Effective July 1, 2009, there will be no fees for the following:

Holds (anything requested from another library in the San Joaquin Library System)
Audiobooks (cassette tapes and compact discs)
DVDs
Music CDs
Videotapes
Playaways
Short Loans (formerly known as Rental Books). Checkout time for Short Loans is now two (2) weeks.
There is a check out limit of five (5) items for DVDs, CDs, Videos, Audiobooks, and Playaways.

Due to the current economic situation which is affecting everyone, the Kings County Librarian has decided to do away with the fees pertaining to the items listed above. The .25 cents a day fee still applys to items that are brought back in late.

Check out our Summer Reading Programs

June 6th to August 8th

Visit your local library. Check out books and read them for chances at great prizes from generous local businesses.

For Kids (Ages 4 to 12) : Be Creative

Sign-Up: June 6th to June 13th

Participate: June 15th to August 8th

Read books and received weekly prizes for reading. Attend weekly shows filled with song, dance, art, bubbles, & magic!

For Teens (Ages 12 to 18) : Express Yourself

Participate: June 6th to August 8th

Sign up and receive a free paperback book. Fill out a ticket for each 100 pages read and put it in a prize box for a chance to win the prize of your choice.

For Adults (Ages 18 and up) : Master the Art of Reading

Participate: June 6th to August 8th

Check out a book. Put your name and phone number on the back of the check-out slip. Put the slip in the prize box of your choice for a chance to win a prize.

Brought to you by the Kings County Library, 401 North Douty Street, Hanford, CA 93230 Tel: 559-582-0261, http://www.kingscountylibrary.org/

In celebration of Asian-Pacific Heritage Month

Sponsored by Kings County Library & Kings Art Center

Naomi Hirahara

Hirahara was born in Pasadena by parents who survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in WWII. She received a Bachelor's Degree in International Relations at Stanford University. As a reporter and editor of a Japanese-American newspaper, Hirahara wrote about the issues of reparations to Japanese-Americans who were removed from their homes and sent to camps during WWII. In 1966, Hirahara took creative writing in Wichita, Kansas, on a fellowship. She authored two biographies for the Japanese American Museum: An American Son: The Story of George Aratani, Founder of Mikasa and Kenwood; and A Taste For Stawberries: The Independent Journey of Nisei Farmer Manabi Hirasaki. Hirahara turned to writing mysteries featuring curmudgeonly Japanese-American gardener Mas Arai. The books include Summer of the Big Bachi, Gasa-Gasa Girl, and Snakeskin Shamisen, which won the Edgar Allen Poe Award. She is also the author of a middle-grade book, 1001 Cranes...

Where:

Kings Art Center

605 North Douty Street

When:

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Time:

1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Free Admission

Information: 582-0261 x104

Kathryn Sobelman, proprietor of Osterberg's Mercantile in Clovis, California, appraises items at the Family History Fair on May 9, 2009. This event was co-sponsored by the Kings County Library and the Kings County Senior Center.

The Friends of the Library made $4,040.00 in four hours.

A big thank you to everyone who bought something at the

book sale.

The crowd grows in the minutes before the yellow tape is

dropped at 10:00 a.m.

Hanford Branch Library staffmembers. Good job.

Pandemic Plans for each state:
http://www.pandemicflu.gov/plan/states/stateplans.html

DON'T FORGET TO COVER YOUR MOUTH WHEN YOU SNEEZE.




Swine Flu Information:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/?s_cid=swineFlu_outbreak_internal_001

Medline Plus
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/swineflu.html

H1Ni Swine Flu Spread Map
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&t=p&msa=0&msid=106484775090296685271.0004681a37b713f6b5950&ll=32.639375,-110.390625&spn=15.738151,25.488281&z=5

Local Author

Hazel Dixon-Cooper

Hazel Dixon-Cooper is a professional astrologer, astrology teacher, and a member of the American Federation of Astrologers. She lives in Fresno, California. She is Cosmopolitan Magazine's Bedside Astrologer and also writes a daily horoscope for Cosmo Mobile, and With Cosmo, Sirius Satellite Radio channel 111 @ 7:40 a.m. Pacific (10:40 ET). She also writes the best-selling Rotten Day astrology book series. Her latest book is Friends On A Rotten Day.

