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Helping Hands for Hand-Held Devices

Electronically savvy and patient volunteers from the National Charity League will be available on Saturday June 10 from 2:00 PM to 4:00 pm at Crowell Public Library’s Barth Community Room to help frustrated people figure out how to use their hand-held devices. Many people who have iPods, Androids, tablets, iPhones, and other gadgets, can’t figure out all of the features. The young volunteers are familiar with many of the concepts behind these devices, so even if they haven’t used a particular gadget, they may be able to help a person figure out what to do. This program was initiated by San Marino High School student Chunbill “Billy” Liu who grew up surrounded by gadgets, but noticed there was a technology gap with people who did not have that advantage. Billy approached Crowell Library about closing this gap, while getting in some community services hours for himself and his friends, but the program has continued because there is such a need. Now volunteers from National Charity League have stepped in to help the tech-needy! If you are frustrated with online and telephone support options, come to Crowell Library and work with a living, breathing techie that will help you “bond” with your device. There’s nothing like one-on-one assistance to help solve problems and tackle sticky widgets. Registration is required for this program. To reserve your spot, please call 626-300-0777, extension 579 as soon as possible. There are a limited number of volunteers, so slots will fill quickly.

El Molino Viejo, 1817-2017 with Speaker Cathy Brown

The City of San Marino is home to El Molino Viejo (The Old Mill), the oldest commercial building in Los Angeles County, which this year is celebrating its bicentennial. The San Marino Historical Society is pleased to have the Executive Director of El Molino Viejo, Cathy Brown, share some its stories on Monday, May 22 at 7:00 p.m. in the Library’s Barth Community Room. In its speakers series at Crowell Public Library, the San Marino Historical Society presents quarterly programs focusing on topics especially selected for residents of San Marino. These talks are free and open to the public. In 2002, Cathy Brown began work at the Old Mill as the Assistant Director. She is a graduate of UCLA with a BA in History. She will talk about the history of El Molino Viejo and the people who have made it a home and those that have influenced its history. She and John Quinn, President of the Old Mill Foundation, will conclude with a review of the Old Mill Foundation's plans for this special year. Completed about 1816 as a grist mill for Mission San Gabriel, the original two-story structure of the Old Mill measured 53 by 26 feet. The lower walls are five feet thick and are composed of oven-baked brick and volcanic tuff, while the walls of the upper level are built of layers of sun-dried adobe slabs. The present entrance room (with its collection of antique paintings and furnishings) served as the grinding room of the mill. The top level was originally used as the granary, where the milled grain was stored. The California Art Club maintains an art gallery there today. Outside is an attractive garden highlighting native California trees and plants. This patio is the home to a chamber music concert series each summer. Learn more about this treasured architectural landmark, a fascinating link to the past and a notable California cultural center on Monday, May 22 at 7:00 p.m. For information on the San Marino Historical Society call (626) 304-9375 or email smhistorical@earthlink.net.

Digital Photography with George Simian

Audience needs considered and time permitting, George will address: the mechanics of the camera and lenses and exposure, strategies for shaping your style and vision, post-processing using various software and refining the image in Photoshop, and practical business approaches appropriate to your specific audience. George has worked with emerging commercial photographers, with boudoir and portrait photographers, with documentary fine artists, and with others just beginning to master the camera and the digital workflow. George Simian started out as a photography teacher in 1973 at Cornell University, excited to "expose" newcomers to the wonders of the latent silver image, and its magical manifestation in the darkroom. When his career moved on to commercial photography, he became a mentor to his assistants, as well as presenting one-day seminars for photographers' organizations, and for various manufacturers. Relocating to Los Angeles, George re-engaged with teaching as an avocation, and practiced it in various classrooms, location workshops, and one-on-one. He continues to offer individual coaching, meeting with various emerging photographers with very different interests, and at different experience levels. He finds it amazing how much one can accomplish when working side-by-side, focused exclusively on the issue at hand. George Simian is a longtime member of the APA American Photographic Artists. Don’t miss this free opportunity to improve your photography skills with an expert!

Meet author Michael Lindsay

The Friends of Crowell Public Library’s Meet the Author! series continues on Wednesday, April 19 at 7:00 pm with local author Michael Lindsay who will discuss his new graphic novel, America’s First Robot President – President Rob! He will survey the wild and crazy world of super heroes in today’s billion-dollar comic book and movie world. Set in the year 2030, the President Rob graphic novel finds America – and the entire world – struggling desperately to manage the sheer complexity of modern technology. There are deep concerns that humans cannot handle things anymore. Countries everywhere start to think about new advances in the fields of robotics and artificial intelligence. Could a robot leader be the answer? For America, the need for a robot president becomes truly urgent. In the novel, China, Russia, Germany and Brazil are very close to appointing robot presidents. How President Rob gets the job – and what happens to America and the world, will compel readers far and wide. Michael Lindsay was creative director of his own ad agency in Beverly Hills. In 20 years, his company helped U.S. Corporations launch 132 new products. Michael was born in New Zealand and was a sports columnist and artist for the New Zealand Herald, the country’s larger newspaper. He immigrated to the United States at the age of 28. He and his life, Hildegard, are long time Pasadena residents. President Rob – America’s First Robot President! is Michael’s first graphic novel. Local artist, Joe Oesterle helped substantially with the color and graphics. And there was considerable strategic advice from Michael’s song, Michael Junior, who at one time managed a best-selling Japanese cartoon series in the U.S. Copies of President Rob – America’s First Robot President! will be available for purchase and signing. Thanks to the Friends of Crowell Public Library, the authors keep coming!

