What a welcome! WHEEEEEEEE...POP...WHRRRR...

BRAPPA...BRAPPA...BRAPPA

WHHRRRR...POP!..POP POP...WHEEEEEEE...

The sounds of Car Week were alive throughout Monterey, welcoming me to the community. Memories boiled up - sitting in my Middle School Library reading new issues of Road & Track and Motor Trend at lunch time, dreaming about what the cars might sounds like. These were the days before wide access (and content) on the internet, when the pages of a magazine drove my imagination. This week, I saw teens pulling out their cell phones, stopping on their bikes to take photos with cars - and this brought me back to that time when I was dreaming inside the library.

I've spent the last several days being welcomed to the community by the fully engaged and energetic staff at our Library. I see opportunity all around, and continue to meet people visiting, volunteering and donating their time, skills and funds to the Library, building a stronger community. I'm truly excited to see what is possible here at MPL.

If you see me around town, please stop and say hi! My son Derek will be attending Kindergarten in Monterey in the coming days, so I'm excited to be fully invested in our community. I have so much to learn here in Monterey, and what better place than in our Library & Museums? What can we dream and create together?

Cheers -

Brian Edwards, Library & Museums Director

PS - I hope you will join me on September 10th for the first in a series of community meet and greets:

Saturday, September 10th

11:00 AM - 1:00 PM

Monterey Public Library

625 Pacific Street, Monterey CA

Stayed tuned…additional meetings, both virtually and in person, will be announced in upcoming weeks.

MPL's Event Calendar

SWITCHING IT UP...

BOOKMOBILE TIME AND DAY CHANGES

No, it’s not Daylight Savings time just yet. It's just time to switch your "Bookmobile Clock."

Effective immediately, Bookmobile days and times are changing to better serve our entire community.

WEDNESDAYS (NEW DAY AND TIMES)

La Mesa

New location: Fleet and Family Support Center

1280 Leahy Road

12:30 PM - 3:30 PM

Montecito Park

220 Montecito Avenue

4:45 PM - 5:45 PM

TUESDAYS

(stops remain the same):

Merrill Gardens

200 Iris Canyon Road

11:30 AM - 12:30 PM

The Park Lane

200 Glenwood Circle

1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Have questions about the new dates or times? Feel free to email Meri Ancic, MPL’s Bookmobile Services Coordinator, at [email protected]. She can also be reached at (831) 646-3710.

Bookmarks and flyers with the new schedules will be distributed at the stops, and here inside your library.

BOOK FLIGHT BOOK CLUB

Book Flight: a group that samples across the genres. Each month we will try something new and meet together to dive into the book together!

On her sixtieth birthday, Auntie Poldi retires to Sicily, intending to while away the rest of her days with good wine, a view of the sea, and few visitors. But Sicily isn’t quite the tranquil island she thought it would be, and something always seems to get in the way of her relaxation. When her handsome young handyman goes missing—and is discovered murdered—she can’t help but ask questions . . .

Tuesday, September 13th

4:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Meet via Zoom

ONE WEEK LEFT TO SEE THE YACsters ROCK OUR LOBBY DISPLAY

What is a YACster? Good question. YACsters are the Youth Arts Collective’s (YAC) seriously talented high school and college artists. Here at MPL, we are super excited to show off their incredible work in our lobby display through the end of this month.

This impactful non-profit’s mission is to inspire creativity, kindness, and confidence in our youth through artistic expression and mutual respect. Do art. Be kind.

For more information, YAC brochures are available in the lobby entrance off Pacific Street. And, while you are viewing the artwork, feel free to check out some of art history or “how to” art books from our vast collection. You too can rock the art world!

STORYTIME ADVENTURES

Are your older kiddos back at school? Are you looking for something fun and educational to do with your littles? MPL offers free preschool story time every week:

Every Thursday

10:15 AM - 11:00 AM

MPL’s Picture Book Area

Stories are geared for ages 2-5 but all are welcome. No registration required.

PARK(ING) DAY

Stop by Alvarado Street to visit with some of your Monterey City Departments. The Library will be issuing library cards and also will have a great selection of free books to give away. Visitors are welcome to drop by our Reading Nook, browse the collection and stay for a while.

Friday, September 16th

9:00 AM - 2:00 PM

Alvarado Street

307 VOLUNTEER HOURS....CAN YOU BELIEVE?

SUMMER READING PROGRAM RECAP

MPL’s Summer Reading Program was a hit! With 1,180 sign ups, we were proud to host a wide array of fun programs. Guess which was the most popular? Yes, the Equine Healing Collaborative, of course! We also had an amazing turnout for our La Mesa and Montecito Park Bookmobile Stops with Python Ron. The Indoor Camp Fire Kit and the Bird Watching Take and Explore Activity Kits were quite popular as well. Nothing quite says summer like snakes, ponies and desserts! Summer rocks!

Our immense gratitude to Richard Carr and Barbara Schilling for sponsoring our Summer Reading Program again for 2022! Thank you to all the volunteers who spent countless hours assisting with the programs, and preparing the Take & Explore bags each week - 307 hours to be exact.