Some Days Are Special

Some people think that librarians are boring, that they don’t want people to have any fun, that they practice shushing exercises in their free time. Being a librarian can be a downer, but there are some days————

 

When I was at one of our Pop-Up Library events, a woman came to the library table and said, “Do you see that boy?”

She was pointing to a young man who was near high-school age, and she said, “I used to bring him to storytimes at your branch!”

I felt old, because it has been a long time since I read stories at that branch. She talked with me for a while, excited about the library’s new services like e-books and databases. It was a pleasant chat.

After she went away, I tried to tidy up our display. There were books to check out, information flyers about the library, and library giveaways: stickers, pens, and bags. I also had a stack of magnetic white-boards for note-writing on your refrigerator. One of them had some writing on it. I almost erased it until I read the message:

“Thank you Library”

 That was one of the special days.

Driving Tests: Pass Them the Easy Way!

Is it time to renew your California Driver's License, or is someone taking the written test for the first time?

DON'T PANIC!

One of the links on the Fresno County Public Library’s Research It webpage is Driving Tests. Click on it and you will have instant access to twelve California automobile driving tests, eight motorcycle tests, four CDL (Commercial Driving License) tests, and three online driving manuals for studying. There are also tests and manuals in Spanish.

Here is a sample question:

If you litter on the roadside, you are subjected to a fine of:

A.     $1000

B.     $500

C.     $1,500

D.     $600

 

 

What was your guess? The first time I saw this question, I chose $1,500. I was wrong. The fine for littering is $1,000. If you were right, congratulations, but it still wouldn’t hurt to take some of these practice tests to brush up on all the facts you’ll need at the DMV. This isn’t one of the library’s subscription databases, but it is reliable…and it’s FREE!

So, toss out those old, yellowed, out-of-date written tests your family has been saving, and get ready to pass, get your license, and hit the road! WoW!

 FCPL databases provide cardholders with a vast amount of accurate, free online information. This blog post is a part of a weekly series highlighting FCPL databases and is tagged with the blog tag “Resource of the Week.”

 

In Honor of World Refugee Day: a Special Ceremony for New Americans

Once a month at Valdez Hall, a very important ceremony is held for new Americans: more than 800 people take their Oaths of Allegiance, becoming naturalized U.S. citizens. (Naturalization is the process by which U.S. citizenship is granted to non-citizens.)

But on June 20^th, in honor of World Refugee Day, a special naturalization ceremony took place at Fresno State’s Satellite Student Union. The event was the culmination of months of organizing and planning by the Citizenship Academy and partners of the Central Valley Network for Integrating New Americans (CV-NINA). CV-NINA partners include the Maddy Institute of Fresno State, Fresno Adult School, the Fresno County Public Library, Proteus, San Joaquin Valley College of Law and Mi Familia Vota. 

Doors opened at 8 a.m. Before the actual oath ceremony, entertainment was provided by the Polynesian Club of Fresno, the Hmong Cultural Voice Dancers and the CSU Fresno Folklorico. The Boy Scouts of America Troop 35 provided a color guard and a CSU Fresno Brass Quintet played the National Anthem and “America the Beautiful.”

Joining the ceremony were special guests Congressman Jim Costa, Councilwoman Esmeralda Soria, and CSU Fresno Professor Mark Keppler.  Each guest spoke about the importance of being a nation of immigrants and the rights and responsibilities of becoming a U.S. Citizen (vote!).

The Oath of Allegiance was administered by the USCIS Fresno Field Office Director. There is something very moving about the Oath of Allegiance, especially on World Refugee Day when nearly half of our New Citizens were minors.

At the end of the ceremony, new citizens received their Certificates of Naturalization.  Normally, at the large ceremony downtown, this means waiting in line with the other 800 or so new citizens. But for this special ceremony, each person was given individual attention, walking onto the stage to receive the certificate and shaking hands with the distinguished guests—an extremely special moment for the new citizens and their families.

The day was a huge success and would not have been possible without the hard work of Ana Melendez from the Maddy Institute, Lisa Agao of the Fresno Adult School and Michelle Gordon of the Fresno County Public Library, as well as the 40 or so volunteers (from many of CV-NINA’s partners) who helped with all aspects of the ceremony.

The Fresno County Public Library is proud to be a partner in the Central Valley Network for Integrating New Americans. In addition to this partnership, FCPL offers a number of services to support new Americans including citizenship materials and practice civics tests on our Learning Express databases. Call or email us for more information about these services.

WoW! JobNow!

Job-hunting can be difficult, time-consuming and downright stressful. If you haven’t created a resume in a while, or if it’s been years since you were interviewed, the prospect of going through the job application process may inspire serious anxiety. So where can you go for resume templates and interview advice? JobNow, an online resource provided by the Fresno County Public Library, is a great place to start. Simply go to the Library’s Job and Career page, click Job Now and log in with your library card number. (Never had a library card? Had one a while back but have no clue where it is? Visit any local library branch with your ID to get one.)

What’s so great about JobNow? JobNow gives you access to resume templates, resume advice and (perhaps most impressively) a resume lab where you can submit your resume and get feedback from an expert.

Worried about that job interview? JobNow also gives you access to online interview coaches, who will help you refine your answers and make you more comfortable with the process.

Now, JobNow is one of several Job and Career resources the Library offers. Visit the Library’s Jobs and Job Hunting page or call us at (559) 600-9699 to discover others.