Timeline Photos

Climate Change for Future & Present Presidents

Cal Tech’s Austin Minnich will present a fascinating program on climate change and its ramifications at Crowell Public Library, Wednesday, April 5th. Climate change is often viewed through the lens of complicated changes in weather patterns over the globe. However, the fundamental cause of climate change is simple and can be understood by everyone. In this talk, Minnich will describe exactly why climate change is occurring and its effects on our planet using basic physical principles. In particular, how the science that enables us to drive cars, use electric power, and keep our food cold in refrigerators also governs why extra carbon dioxide in our atmosphere must result in excess heat trapped on Earth. Minnich will show why common arguments that deny climate change is occurring contradict the basic physics underlying technology in our modern society. Although the present situation is serious, huge gains can be made in mitigating the effects of climate change with existing technology while also positively impacting the economy, air quality, and a host of other factors. Acting now to employ these commercially available technologies ensures that our planet will be preserved for our children and grandchildren. Austin Minnich is an Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Physics at the California Institute of Technology. He received his Bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley in 2006 and his PhD from MIT in 2011, after which he started his position at Caltech. He is the recipient of a 2013 NSF CAREER Award and a 2015 ONR Young Investigator Award. Austin Minnich also runs the minnichlab (http://minnich.caltech.edu/index.html ) which focuses on understanding and engineering nanoscale heat transport for applications in the energy field like thermoelectric waste heat recovery. Adults, STEM students and all curious non-scientists will enjoy this free presentation. Light refreshments will be served.

Celebrate National Library Week April 9-15

Crowell Public Library joins libraries in schools, campuses and communities nationwide in celebrating the many ways libraries are transforming their communities every day through the services and invaluable expertise they offer. April 9-15 is National Library Week, a time to highlight the changing role of libraries, librarians and library workers. Libraries aren’t only a place of quiet study, but also creative and engaging community centers. And libraries offer something unique to their communities, the expertise of individual librarians. Librarians assist patrons in using increasingly complex technology and sorting through the potentially overwhelming mass of information bombarding today’s digital society. This is especially crucial when access to reliable and trustworthy data is more important than ever. Crowell Public Library is celebrating National Library Week with a plethora of activities for all ages. What can be more transforming than clothing? Adults coming to Crowell Library on Tuesday evening, April 11 at will learn about the history of costume, when librarian Alex Kosztowny from FIDM presents, Fashion: From Concept to Consumer and Beyond in the Library’s Barth Community Room at 7:00 p.m. Adults will also have an opportunity to transform a book by entering the Crowell Library BookArt contest, which actually begins April 4, giving entrants ample time to let their creativity run wild. Patrons of all ages will have fun in the Library’s photo booth, taking selfies and sharing them on Instagram. The photo booth will offer a giant passport and library card prop as well as a view from a “reference desk.” For the young and young at heart, there will be a magic show from Illusions by Allen on Saturday, April 8th at 2:00 p.m. Allen Oshiro won First Place at the “Magic Corner Battle of the Magicians.” All week long, if kids are caught reading a book in the library, they can earn surprise prize tickets, and they can also participate in a “Libraries Transform” Scavenger Hunt. First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is a national observance sponsored by the American Library Association and libraries across the country each April. Don’t miss this week of fun and creativity at Crowell Public Library!

