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Too Cool for Yule, 2021

Since 2008, I have created a holiday playlist variously known as “Don’t Touch that Dial” or "Too Cool for Yule." (There is even a movement afoot to change the name to the “Ding a Ling Thing,” but I digress.)

Many years ago, I made mixtapes for my friends, my siblings, my work colleagues, and often, just for me. For those of you under the age of... fill in the blank... who might not have had the pleasure of methodically mining for nuggets in an LP collection, or waiting patiently by the radio for the hourly replay of the one tune that truly captures the essence of the person you are making the tape for, the mixtape can be a work of art. Each tape tells a story, and the best ones contain an eclectic blend of edgy and whimsical, happy and sad; a little silly, a little snappy and occasionally, a little sappy.

A couple of notes about this year’s edition. Each year I honor a few of the musicians who have left us. Charlie Watts of the Rolling Stones, Graeme Edge of the Moody Blues, Mary Wilson of the Supremes, and Don Everly, the last surviving member of the Everly Brothers, sadly made it to the list. (I wanted to honor Nanci Griffith but could not locate a suitable holiday song.)

Open playlist in Spotify

Listeners will find pop, jazz, instrumental, New Orleans, country, bluegrass, R&B, old school pop, The Chipmunks, and more. Perhaps my favorite is a bluesy tune by the inimitable Fats Domino, who wants to “Stop the Clock.” Wouldn’t we all.

The last words and notes go to Dave Frishberg, brilliant jazz pianist and satirist, musical mainstay of Schoolhouse Rock (“I’m Just a Bill"), who died November 17. His talk-singing of “You are There” touchingly sums it up for anyone who misses special someones.

As Year Two of the pandemic winds down, take a moment (or 5760 -- thank you, Alexa), grab a beverage, any kind will do, and enjoy “Too Cool for Yule 2021.”

And above all…

Stay safe, stay hopeful.

Diane Kresh
Director
Arlington Public Library

New Library Operating Hours and Re-Imagined Bozman Library

Effective Monday, January 3, 2022, Arlington Public Library will implement a new schedule of operating hours:

Central Library

Monday – Thursday: 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Friday – Sunday: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Columbia Pike and Shirlington Libraries

Monday: 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Tuesday: 12 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Wednesday, Thursday: 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Friday – Sunday: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Westover Library

Monday: 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Tuesday: 12 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Wednesday, Thursday: 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Friday – Saturday: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Sunday: New hours will be announced in 2022.

Aurora Hills, Cherrydale and Glencarlyn Libraries

Monday: 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Tuesday: 12 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Wednesday, Thursday: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Friday – Saturday: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Sunday: Closed

Hours & Locations

The Shop is Back!

The Shop, the maker space at Central Library, will re-open by appointment only effective Monday, Nov. 15.

2-hour appointments will be available through the Library website for Open Lab and Glowforge.
New 3D print jobs will be accepted through the Library website after November 15.

Make An Appointment

Coming Summer 2022

The new Bozman Library, formerly known as Plaza Library, is currently under renovation and will be re-imagined as a full-service branch.

Highlights of the redesign include contemporary furnishings, a new children’s book and media collection, and space for library programming such as storytimes and author talks. More details will be announced next spring.

We value your feedback. Tell us what you think about our Library services. We will read and consider all comments.

Library Services Feedback

Big Book Podcast: The Ballad of Black Tom

Revisting Lovecraft with Victor LaValle.

Season 3, Ep. 2: Lavalle and Lovecraft

Victor LaValle’s 2016 fantasy-horror novella “The Ballad of Black Tom,” which revisits H.P. Lovecraft’s 1925 short story “The Horror at Red Hook,” is an excellent example of an author not only building upon but surpassing the foundations of a literary genre.

Reminder: this is a spoiler-filled podcast. So if you’re not into that kind of thing, read the book first and come back later.

Episode Links

"The Ballad of Black Tom" by Victor LaValle and "The Horror at Red Hook" by H.P. Lovecraft.

Kintsugi, or golden joinery, also known as "golden repair (kintsukuroi) is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by mending the areas of breakage with lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum. Wikipedia entry.

