Ciné-Monde is proud to present the movie Footnote. This will be held on November 8, from 5:30PM to 8:00PM in the Peninsula Center Community Room.  The movie won numerous awards in its native Israel and was nominated for an Oscar for best foreign film in 2012.  Set in the world of academia, Footnote follows the growing rivalry between father and son.  One craves acclaim, while the other disdains academia.  The result is an award winning drama — with hints of dark comedy — focusing on the viewpoints between a clashing father and son.

The movie is rated PG, has a running time of 103 minutes, and will be presented in Hebrew with English subtitles.

If you have any questions about this movie or the Ciné-Monde film series, please call Adult Services Librarian Joshua Peck at (310) 377-9584 ext. 214.

Hope to see you on November 8!

A big thank you to Steve Lopez and to everyone who helped make this a great success!

Here is a video of the event in its entirety, followed by some photographs:

Steve Lopez speaking with Mrs. Stella March. Mrs. March has been battling for mental-health causes for over 40 years. She has worked closely with NAMI, National Alliance for the Mentally Ill.

Adult Reference Manager Sylvia Richardson with Mrs. Stella March.

Mr. Lopez signing books after his lecture and question & answer session.

The Palos Verdes Library District proudly presents our 4th annual One Book, One Peninsula community-wide reading event.  Well-known Los Angeles Times columnist and author Steve Lopez will speak under a big tent on the Peninsula Center Library rooftop (701 Silver Spur Road, Rolling Hills Estates, 90274) on Saturday, September 22 at 2:00 PM.

Lopez is the author of three novels and the acclaimed work of non-fiction, The Soloist: A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship, and the Redemptive Power of Music, that outlines his friendship with a downtown Los Angeles musician, Nathanial Ayers.   This touching story was adapted into a major motion picture starring Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr. in 2009.

Copies of The Soloist will be available for purchase, and the author talk will be followed by a book signing.

This book, audiobook, and movie are also available for check out from the library’s collection with your PVLD library card.

And to prepare you for the author talk and book signing, on Thursday, September 13 at 5:30 PM, as part of the Cine-Monde film series, the library will be showing the movie The Soloist in the Peninsula Center Community Room. This event is free and open to the public. The movie is rated PG-13 and has a running time of 117 minutes.

If you have any questions about any of these events, please call 310/377-9584 extension 601.

Hope to see you soon!

UA/MGM Pictures

Many film buffs recall the frantic search for the buried treasure in the hit 1963 movie It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World starring Spencer Tracy and Milton Berle. The movie’s eccentric characters raced throughout Southern California looking for the treasure hidden below a giant “W” they later realized was comprised of four leaning palm trees.

Although the location for the “Big W” in the movie was at a fictional place called “Santa Rosita State Park,” these scenes were actually filmed at Portuguese Point in the Portuguese Bend area of Rancho Palos Verdes overlooking the Pacific Ocean.  (The “Big W” was also recreated in Peck Park in San Pedro for another scene.)

A 2-acre set was constructed at the cost of $40,000. A local resident who was on site as a fireman remarked that all the stars of the film were there except Jimmy Durante, whose character was killed off earlier in the film. Actor Jonathan Winters was the “real comic” on the set, and was described as fun and friendly. Alas, only one of the leaning palm trees remained as of late 2004 according to the Daily Breeze, with none remaining now.

To find out more about this and other stories of Palos Verdes, please visit the Local History Room at the Peninsula Center library. The Local History hours are here, and this movie is in the library’s collection.

Visit the Peninsula Center library on July 28 from 2:00PM to 4:00PM to find out,  click here for more information, and/or click here to check library resources.  (Hint: you do not need to have a “green thumb” to attend.)

The Palos Verdes Library District is pleased to offer this free, hands-on workshop as part of the library’s Summer Reading Program.

Enjoy, and don’t forget to stop by the Adult Services reference desk to join the Summer Reading Program.  Read your favorite books or our recommended titles and partake in the weekly raffle drawings.  It’s not too late to sign up!

“Dream Big: Reach for the Stars” with the Adult Services Summer Reading Program that starts on June 4.

Please stop by and register in early June at the Peninsula Center reference desk or the Miraleste and Malaga Cove branches. We have a summer packed with reading fun: recommended reading, weekly prizes including local restaurant gift certificates and Starry Night tote bags,  and four wonderful programs centered around the “Dream Big” theme (click on the links below for further program information):

My Neighbor Tortoro A Film for All Ages :  Friday, June 15 at 3 p.m.

Buried in the Sky  A Visit with the Author :  Saturday, June 20 at 2 p.m.

Build Your Own Terrarium : Saturday, July 28 at 2 p.m.

Hi Hopes Chorale Group :  Saturday, August 11 at 2 p.m. 

If you have any questions, please call the reference desk at (310) 377-9584 ext. 601

Happy Reading!

The Palos Verdes Library District’s Summer Reading Program kicks into high gear with a screening of the family-oriented animated film “My Neighbor Totoro,” (original title: Tonari no Totoro).

Film critic Roger Ebert proclaims that “My Neighbor Totoro” has become “one of the most beloved of all family films” and is “rich with human comedy..”

This event will be held in the Peninsula Center Community Room on June 15, 2012 from 3:00PM-4:30PM. Further details can be found by clicking here.

Bring the whole family and enjoy!

With the exciting news that the 1940 U.S. Federal Census will be released on April 2, you can brush up on your family history research skills by reviewing past federal census data available through PVLD’s website.

Go to the library’s homepage, click on the Online Resources tab, then under Genealogy & Local History, click on either Ancestry Library (this database can only be used in the library) or Heritage Quest Online (this database can be used from your home) and input your PVLD library card number.  You can search for ancestors in the complete set of U.S. Federal Census images from 1790-1930 available through these two resources.

And don’t forget to save the date for the Palos Verdes Library District’s program entitled “The 1940 Census: a New Tool for Family Historians“ set for April 27, 2012 from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM in the Peninsula Center Library Community Room, 701 Silver Spur Road, Rolling Hills Estates.

Happy Searching!

Value Line Inc. recently launched its refreshed, redesigned investment website that is available for free to Palos Verdes Library District card holders.

Timely and insight-filled news articles about current economic conditions, financial commentary, market charts, and much more is available through the Online Resources tab on library’s website, or by clicking here.  The Value Line link is on the right under the category of Business & Investing.

Value Line announced that “the launch of the refreshed website coupled with social media options for investors allows for easy sharing and navigation through the vast array of products and research provided by the Company.”

With your PVLD card, you can access the Morningstar and Value Line subscription databases from your home computer — authoritative financial information right at your fingertips!

Visit the library’s homepage at www.pvld.org, go to the Online Resources tab here, then under Business & Investing, click on the Morningstar Investment Research Center & Value Line links on the right.

And don’t forget that print subscriptions of these publications can be found at the libraries.  Please ask the reference librarians for assistance if needed.