LITERACY COUNCIL TO OFFER CONVERSATION CLASSES AT THE LIBRARY

Hillsborough County Library Services will host Conversation Classes, offered by the Hillsborough Literacy Council, at four branch locations:

Mondays 7 – 8 pm, September 28 – November 30 Town ‘N Country Regional Library, 7606 Paula Drive

Mondays 7 – 8 pm, September 28 – November 30 New Tampa Regional Library, 10001 Cross Creek Boulevard

Mondays 7 – 8 pm, September 28 – November 30 Jimmie B. Keel Regional Library, 2902 West Bearss Avenue

Tuesdays 7 – 8 pm, September 29 – December 1 SouthShore Regional Library, 15816 Beth Shields Way, Ruskin

Wednesdays 11am– Noon, September 30 – December 2 Town ‘N Country Regional Library, 7606 Paula Drive

Conversation Classes provide for adults who want to practice their English conversational skills. Students will sit in a small group with other language learners and practice talking with a native English speaker. The Literacy Council is seeking volunteers to help with these classes.

For more information about volunteering or the classes, call 813-273-3650 or visit the website at http://www.hcplc.org/.

CARNIVOROUS PLANTS DISCUSSED AT SOUTHSHORE REGIONAL LIBRARY

Carnivorous plant and botany enthusiast Tanja Diederich will discuss all the basics about growing and cultivating carnivorous plants at the SouthShore Regional Library, 15816 Beth Shields Way in Ruskin on Saturday, Sept. 12 at 1 p.m. Some lucky attendees will be able to take home their very own Venus Flytrap plant for cultivation.

For more information about this and other FREE programs @ your library®, please call (813) 273-3652 or visit http://www.hcplc.org/

“THE ESSENCE OF QIGONG” AT THE NEW TAMPA REGIONAL LIBRARY

"The Essence of Qigong," presented by certified Qigong Practitioner Mike Kelleher will be at the New Tampa Regional Library, 10001 Cross Creek Boulevard, at 7 pm on Wednesday, Sept. 9. Kelleher will provide a question-and-answer session, as well as teach basic relaxation exercises.

Qigong is an ancient Chinese discipline still practiced by millions that is the cornerstone of traditional Chinese medicine. This ancient discipline is known for its great power of healing, combining mental concentration, breathing technique and body movements to activate and cultivate our vital energy as it flows through the invisible channels of the body.

This program is cosponsored by the Friends of the New Tampa Regional Library. For more information about this and other FREE programs @ your library®, please call (813) 273-3652 or visit http://www.hcplc.org/.

LIBRARY CELEBRATES HISPANIC HERITAGE

To celebrate Hispanic Heritage, the Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative will host two popular annual contests, as well as offer many exciting programs and events that emphasize Hispanic culture and art.

Beginning Sept. 1, students in grades kindergarten - fifth may enter the "Our Hispanic Heritage" Bookmark Contest; adults age 18 and older may compete in the Hispanic Heritage Poetry Contest. Participants may pick up an entry form at any library branch or download one from the library’s website at http://www.hcplc.org/ . Entries need to be returned to any public library no later than Sept. 30.

Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony at the Town ‘N Country Regional Library, 900 Paula Drive, in Tampa on Sunday, Nov. 15 at 2 p.m. The contests are cosponsored by the Friends of the Town ‘N Country Regional Library, Centro Mi Diario, The Tampa Tribune, SOS Peru Foundation, and Pollo Tropical.

For more information about these and other FREE programs @ your library®, please call (813) 273-3652 or visit hcplc.org.

MOTHER GOOSE “PLAY ‘N LEARN” AT THE RIVERVIEW BRANCH LIBRARY

The Riverview Branch Library, 10509 Riverview Drive in Riverview, will host Mother Goose "Play 'N Learn" on Saturday, Aug. 22 at 10:30 a.m.

This "Play ‘N Learn" event, an interactive program with different stations, will feature Mother Goose. There will be a Mother Goose rhyme/story teller and other festivities will include stories, crafts, games and lots of FUN! Participants can arrive anytime between 10:30 am - 1:30 pm. "Play ‘N Learn" programs help parents understand the importance of using rhymes with their young children and how they help build good listening and pre-reading skills.

This program is cosponsored by the Friends of the Riverview Branch Library. For more information about this and other FREE programs @ your library®, please call (813) 273-3652 or visit hcplc.org.

ASTRONOMY PROGRAM AT THE SOUTHSHORE REGIONAL LIBRARY

Are you new to Astronomy and stargazing? If you are then this informative seminar is just for you. Bring the whole family and learn all the basics of Astronomy at the SouthShore Regional Library, 15816 Beth Shields Way, Ruskin,
on Saturday, August 29 at 1 pm.

For more information about this and other FREE programs @ your library®, please call (813) 273-3652 or visit hcplc.org.

DORA THE EXPLORER AT THE JAN KAMINIS PLATT REGIONAL LIBRARY

Dora the Explorer will be appearing at the Jan Kaminis Platt Regional Library, 3910 S. Manhattan Avenue, on Friday, August 14, 2009 at 10:30 am. During this exciting Story Time event, Dora will be reading some of her favorite adventures and offering fun giveaways for those who attend. There will also be a drawing for four free tickets to the "Dora the Explorer: Search for the City of Lost Toys" performance on Sunday, August 16 at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center.

This event is a partnership of the Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Libraries and the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center.

For more information about this and other FREE programs @ your library®, please call (813) 273-3652 or visit hcplc.org.

LITERACY COUNCIL TO OFFER HEALTH LITERACY CLASSES AT THE LIBRARY

The Hillsborough Literacy Council is joining with the Hillsborough County Health Department to offer a class about health literacy to adult English language learners. Classes will be held at the Town ‘N Country Regional Library, 7606 Paula Drive, Tampa, every Monday evening in August.

Students will learn how to stay healthy in the U.S. as the class covers topics including visiting the doctor, talking to the pharmacist, reading medicine labels, and signing up for health insurance. For more information, call 273-3650 or visit the website at hillsboroughliteracy.org.

The Hillsborough Literacy Council is a nonprofit affiliate of the Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library System that teaches functionally and marginally illiterate adults to read and write through its Adult Basic Literacy program.