Reading

Pete – "Beetlejuice" and "The Thing"
Jennie - “Before the Coffee Gets Cold” by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
Megan – “One Last Stop” by Casey McQuiston

Tell us what YOU think about this book, or anything else you’re reading, in our GoodReads or Facebook groups, or talk to us on twitter using the #BigBookPodcast hashtag.

If you’d like to make a suggestion for future reading send us your recommendations on the Big Book Club Podcast page on the Arlington Public Library website.

Upcoming Books:

“Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald and “The Chosen and the Beautiful” by Nghi Vo

Jordan Baker grows up in the most rarefied circles of 1920s American society—she has money, education, a killer golf handicap, and invitations to some of the most exclusive parties of the Jazz Age. She’s also queer and Asian, a Vietnamese adoptee treated as an exotic attraction by her peers, while the most important doors remain closed to her. But the world is full of wonders: infernal pacts and dazzling illusions, lost ghosts and elemental mysteries. In all paper is fire, and Jordan can burn the cut paper heart out of a man. She just has to learn how. Nghi Vo’s debut novel, "The Chosen and the Beautiful," reinvents this classic of the American canon as a coming-of-age story full of magic, mystery, and glittering excess, and introduces a major new literary voice.

Sunday Hours Start October 31 at Two Library Locations

The Central and Columbia Pike Libraries will be open on Sundays starting October 31, from 1 - 5 p.m.

All open Library locations continue to follow the same schedule Monday - Saturday, the the rest of 2021.

Monday / Tuesday: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Wednesday / Thursday: 12 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Friday / Saturday: 12 p.m. – 5 p.m.

Effective January 3, 2022, the Library will operate on an expanded, permanent schedule, which will be announced by the end of the year.

The Shop Opens By Appointment Nov. 15

The Shop, The Library's maker space at Central Library, will be re-open, by appointment only, beginning Monday, Nov. 15.

2 hour appointments will be available through the Library website for Open Lab and Glowforge.
New 3D print jobs will be accepted through the Library website after November 15.

Look for more information coming soon!

We value your feedback. Tell us what you think about our Library services. We will read and consider all comments.

Library Services Feedback

Introducing NextReads for Book Lovers!

Discover new titles and old favorites in your favorite genres!

Each monthly newsletter features brand new releases, as well as gems and sleepers from our shelves:

Biography Newsletter

Fiction Newsletter

History Newsletter

Each book is linked to our catalog, so you can easily learn more information and place your hold on titles that catch your eye.

Sci-Fi Newsletter

Romance Newsletter

Mystery Newsletter

Sign up today to discover wonderful reads in one (or all!) of the following categories:

Biography and Memoir
Fantasy and Science Fiction
Fiction A to Z
History and Current Events
Mystery
Romance

Subscribe to NextRead Newsletters

Oral History: Don Tenoso

Arlington-based Native American artist and educator

Arlington Voices the Oral History Collection

Oral histories are used to understand historical events, actors, and movements from the point of view of real people’s personal experiences.

Artist Don Tenoso is a prolific creator, known for his Lakota-style dollmaking that depicts Sioux culture. Tenoso came to the Washington, D.C., area in 1991 as the first artist-in-residence at the Smithsonian’s Natural History Museum, where he created new pieces and led demonstrations for the public.

Don Tenoso, Sioux Doll-maker and Puppeteer.

Don Tenoso, circa 1990 at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. Image courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution Archives.

Tenoso was born in Riverside, California, and is a member of the Hunkpapa, one of the seven bands of the Teton Lakota Nation and part of the Sioux-speaking indigenous population. Tenoso’s mother was born on the Standing Rock reservation in South Dakota, and he is a descendant of One Bull and Sitting Bull. His father was in the U.S. military during Tenoso’s early life and the family often moved around the country and abroad.

The following interview excerpts are from a 2008 oral history with Tenoso. At the time of this interview, he had lived in Arlington for about 14 years. In the full interview, which can be accessed in print at the Center for Local History, Tenoso also discusses his family and lineage, as well as tribal traditions and the Lakota language.

Don Tenoso, circa 2005. Image courtesy of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where Tenoso was the university’s first artist-in-residence at the Native American House.

