. “Each additional car on the road increases the travel time of all of us behind that car, so every time a car is replaced by a bike, traffic congestion is reduced.”

The Jácome Plaza commuter station at the library at 101 N. Stone Ave. is one of three events happening tomorrow, the designated “Bike to Work and School Day.” The other two commuter stations will be at Treat Avenue and Third Street, and at Mountain Avenue and Ft. Lowell Road.

Be sure to check out other great events during Pedal the Pueblo week.

For tips on clean air, visit the DEQ Clean Air program.

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The Joel D. Valdez Main Library is the proud host of the Annual High School Art Invitational, which showcases the artwork of some of our community’s talented youth. For 18 years, art teachers have been asked to submit the works of their students for exhibit at the library. A juried panel then judges the show and selects winners in six categories, including painting, sculpture, photography, drawing, mixed/other media, and special recognition.

View images of this year’s artwork on the library’s flickr page.

For many of our staff members and the public, this is their favorite show of the year. We received 94 student entries from 19 different schools throughout Pima County.

A reception was held on Saturday, March 23, to present the winning students with gift cards. All of the students who have their artwork on exhibit received ribbons at the event.

This program is made possible by the Friends of the Pima County Public Library.

About Pima County Public Library
The Pima County Public Library (PCPL), which is headquartered in Tucson, Arizona, enriches lives and builds community through opportunities to learn, know, interact and grow. With 27 public libraries serving Tucson and the surrounding communities of Arivaca, Green Valley, Sahuarita, South Tucson, Ajo, Marana, Oro Valley and Catalina, PCPL provides a wide range of free services that contribute to the economic development of the community. For more information, visit www.library.pima.gov.

Librarians at Pima County Public Library are ready to help your business grow with a free hands-on workshop. On Saturday, March 23, 10:15 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. at the Joel D. Valdez Main Library, 101 N. Stone Avenue, Lower Level Meeting Room, you can learn how to:

• Locate potential customers
• Find demographic data
• Track industry trends
• Gather market research

Bring your own laptop or you can use one of ours. The library has plenty of free databases that are available right at your fingertips.

Register for our workshop by calling the library Infoline at 791-4010 or register online here.

About Pima County Public Library
The Pima County Public Library (PCPL), which is headquartered in Tucson, Arizona, enriches lives and builds community through opportunities to learn, know, interact and grow. With 27 public libraries serving Tucson and the surrounding communities of Arivaca, Green Valley, Sahuarita, South Tucson, Ajo, Marana, Oro Valley and Catalina, PCPL provides a wide range of free services that contribute to the economic development of the community. For more information, visit www.library.pima.gov.

Pima County Public Library administrators want to make sure that the library will be a safe environment for staff and the public before reopening the doors. The biggest issue is the smoke and burnt plastic odor, which needs to be mitigated.

Pima County Facilities Management is assessing the damage and will put together an action plan to address the issues.

Northwest Fire was able to keep the fire from spreading to any area of the building that contained books and other materials. Interior fire damage was limited to storage areas and a bathroom and is estimated to be between $4,000 and $6,000. The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Pima County Sheriff’s Department.

Our sincere thanks to the Northwest Fire/Rescue District and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department for their quick response and hard work to protect our library and the surrounding community.

The book drop at Flowing Wells Library is also closed. Patrons who need assistance may call the Infoline at 791-4010 or visit any of these nearby libraries:

• Woods Memorial Library, 3455 N. First Ave., 594-5445
• Nanini Library, 7300 N. Shannon Road, 594-5365
• El Rio Library, 1390 W. Speedway Blvd., 594-5245

About Pima County Public Library
The Pima County Public Library (PCPL), which is headquartered in Tucson, Ariz., enriches lives and builds community through opportunities to learn, know, interact and grow. With 27 public libraries serving Tucson and the surrounding communities of Arivaca, Green Valley, Sahuarita, South Tucson, Ajo, Marana, Oro Valley and Catalina, PCPL provides a wide range of free services that contribute to the economic development of the community. For more information, visit www.library.pima.gov.

Hear more about Deadly Stakes from the author herself in her upcoming appearances at the Joyner-Green Valley Library and the Nanini Library, when Jance will discuss her new book, answer your questions, and sign books.

J.A. Jance, who was raised in Bisbee and now splits her time between Tucson and Seattle, has more than 21 million books in print, including seven previous titles in the Ali Reynolds series. Jance is also the author of mysteries featuring the Seattle-based homicide detective J. P. Beaumont and the Cochise County Sheriff Joanna Brady series set in Bisbee, Ariz. Get the scoop on books by J.A. Jance on NoveList Plus.

Meet J.A. Jance
When:            Monday, Feb. 11, 2-3:30 p.m.
Where:         Joyner-Green Valley Library, 601 N. La Canada Road map
Cost:                Free (Books will be available for purchase.)

When:            Tuesday, Feb. 12,   10-11:30 a.m.
Where:          Nanini Library, 7300 N. Shannon Road map
Cost:              Free (Books will be available for purchase.)

