Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Celebrate Dr. Seuss’ Birthday During Read Across America at Pearland Library

The Pearland Library, a branch of the Brazoria County Library System, will celebrate Read Across America with a Dr. Seuss birthday party at 7 p.m. March 5. Read Across America is an annual celebration of reading observed in honor of Dr. Seuss’ birthday. Special guest, Pearland Mayor Tom Reid, will read a favorite Dr. Seuss book aloud. There will be birthday cake, punch, crafts, activities, and an opportunity to read a favorite Dr. Seuss book or two. Expect to see some of staff wearing red and white striped hats!

Read Across America is celebrated on or near the birthday of Dr. Seuss, also known as Theodore Geisel, on March 2. Since that day is also Texas Independence Day, which is a Brazoria County holiday, the Pearland Library will observe Read Across America on Tuesday, March 5. The Pearland Library is observing Read Across America for the first time. The American Library Association is one of the supporters of Read Across America.

The Pearland Library is located at 3522 Liberty Drive in Pearland. The event is free and open to all ages. For more information, contact the Pearland Library at 281-652-1677.

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Author Raymond Burroughs to Speak at Freeport Branch


The Freeport Library, a branch of the Brazoria County Library System, will host author Raymond Burroughs at 2 p.m. November 3 in the library’s  meeting room. Burroughs, an architect, will talk about his near-death experience, and how it changed his life forever. His memoir, “God Smiles for Me: Why Death Could Not Hold Me,” will be available for purchase, and refreshments will be provided by Freeport Friends of the Library.

At the age of 33, Burroughs was diagnosed with a brain tumor that was pressing on his spinal cord. With less than six weeks to live, Burroughs and his family prayed for a miracle. A successful experimental surgery gave Burroughs a new sense of hope and purpose, and he made a promise to live a God-filled life.

Burroughs will tell his inspirational story of what happened during the 16-hour surgery, his journey of pain, healing and personal growth.

The Freeport Library is located at 410 Brazosport Blvd in Freeport. For more information, please contact the branch at 979-233-3622.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Cynthia & Greg Leitich Smith to Speak at Freeport Branch

The Freeport Library, a branch of the Brazoria County Library System, will host authors Cynthia Leitich Smith and Greg Leitich Smith at 3 p.m. on October 6. Cynthia and Greg Leitich Smith are authors of books for young readers. They will speak about their work and experiences, followed by a book signing. 

Cynthia is the New York Times and Publisher’s Weekly best-selling author of “Tantalize”, “Eternal”, “Blessed”, “Diabolical” and “Tantalize: Kieren’s Story,” all Gothic fantasies from Candlewick Press. Her award winning books for younger children include “Holler Loudly”, “Jingle Dancer” and “Rain Is Not My Indian Name.” Cynthia was the first author to be named Spirit of Texas author by the Texas Library Association. Her book “Santa Knows” was co-authored by her husband Greg and is their first book written together. 

Greg is the author of “Tofu and T. Rex,” “Chronal Engine,” and “Ninjas, Piranhas and Galileo,” which was a 2006 Parent’s Choice Gold Winner and was also named to the 2006 list of ALA popular paperbacks. 

Books by both authors will be available to purchase at the event, and the library will give free copies of their books to 25 lucky teens. Cynthia’s website was named one of the top 10 Writer Sites on the Internet by Writer’s Digest and an ALA Great Website for Kids by the American Library Association.

The Freeport Library is located at 410 Brazosport Blvd in Freeport. For more information, contact the branch at 979-233-3622.

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Apollo 13 Flight Controller to Speak at Pearland Library


The Pearland Library, a branch of the Brazoria County Library System, will host Sy Liebergot, Apollo 13 flight controller, at 7 p.m. on September 18 in the branch’s meeting room. Liebergot will talk about the Apollo 13 mission, during which an oxygen tank in the service module exploded while he was at one of the consoles in Mission Control. His autobiography, “Apollo EECOM: Journey of a Lifetime,” will be available for purchase, and refreshments will be served by the Pearland Community Friends of the Library

Liebergot will give a presentation called “Apollo 13: The Longest Hour.” It is non-technical and intended for the general public. It lasts about one hour, and it is accompanied by slides, audio, and video. Liebergot will speak about what it was like to be an EECOM (Electrical, Environmental and Consumables) flight controller in Mission Control when the cryogenic oxygen storage tank exploded. At first the multiple failures flashing across his screens seemed far too overwhelming to be anything but instrumentation failure. The spacecraft and its crew, 200,000 miles from Earth and hurtling in the wrong direction, had less than three hours of life left in the command and service modules.

Liebergot has an interest in space knowledge preservation, and he is the only Apollo era flight controller regularly speaking to the public. The final Apollo moon mission celebrates its 40th anniversary in December. Liebergot’s professional career spans the entire Apollo lunar program, the Skylab missions, the Apollo-Soyuz project, the early space shuttle flights, and the International Space Station program.

Liebergot has lectured about his experiences extensively. Among his appearances in 2012, he was the Engineering and Science Day keynote speaker at Louisiana Tech University in April. He was interviewed by Japan’s NHK in July. He will appear at the Museum of Flight in Seattle later in September, and he will be a celebrity lecturer on the Crystal Cruise ship “Serenity” in November while it sails from Lisbon, Portugal, to Barcelona, Spain. In the past, he has spoken at many venues, including Utah State University, the London Science Museum, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He has also appeared in the PBS documentary “Apollo 13, To the Edge and Back,” and he served as the on-camera host for the documentary “In the Shadow of the Moon” produced by the CBS affiliate in Austin.

A feature film portraying many of the events Liebergot will discuss will be shown in the meeting room at 2 p.m. on September 22. In this film, which stars Tom Hanks, Sy Liebergot is played by Clint Howard. Liebergot also served as an advisor to the film. 

The Pearland Library is located at 3522 Liberty Drive in Pearland. For more information, contact the branch at 281-652-1677.