Narrator: Don Tenoso
Interviewer: Tom Dickinson
Date: January 23, 2008
Note: The audio for this interview is currently unavailable.

Don Tenoso: I was the first artist-in-residence in the Natural History Museum. Prior to that they had brought me in for a three-day doll demonstration where they had taken one of the glass cases out of one of the Native halls there in Natural History at Smithsonian and by different artists coming in. Me, a Sioux doll maker, was invited to come up and do that. I guess they had spent like nine months trying to find me. I started dollmaking back in the seventies.

Anyway, in the eighties, ‘86 or so, ‘87, there was an article in American Indian Art magazine that was published about dolls. In ‘86 I believe it was, I had a one-man show down in Andrew Park, Oklahoma and they collected the International Crafts Board for four of my dolls.

So one of them got in that article and then the director over at education in the outreach program saw the doll and they said they wanted to find that guy.

Don Tenoso circa 1991 outside of the National Museum of Natural History with some of his works of art. The doll beside Tenoso is called “Iktorni,” or “trickster doll.” Image courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution Archives.

Leather holster created by Tenoso in 2006, covered in a beadwork design. Image courtesy of the British Museum, where the piece is held.

Tom Dickinson: How did you get started doing this [art practice]?

DT: Actually I started when I was in New York. I went out there because I heard that C. W. Post [campus of Long Island University] had a scholarship for Natives who wanted it to be teachers. It turns out they didn’t so I went to the American Indian Community House there in New York.

Actually, backpedal a little bit. I was born in Riverside, California in 1960. In ‘63 we were in France. We were there when de Gaulle kicked us out. So my earliest memories are there when the French high school kids were throwing rocks at us on the playground. They would stone our bus. I remember flying out of there and the U.S. piling up all these brand new, big boxes and stuff and just setting them on fire. Big old wrecking balls smashing holes into runways as you flew out. I also got to see some whales as we flew, that’s how low they went across the ocean. You can see the spouts and little tails going across.

So from there we go to Oklahoma City, so I got to meet all these Natives. They used to call it Indian Territory which is sort of a penal colony for Native Americans starting back through Trail of Tears, Andrew Jackson and all of that stuff.

From there we went and lived in Rapid [City] back where my grandma lived, lot of relatives in Rapid City, South Dakota, in the Black Hills which is our sacred area, which actually by federal courts is still our property. But they offered us $10 million or $100 million or something but we still don’t take it. Because our sacred Wind Cave is there and that’s one of our origin stories. We came from there. The thing about Wind Cave you stand there one hour of the day and it blows your hair back.

So geologists say, “Yeah, there’s probably an underground stream - they haven’t found it yet - flowing and air displacement and that’s causing your hair to go that way.” The only thing is you come back some hours later, same day, and now it’s sucking your hair into the cave. “I guess there’s a tilting rock or something under there that messes with it.” We say that’s Mother Earth breathing, that’s where she breathes from.

Learn more: View a program from the 1992 exhibit Contemporary Plains Indian Dolls, which took place at the Southern Plains Indian Museum and Crafts Center in Anadarko, Oklahoma. The exhibit featured a piece by Don Tenoso (“Gourd Clain Dancer,” figure 10).

This interview was conducted as part of The Many Faces of Arlington oral history project, which sought to document the County’s diverse population as a reflection on the 400th anniversary of the settlement of Jamestown by English colonizers.

The goal of the Arlington Voices project is to showcase the Center for Local History’s oral history collection in a publicly accessible and shareable way.

The Arlington Public Library began collecting oral histories of long-time residents in the 1970s, and since then the scope of the collection has expanded to capture the diverse voices of Arlington’s community. In 2016, staff members and volunteers recorded many additional hours of interviews, building the collection to 575 catalogued oral histories.

To browse our list of narrators indexed by interview subject, check out our community archive. To read a full transcript of an interview, visit the Center for Local History located at Central Library.

New Public Art at Central Library

Arlington Artist Jason Horowitz Added to Arlington County's Portable Works Collection

Arlington residents and Library patrons are in for a visual treat when entering the second floor at Central Library. The newly installed artwork titled “North Lincoln Street, Arlington, Virginia” by Arlington artist Jason Horowitz, features a playful, 360-degree view of a re-imagined Ballston neighborhood landscape.

