What’s New @ AFPLS

Sisikala Penumarthi will host a Kuchipudi workshop on Wednesday November, 12 at 2:00 pm on the 1st floor of the Central Library.   Originally a dance of drama and devotion performed only by men of the Brahamin caste in southern India, the classical Kuchipudi style is now open to all learners.

Ms Penumarthi is a teacher and lead performer who has toured many countries.  She is a recipient of  the Master Artist Award from the Georgia Arts Council and the National Foundation for the Advancement of Arts.

Come and try the graceful and very quick moves of Kuchipudi. Or if you prefer, come and enjoy the workshop by just watching. 

Contact the Global Access Department at 404.730.1915 for more information.  All events are free and open to the public.

The Global Access Department is presenting a post-Election Day treat.  Coming at the end of Hispanic Heritage Month (okay, a little past the end) is the group Havana Son. 

Havana Son is lead by Cuban native Rene Herrera, an award winning composer and arranger who brings the music to life through his use of piano, vocals, guitar and TRES (Traditional Cuban Stringed Instrument).

His wife Lilian Herrera is of Cuban heritage and has sung professionally in the classical music world as well as with many Latin bands. Havana Son plays authentic Latin rhythms such as Salsa, Merengue, Son, Cha Cha, boleros, bachata, vallenato, cumbia and more.

Havana Son will perform on Wednesday November 5th at noon on the 1st floor of the Central Library.   Call the Global Access Department at 404.730.1915 for more details.  All programs are free and open to the public.

Come and enjoy a lunchtime jazz break with Earmail at noon on Thursday, October 9 on the 1st floor of the Central Library.  The program will feature saxophonist John James Willikes.  Mr. Willikes brings the flavor of his home in Curaçao, Dutch Antilles to his compositions.  

Listen to a sample of the Earmail sound  before you join us.  The program is free and open to the public.  Contact the Global Access Department at 404.730.1915 for more information.

September 15 to October 15 is Hispanic Heritage Month.  A lot of activities are scheduled at Central Library and around the Atlanta area as part of the celebration. The Global Access Department of the Central Library is sponsoring two of the events.

You are invited to the first event to learn something about Hispanic culture, history, language and geography while you listen to the Mariachi Music of Mexico with Otto-Ron Don.  The program will be on the 1st floor of the Central Library at 12 noon on Thursday September 18th.  

The second event will be a performance by  the music group Havana Son (more about them later). 

For other events at Central Library this month, go to the AFPLS homepage and click on the link to Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month.

For more details about the Global Access Department events, please call 404.430.1915. All programs are free and open to the public.

The Library of Congress has named Stevie Wonder it’s recipient for the 2008 Gershwin Prize! According to Librarian of Congress James H. Billington, the Gershwin Prize [named for legendary American song-writing duo George and Ira Gershwin] was created “to honor an artist whose creative output transcends distinctions between musical styles and idioms, bringing diverse listeners together, and fostering mutual understanding and appreciation.” The award was founded in 2007 and it’s first recipient was Paul Simon. The presentation of the 2008 award will take place in February and is sure to be accompanied by a televised concert at some point.

AFPLS has many albums and some videos of both Stevie Wonder and Paul Simon. Check the catalog here for some of the following titles to celebrate these two prolific song-writers in their own words!

• Songs in the key of life [sound recording]
      Wonder, Stevie
• Talking book [sound recording]
      Wonder, Stevie
• For once in my life [sound recording]
      Wonder, Stevie
• Graceland [sound recording]
      Simon, Paul
• Soul & inspiration [sound recording]
      Simon, Paul
• Surprise [sound recording]
      Simon, Paul

Have a seat, close your eyes, and let the music whisk you away to the Caribbean.  Mr. Scott Douglas will play the steel drums and provide a musical vacation for an hour on Thursday, August 14 at 12 noon on the first floor of the Central Library.

The event is sponsored by the Global Access Department.  Please call 404.730.1915 for more details.   This performance is free and open to the public.

Welcome to the French Collection!!! The French Collection contains a variety of magazines, books, DVD’s and CD’s. We have the Le Monde, the daily newspaper published in Paris, one of the most important and widely respected newspapers in the world.  We also have the most exciting movies and the most exquisite, relaxing music collection. Come out and check out our fantastic collection.

 L’Express is France’s first weekly news magazine. When founded in 1953 during the First Indochina War, it was modeled on the American magazine TIME. The magazine was supportive of the policies of Pierre Mendès-France in Indochina, and in general had a left-of-centre orientation. The magazine opposed the war in Algeria, and especially the use of torture.

 Le Monde is a French daily evening newspaper. It is considered the French newspaper of record, and is generally well respected, often the only French newspaper easily obtainable in non-Francophone countries.

DVD’s – Here at Global Access, We also carry a lot of exciting movies. Come check them out!!!

• L’ enfant
• Perceval
• L’equive
• Les Bleu Poudre –La Crème
• Les Temps Qui Changent

CD’s – Here at Global Access, we have a large selection of musical artists. Our collection includes music from:

• Mario Pelchat
• Pierre Lapointe
• Piere Flynn
• Kain ( Music group)
…..and many more

Come and check out the variety of magazine and other materials at the Global Access on the 4th floor of the Central Library. Call 404.730.1915 for more details.

This post was written by Ms Katrina Buffington, library intern and senior at Fort Valley State University in Fort Valley, Georgia.  The staff of the Global Access Department would like to thank Ms Buffington for her hard work.

The Hindi Collection of books, CD’s and DVD’s has recently been expanded by more than 100 DVD titles of new and old films.  The Global Access Department of the Central Library is home to the Hindi collection and is responding to the demand for Hindi DVD’s with this latest acquistion.  You will find all of these materials in the library catalog.  Everything is available for circulation with the exception of  the Hindi magazine Stardust; that has to be read in the library.

DVD titles include:
*Provoked (2007)
*Mehendi Lagake Rakhna
*Golmaal
*Ta Ra Rum Pum

Here are a few fun tidbits related to the music world that you might find of interest….

Coldplay has a new album, Viva La Vida, coming out on June 12. As a preview, fans can download the first single, “Violet Hill,” for free for one week, starting today, from the Coldplay site. Click on “Song” to get to the free download. AFPLS has 2 of the band’s previous CDs, A Rush of Blood to the Head and X & Y, in our catalog.

Madonna’s new album Hard Candy has already been released and USA Today has both a review and a clip from the first single, “4 Minutes.” AFPLS has many of Madonna’s CDs, movies and books available, which you can see in our catalog.

Rolling Stone has a page on Coachella which took place over the weekend in California. Prince, Death Cab for Cutie and The Ranconteurs, among others, rocked Indigo. The Rolling Stone page is comprehensive, covering all the acts, including photos and reviews. AFPLS has CDs by many of the bands, which you can check in our catalog.

You will be pleasantly surprised if you come to the Global Access Department at the Central Library.  We have a new, small Urdu collection that includes books, CD’s and DVD’s.  You will find poetry and fiction.  Non-fiction topics include cooking, history and biography. You will find familiar names such as: 

*Ibn Al-Jawzi

*Faraz Ahmed

*Mushaf Iqbal Tausifi

*Sudarsan

*Safi Ibne 

All of these materials are available for circulation. Check the library catalog for your favorites.

We also carry the newspaper Akhbar-E-Jehan and the periodical Raabta. Neither  Akhbar-E-Jehan nor Raabta  circulate; they are to be read inside the library.