Reunification: special film screening

The recipient of a Special Jury Prize at the San Diego Asian Film Festival last year, Reunification documents the legacy of a family's immigration to Los Angeles from Hong Kong. This feature-length documentary gives an insider view on the contemporary Asian American immigrant experience, divorce and family psychology. Alvin Tsang turns the camera on his own family, cautiously prodding for answers, but fully acknowledging that the only closure he can get will be from deciding for himself how to move on. Reunification will be screened on Wednesday, March 29 at 6:30 p.m. in Crowell Public Library’s Barth Community Room. The film presents a personal narrative that not only investigates the financial and emotional struggles of contemporary migration, but also offers deep insight into divorce and its effects on children, parent-child relationships, communication gaps, and the children's need for a healing narrative "after the storm." It is an exploration of many unresolved years that moves across different channels and modes, bending into labor histories and Hong Kong’s colonial trajectories. Engaging post-screening discussions have allowed audiences from all backgrounds to share their own personal stories surrounding immigration, divorce and family relationships, mental health, and filmmaking as a way of healing. Alvin Tsang is a graduate of University of California, San Diego’s Visual Arts department where he also began his career as a film editor. He served as co-producer and post-supervisor for Ermena Vinluan’s award-winning documentary, Tea & Justice, about the first female Asian-American NYPD officers on the force. Tsang filmed and edited a documentary short profiling legendary independent film director John Sayles’s making of his film Amigo (2010) about the Philippine-American War. He serves as a video documentarian for the pioneering artist Meredith Monk and The Guggenheim Museum NYC, and has created promos for several of Michael Kors’s fashion collections. Tsang’s other films include the shorts Fish (2010) and Preservation (2011). Reunification is his first feature. Come to Crowell Library on Wednesday, March 29 for an enlightening, cinematic experience with Alvin Tsang. Light refreshments will be served. 1890 Huntington Drive, San Marino, CA 91108-2595 (626) 300-0777 www.CrowellPublicLibrary.org

Meet the Author: Edan Epstein

The Friends of Crowell Public Library’s Meet the Author! series continues on Wednesday, March 15 at 7:00 pm with Edan Epstein who will speak about his most recent book, Afternoon of the Faun. In this tale of descent, survival, and redemption, a man’s journey perversely parallels his father’s childhood struggle for survival in the forests of Europe at the end of World War II. Edan Benn Epstein works full time in health care and lives in South Pasadena. In the wee small hours he has completed five novels and is currently working on his sixth. The event is free and will take place in the Barth Community Room of the Crowell Library. Copies of the book will be available for purchase and signing. Call (626) 300-0777 for questions.

Get Your Blood Pressure and Glucose Checked

Huntington Hospital Community Outreach nurses want to empower all members of the community to enjoy the healthiest lifestyle possible. Beginning Friday March 28, at 12:00 noon, they will be visiting Crowell Public Library once a month, offering free blood pressure and glucose screenings. Patrons will be seen on a first come, first served basis and no appointment is needed. No insurance information is required; the nurses will only ask for first name, age, and zip code. The nurses will set up in the Library’s Barth Community Room right after Tuesday’s Brain Aerobics/Lip Reading session. These blood pressure and glucose evaluations can lead to prevention and early detection of the “silent killer” diseases such as hypertension, heart disease, and diabetes. As needs determine, the nurses offer counseling, education, referrals, and an opportunity to discuss any health management related issues or questions. Frequent topics of discussion include: how to use a glucose meter, questions about a recommended diet, or where to attend a health class. The nurses provide a small card on which to record results, a good way to keep track of one’s health status and monitor progress. These outreach nurses are active all year, working with many community-based organizations such as community centers, senior centers, faith organizations, schools, food banks, mental wellness programs, and health clinics. Kathy Eastwood, R.N., has worked at Huntington Hospital over three decades in Cardiology, ICU, and in Community Outreach for the last ten years. Her passion is teaching and promoting a healthy lifestyle and she is also a certified yoga instructor. Encouraging and empowering others to wellness is her goal. Ruth Pichaj, R.N., has worked in various areas of Huntington Hospital for nearly 30 years including the Senior Care Network as a case manager, and for the past ten years in Community Outreach. She enjoys connecting with and helping clients through all her community clinics and is fluent in the Spanish language. All adults are invited to avail themselves of this free program, offered to empower the community to stay happy and healthy throughout 2017!

Baroque and Romantic Elegance: Music for Solo Violin

Bach, Tchaikovsky, Delius and John Williams are the featured composers in a program devoted to tender gestures and romantic exuberance on Tuesday, March 14 at Crowell Public Library in San Marino. Violinist Paul Stein, a 35 year member of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, will perform. The unaccompanied violin demonstrates many colors and melodic contours. Bach specifically wrote some of his most profound music for violin and the richness of his harmonies which will be on display this evening, beginning at 7:00 p.m. in the Library’s Barth Community Room. Paul Stein will talk about life in an orchestra and his experiences as a music teacher and as a performer of family concerts with Chamber Music Express. He created the Chamber Music Express ensemble in 1985 to introduce classical music to audiences at schools and libraries. He has moderated seminars and lectured at the Los Angeles Philharmonic Institute and conventions of the Music Teachers Association of California. He has been a featured soloist at the Hollywood Bowl and has worked with Zubin Mehta, Carlo Maria Giulini, Andre Previn, Esa-Pekka Salonen, as well as Gustavo Dudamel. He was principal second violinist with the Colorado Symphony and performed with the Santa Fe Opera orchestra. Born in Dallas, Paul received a Bachelor of Music from Southern Methodist University and Master of Music from Yale University. His hobbies include bridge, bird watching and aquariums, and he lives with his wife in Monrovia. Don’t miss this special, free night of music in San Marino!