The photo by Jason Horowitz depicts a street scene in Arlington, VA filled with spheric flowers and abstract elements.

“North Lincoln Street, Arlington, Virginia” by Arlington artist Jason Horowitz.

Horowitz’s use of the Google Photo Sphere app in conjunction with his camera allows the artist to both deconstruct and re-imagine his images into immersive viewing experiences. According to Horowitz, “Incorporating new technologies into my creative process enables me to bend space and time which results in abstracted painterly views filled with a dizzying sense of wonder.”

“The Portable Works program transforms and enlivens interior spaces for both Arlington residents and its workforce and is a great temporary placemaking tool for the County when integrating artwork into the building process is not possible,” said Public Art Administrator Angela A. Adams.

Artist Talk

Meet the artist on Thursday, Nov. 4, 5:00 p.m.-5:30 p.m., at Central Library, Second Floor, to learn about the new art installation and get an in-depth view about Horowitz’s process and work.

RSVP for Artist Talk

The new acquisition is part of the Arlington Public Art’s Portable Works collection. Spanning back two decades, the program acquires, commissions or exhibits portable works by DMV artists. The collection consists of primarily wall-hung works such as drawings, paintings, photographs and prints.

Most of the artworks in the collection are on display at public spaces located at the Ellen M. Bozman Government Center (2100 Clarendon Boulevard), the Department of Human Services (2100 Washington Boulevard), Arlington Economic Development (1100 North Glebe Road), Arlington Cultural Affairs (3700 S. Four Mile Run Drive) and Arlington Public Library’s Central Library branch (1015 N. Quincy St).

To find out more about the artist Jason Horowitz and his recent photo spheres series, visit https://www.jasonhorowitzfineart.com/photo-spheres.

Oral History: J. Walter Tejada

Community Activist; Arlington County Board Member from 2003 - 2015

Oral histories are used to understand historical events, actors, and movements from the point of view of real people’s personal experiences.

401px-Arlington_County_Board_Chair_J._Walter_Tejada_USE_THIS_ONE_(4251361999)

Walter Tejada’s County Board portrait, circa 2007.

In 2003, J. Walter Tejada became the first person of Latin American heritage to be elected to the Arlington County Board, or to any governing body in Northern Virginia.

Tejada served as County Board Chair in 2008 and 2013.

Tejada was born in El Salvador and immigrated to the United States at age 13, first settling with his family in Brooklyn, New York, and later moving to Trenton, New Jersey. After attending college and playing soccer at Keystone Junior College and Mercer College, he eventually moved to Arlington in 1987.

Tejada got his start as an activist and organizer after witnessing inequities faced by members of the Latinx community. He initially worked in groups addressing fair housing, job opportunities, and the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC). He also helped to establish a Salvadoran festival in Arlington, starting in 1995, focusing on Salvadoran culture.

The front page of El Pregonero, the official Spanish-language newspaper of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., on March 13, 2003, following Tejada’s election to the County Board.

In 2003, Tejada was elected to the Arlington County Board in a special election following the death of Board member Charles P. Monroe. Tejada defeated longtime GOP activist Mike W. Clancy in the contest.

During his time on the board, Tejada continued to advocate for immigrant and Spanish-speaking communities, and served on numerous task forces and groups, including as chair on the governor’s Latino Advisory Commission.

J. Walter Tejada speaking at the National Rally for Citizenship on the West Lawn of the Capitol on April 10, 2013. Image courtesy of C-SPAN.

From left to right: County Board members J. Walter Tejada, John Vihstadt, Jay Fisette, Mary Hynes and Libby Garvey in 2014.

Since his time in County government, he was appointed to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Board of Directors and is president of the Virginia Latino Leaders Council.

In the following oral history interview, conducted prior to his election to the County Board, Tejada discusses his childhood, coming to Arlington, and his early work in activism. In these excerpts from the interview, he discusses first impressions of the County and his work with LULAC’S Council 4609, which encompasses Arlington.

This interview is available in full at the Center for Local History. Note: The audio for this interview is currently not available.