About Pima County Public Library
The Pima County Public Library (PCPL), which is headquartered in Tucson, Ariz., enriches lives and builds community through opportunities to learn, know, interact and grow. With 27 public libraries serving Tucson and the surrounding communities of Arivaca, Green Valley, Sahuarita, South Tucson, Ajo, Marana, Oro Valley and Catalina, PCPL provides a wide range of free services that contribute to the economic development of the community. For more information, visit www.library.pima.gov.

Proceeds from the fun run/walk benefit MAKE WAY FOR BOOKS, the annual Pima County Public Library Story Town event and other literacy-related programs. The fun run/walk is sponsored by Altrusa International Inc. of Tucson Foundation.

When:   Saturday, Feb. 16

• 7:30-8:30 a.m.                Registration and Check In
• 8:30 a.m.                         Special Guests/Warm Up
• 9 a.m.                               Fun Run/Walk Begins
• 9:30-11 a.m.                   Awards/Entertainment

Where:  Reid Park Bandshell, 1030 S. Randolph Way (map and directions)

Registration Fee:   Age 12 and over - $15; Under 12 – Free

Ways to participate:

1. Share this with your friends, family, or co-workers; and get them to donate to your walk.
2. Ask your friends, family, and co-workers to walk and donate.
3. Form a team and get everyone to walk and donate.

About Pima County Public Library
The Pima County Public Library (PCPL), which is headquartered in Tucson, Arizona, enriches lives and builds community through opportunities to learn, know, interact and grow. With 27 public libraries serving Tucson and the surrounding communities of Arivaca, Green Valley, Sahuarita, South Tucson, Ajo, Marana, Oro Valley and Catalina, PCPL provides a wide range of free services that contribute to the economic development of the community. For more information, visit www.library.pima.gov.

David Lindo

Birder extraordinaire and author David Lindo offers this encouraging tip for birders, especially urban birders: “Anything can appear anywhere at any time.” Wander with David, by PowerPoint, as he demonstrates how wildlife abounds even in the most concrete of jungles. David’s presentation is co-sponsored by the Tucson Audubon Society and The Sierra Club, Rincon Group of The Grand Canyon Chapter.

The Adventures of the Urban Birder
Tuesday, Feb. 5, 6:30-8 p.m.
Kirk–Bear Canyon Library, 8959 E. Tanque Verde Road

About David Lindo
David Lindo is currently a patron of Alderney Wildlife Trust, Birding For All and the Spitalfields City Farm. He is a fellow member of the International League of Conservation Writers, the Founder of the Tower 42 Bird Study Group and is on the committee of The Friends of Wormwood Scrubs. He is the author of The Urban Birder published in August 2011. His next book Look Up: a guide to watching birds in urban areas will be out in the Spring of 2014. His website is www.theurbanbirder.com.

About Pima County Public Library
The Pima County Public Library (PCPL), which is headquartered in Tucson, Ariz., enriches lives and builds community through opportunities to learn, know, interact and grow. With 27 public libraries serving Tucson and the surrounding communities of Arivaca, Green Valley, Sahuarita, South Tucson, Ajo, Marana, Oro Valley and Catalina, PCPL provides a wide range of free services that contribute to the economic development of the community. For more information, visit www.library.pima.gov.

Ancestry Library Edition is free and only available from inside the library. Just go to any branch to access this online resource via the library’s website. You can use it on any library computer, or research as long as you like with your personal laptop inside the library.

“Ancestry is probably going to be one of our most popular online resources ever,” said PCPL’s Electronic Resources Librarian Jennifer Caldwell. “Along with updating our website’s genealogy page, we’ve provided training to our staff because patrons who are doing genealogy research frequently ask us questions about resources they can use.”

Certain features and functionality that Ancestry.com subscribers have are not included in the institutional versions of Ancestry, including the Family Tree Tab ways to share and manage the information you find at Ancestry.com.

Also, certain databases that are available on Ancestry.com are NOT available on Ancestry Library Edition (ALE):

• Family Trees
• Historical Newspaper Collection
• Family and Local History Collection
• Obituary Collection
• Periodical Source Index (PERSI)
• Filby’s Passenger and Immigration Lists Index (PLI)
• Biography & Genealogy Master Index (BGMI)
• Freedman’s Bank Records

PCPL has many genealogy resources available online that you can use anywhere, anytime. All you need is your library card and PIN. Resources include: HeritageQuest, America’s Obituaries, Arizona Daily Star archives, Arizona birth and death certificates, and much more.

About Pima County Public Library

The Pima County Public Library (PCPL), which is headquartered in Tucson, Ariz., enriches lives and builds community through opportunities to learn, know, interact and grow. With 27 public libraries serving Tucson and the surrounding communities of Arivaca, Green Valley, Sahuarita, South Tucson, Ajo, Marana, Oro Valley and Catalina, PCPL provides a wide range of free services that contribute to the economic development of the community. For more information, visit  www.library.pima.gov.