Central Library

The central library, 10375 Little Patuxent Parkway, will offer "Incredible Insects," a program for children ages 4 to 8 led by a naturalist from Patuxent Research Refuge, at 2 p.m. Aug. 9. Registration is to begin Tuesday. Children's programs at the central library include "Play Partners," for infants and toddlers to 23 months, offered at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. Wednesdays, this week through Aug. 17. "Super Saturdays," a program of stories and songs for small groups and families of preschool through early elementary-age children, is offered at 10 a.m. Saturdays through Aug. 20. Registration is not required.

Central Library 10375 Little Patuxent Pkwy., Columbia. 410-313-7800. •All Together Now. Saturdays, 10:15 and 11:30 a.m. All ages; 30 minutes. •English Conversation Club. Mondays, 10 a.m.; and Thursdays, 7:30 p.m. Practice speaking and understanding English in a group setting. Register before attending. •First Look Committee. Mon., March 18, 7 p.m. Be among the first to read new books before they are published. Ages 11-17. •Introduction to Computer Graphics.

The Central Library, 10375 Little Patuxent Parkway, offers the following events this month: * "Decorating 101," the first in a three-part series with April Force Pardoe, at 7 p.m. tomorrow. The program, titled "Make Your Room Happy," covers elements of good design and the secrets of creating happy rooms. * "Happy Birthday, Bach!" A performance by the Raphael Trio in celebration of the composer's 324th birthday is scheduled at 2 p.m. Saturday. * The Howard County Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation will sponsor a showing of Life in Occupied Palestine, by Anna Baltzer, at 1 p.m. March 29. Admission is free.

Wenonah Hauter, executive director of Food & Water Watch , a Washington-based environmental group, is coming to Baltimore Tuesday to present her case that corporate control of agriculture is limiting our choice of food at the grocery store. Hauter, whose group focuses on fishery management as well as food and water, will be speaking at 7 p.m. at the Enoch Pratt central library , on her new book,  Foodopoly : The Battle Over the Future of Food and Farming in America.

The Central library, 10375 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia, will hold two 30-minute workshops at 1:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. Dec. 30 to explore civility concepts for children ages 4 to 7 with stories, songs and a craft. Registration begins Dec. 23 online and at the library. Information: 410-313-7860, or www.hclibrary.org. Book discussion The American Association of University Women will meet at 11:30 a.m. Jan. 10 at Clyde's Restaurant in Columbia. The group will discuss the book We Are Our Mothers' Daughters, by Cokie Roberts.

I made the mistake of leaning on the Enoch Pratt central library. I was standing there, waiting for someone on the sidewalk. Nearby were three or four guys who had just finished lunch at Our Daily Bread, directly across Cathedral Street. I stuck my hands in the pockets of my jeans and casually leaned against the front of the library, between two of the large display windows. Within seconds, a security officer yelled from 50 feet away: "No leaning against the wall!" And he waved me off.You can't lean on the library?

The Central Library, 10375 Little Patuxent Parkway, will sponsor a talk by Meena Chellaiah of the University of Maryland Dental School, "Strong Bones, Strong Women," at 10 a.m. Aug. 25. She will discuss the causes of osteoporosis and how to prevent it, including lifestyle choices and nutrition. Registration begins Aug. 11. Information: 410-313-7800. Flumpa the frog to appear at mall Flumpa and Friends Live! -- starring Wendy Whitten (the Singing Scientist) and Flumpa, a tree frog in a science and fitness show for kids -- will be at The Mall in Columbia at 10 a.m. Thursday.

This week, the doors to the Enoch Pratt's central library will swing open to the public on a Friday for the first time in nearly nine years - ushering in a return to seven-days-a-week service at the Cathedral Street building and a new sense of optimism among the institution's officials. To celebrate the occasion, which coincides with International Literacy Day, the library is holding a day of "First Friday" activities, ranging from jazz concerts to book signings to cooking demonstrations.

Most people think of libraries as a place for quiet study and research. But tonight, the Howard County Central Library is a concert hall for musician Lynn Reggia. "People just associate libraries with quiet," Reggia said. But "the library is a place where you go to learn and grow as a person" through books and other materials, she said. "Why not listen to music, too?" Reggia is part of a diverse group of local musicians helping the library regularly break the "quiet library" stereotype through the its Third Thursdays at the Cafe concert series.

Sol Goodman developed such a fondness for Baltimore's central library over the past 59 years that he wanted to share his enthusiasm with the public.The semiretired businessman created a narrated walking tour of the Enoch Pratt Free Library, a novel new amenity for visitors to the building at 400 Cathedral St.Similar to the audio walking tours that often accompany museum exhibits, such as the Meryl Streep-narrated tour of the recent Claude Monet show at...

THE CLASSICAL lines and traditional materials of the Enoch Pratt Free Library's central building on Cathedral Street in Baltimore provide inspiration for the design of a three-level addition that will be constructed starting next year.Architects unveiled drawings this month that indicate the 45,000-square-foot annex will be similar in character to the 1933 landmark to which it will be attached.The addition is to rise on the south side of Franklin Street, between the main library and the smaller Maryland State Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped that opened in 1991 at Park Avenue and Franklin Street.