Narrator: J. Walter Tejada

Interviewer: Ingrid Kauffman

Date: October 27, 2000

J. Walter Tejada: One of the things I saw when I lived in DC - actually, one of the first things I recognized was that - actually since I started visiting Robin [Liten-Tejada] when she went to school here -- is that DC had a much larger Latino population than New Jersey, and I liked that. Remember, I mentioned that when we lived in New York there weren't that many Salvadorans at all, even when we lived in New Jersey, there was one person that was Salvadoran, and he lived like 10 miles away. It was odd that I came here and suddenly there was a Salvadoran population.

Ingrid Kauffman: What year was that?

WT: 1987. I thought, “this is great.” There were some restaurants; I hadn't eaten pupusas for years, which is one of my favorite Salvadoran dishes, just like almost every day. I saw this and it really piqued my interest. In fact, it was a determining point why I ended up moving here, when we were talking about what we were going to do with our lives. I'd come to visit and see all this and I liked that. The climate here, so many people from different backgrounds, different perspectives and accents, cultural activities - to me, it was like a paradise for these activities. When I was working in D.C. I also saw that the Latino community was really - first of all, there was no political power. Then - the community - not all but certainly a good portion of the community finds itself in a very tough socio-economic situation.

WT: Three things [LULAC Council 4609] did were voter registration, citizenship, and leadership development. That part I liked because it made it so broad for different things. I decided I was going to be involved in that aspect, because we would promote meetings, forums, community forums, where elected officials or public officials would meet with the community to address issues of concern with the community, sort of like putting a little bridge into what needed - the issues of importance. I started, and I would go to places and grab chairs, move them around, set up the coffee machine, make sure donuts were there.

We did forums on gang prevention activities, the educational system in Arlington, how it was being responsive to Latinos or not. We've done forums in the business community - what opportunities there could be to incorporate Latinos into the business world. We did citizenship workshops where we published that on a certain day people could come in with all their material that we would specify, like passport, proof of where they lived, proof where they worked, birth certificates for their kids, and helped them fill out these applications in order to apply to become citizens. We would have lawyer friends who would come and volunteer in these workshops so that we can help people.

The goal of the Arlington Voices project is to showcase the Center for Local History’s oral history collection in a publicly accessible and shareable way.

Partnership between DTS and Library Creates Summer Reading Success

AFAC is the 2021 Recipient of the Summer Reading Challenge Donation

On Wednesday, Sep. 15, representatives of the Friends of the Arlington Public Library (FOAL), together with the Arlington County Departments of Library and Technology Services, presented a $4,525 check to the Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC). The donation represents the number of Library readers who successfully completed the 2021 Summer Reading Challenge.

The contribution to AFAC demonstrates the power of collaboration between two Arlington County departments, one nonprofit and the important work AFAC is doing for our hungry neighbors in need. AFAC has been distributing groceries to families in need every week in Arlington since 1988 and provided 3 million pounds of food to underserved communities in FY20.

Representatives from the Department of Technology Services and the Library with harles Meng, Chief Executive Officer at AFAC.

(Left to right) David Herlihy, Division Chief, Digital Experience and Innovation, Department of Technology Services, Charles Meng, Chief Executive Officer, AFAC and Diane Kresh, Director, Arlington Public Library.

Read the full news release here.

Since its inception, the Library app has been downloaded more than 42,000 times. App users can use the technology for easy account management, catalog search and meeting room bookings.

“We are fortunate to have partners like the DTS staff who understand what public service is. The app increases our ability to reach patrons and made a big difference with our Summer Reading programs,” said Diane Kresh, Director, Arlington Public Library.

Download Library App

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month at the Library

2021

September 15 - October 15 is National Hispanic Heritage Month, a time when we honor the cultures and contributions of both Hispanic and Latino Americans as we celebrate heritage rooted in all Latin American countries.

Join us to celebrate the contributions of Hispanic Americans to American history, through books and programs for all ages.

Book Lists

Latinx Romance

Hispanic Heritage Month 2021

Translated Books from Latin and South America

Latinx-American Authors

Latinx-American Authors: eBooks and eAudio

More Book Lists

Too Cool for Yule, 2021