Where:

Hanford Branch Library

401 North Douty Street

Hanford, CA 93230

When:

Thursday, May 7, 2009

6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Free Admission

Refreshments provided by Friends of the Library

Information: 582-0261 x104

First Annual Hanford Bookfest '09
Book signing and talks by Local Authors
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Hanford Senior & Veteran's Center
(401 North Irwin Street, Hanford, CA 93230)
11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Open to the public
Free Admission
Sponsored by the Kings County Library and the Hanford Senior Center
Information: 559-582-0261 x103

Business Technology Center and the Hanford Branch Library Present:

Job Interview Skills Workshop

Wednesday, April 29th

from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

At the Hanford Branch Library

401 North Douty Street

The Business Technology Center in conjunction with the Hanford Branch Library invite adults of all ages to participate in this FREE workshop!

The workshop will focus on:

• Interview Skills
• Do's and Don't during Interviews
• Answering Interview Questions
• Attire

At the end of the workshop participants will have the opportunity to volunteer for a sample interview and receive feedback from the instructors.

Please come dressed for success!

Phone: 582-0261 ext. 109 or 584-1441 ext. 2528

If you cannot make it to Dennis Griffin's West Hills College appearance (see below), you can see him on April 2, 2009 at the Hanford Branch Library from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Refreshments provided by Friends of the Library. Free admission.

SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKER

Dennis N. Griffin

In a long and varied career, Dennis Griffin has been an undercover private invesigator with Pinkerton's Inc., the Director of Investigations with the New York State Department of Health, and sheriff's deputy. He is the author of The Battle for Las Vegas: The Law Vs. The Mob and Cullotta: The Life of a Chicago Criminal, Las Vegas Mobster, and Government Witness. Frank Cullotta was the right hand man of Tony Spilotro. Spilotro enforced the Chicago mob's interests in Las Vegas during the 1980s. Vegas Vixen, the third book in Griffin's Las Vegas-based fiction trilogy, was released in 2008.

Where:

West Hills College

Conference Center

555 College Avenue

Lemoore, CA 93245

When:

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Refreshments provided by West Hills College

FREE ADMISSION

Information: 559-582-0261 x103

LOCAL AUTHOR PROGRAM
Join us for a memorable evening with MARILYN MEREDITH
When:
Thursday, March 12, 2009
6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Where:
Hanford Branch Library
401 North Douty Street
Hanford, CA 93230

NO SANCTUARY
Rocky Bluff Police Department Crime Series
Marilyn Meredith is the author of award winning Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery series as well as over twenty published novels, both e-books and trade paperbacks. Under the name of F.M. Meredith she writes the Rocky Bluff Police Department crime series, the latest, No Sanctuary, from Oak Tree Press is set in a small beach community like the one she used to live in.

Marilyn will discuss the tips and techniques she has used to launch her writing career. Visit her Web site at http://fictionforyou.com/

After the program:

• Books will be available for purchase





• Book signing by the author





• Refreshments provided by Friends of the Library

For more information, call 582-0261 ext. 104

Sponsored by Kings County Library and Friends of the Library

March 8 - 14, 2009

During the month of March, we have a free trial to the Teen Health & Wellness Database. Look it up and tell us what you think.

Go to:
http://www.teenhealthandwellness.com/
Username: teentech
Password: teentech

Check out the new technology we have to offer.
Access to the database will expire on March 27, 2009

ANNOUNCEMENT:
The next library book sale will be on Saturday, May 9, 2009

Special Guest Speaker

Michael Mehas

Michael Mehas is the associate producer of the film "Alpha Dog" starring Justin Timberlake, Bruce Willis, and Sharon Stone. The film is based on the true story of a kidnapping and the alleged involvement of Jesse James Hollywood, a California drug dealer who became the youngest man ever to be on the F.B.I.'s Most Wanted List. Mehas went on to write the novel "Stolen Boy," which thinly veils the actual events of the three days of kidnapping, partying, and tragedy.

http://michaelmehas.com/home.htm

Where:

West Hills College

Conference Center

555 College Avenue

Lemoore, CA 93245

When:

Thursday, February 5, 2009

7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Refreshments provided by West Hills College

Questions??? Please call Sherman Lee at 582-0261 x103 or e-mail Sherman.Lee@kingscountylibrary.org

Free Admission