World-renowned comedic entertainers Heebie & Jeebie will delight kids of all ages when they perform two lives shows on Saturday, May 19 in the Saddleback Room at the Mission Viejo City Hall.

The free program will take place at 2 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. at 200 Civic Center. Children ages 3 and older are invited to this free event sponsored by the Friends of the Mission Viejo Library.

Heebie & Jeebie are known for their zany and fun antics, sweet harmonies, silly costumes and hat-change tricks along with their re-creation of songs from the 1950s and ’60s. The comedic singing duo appear daily on Orange County’s Cox 3 cable TV channel.

For more information, call the Youth Reference Desk at 949-830-7100, extension 5107.  

The ever-evolving world of the Internet has made eBooks a popular commodity, and they continue to gain popularity as more and more people opt for the convenience of these digital equals to the traditional printed books. In fact, reports say U.S. citizens are reading electronic books now more than ever, with one in five American adults reading at least one eBook per year. If you use a Kindle or Nook to read books and wonder where you can borrow eBooks or if you like reading on your iPad and want to borrow eBooks for free instead of buying them, stop by City Hall on Saturday, April 28 to learn about the vast resources the Mission Viejo Library provides for eBooks.

The program is from 10 a.m. to noon in the Saddleback Room at City Hall, 200 Civic Center.  It will focus on the major different eBook devices and will show you how to borrow eBooks from the library, located just across the way.  The program is limited to 50 people, and registration is required by calling the Reference Desk at 949-830-7100 ext. 5105 or by emailing libreference@cityofmissionviejo.org.

The new Early Literacy Computer at the Mission Viejo Library is a hit with children galore signing up to play and explore at the user-friendly computer complete with a colorful keyboard and child-sized mouse.

With its 50 educational software titles, the Early Literacy station promotes easy learning and discovery for children ages 2-10.  Kids can choose from software titles including JumpStart Phonics, Sammy’s Science House, Math Doodles, Krazy ArtRoom, and more.  The programs cover seven curricular areas – reading, math, science, social studies, writing, arts and music, and reference.  Children are having fun and learning at the same time. 

The Mission Viejo Library is committed to helping parents build early literacy skills in their young children by offering early literacy classes, a large and newly updated toddler book collection, and this new fabulous AWE Early Literacy Station. 

For more information, call 830-7100, ext. 5107.

Trabuco Hills High School recently celebrated it’s first annual PTSA Reflections Art Show Reception at the Mission Viejo Library.

The impressive artwork reflects the theme of “Diversity Is” with mediums ranging from pencil to paper collage. Families and friends of the talented young artists enjoyed a reception on March 25 with coffee and sweets. Barb Gard, the Trabuco Hills High School art teacher who inspired and guided many of the participating artists, was on hand to show the artists her support.

The public can see the 27 pieces of amazing art on display at the Mission Viejo Library, 100 Civic Center, until the end of April. For more information, call 949-470-8440.

The Kershaw Garden at the Mission Viejo Library will soon be transformed into a petting zoo featuring friendly furry creatures for kids to enjoy.

Visitors to the petting zoo will learn about goats, sheep, chickens, a pig, an alpaca, a miniature horse and a wagon full of bunnies. The petting zoo, for ages 3 and older, will be held from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 21 at 100 Civic Center.

For more information, call the Youth Reference Desk at 949-830-7100, ext. 5107. This free program is sponsored by the Friends of the Mission Viejo Library.

If you have an old cell phone you were thinking of tossing in the trash: Think again. The Mission Viejo Library is now a cell phone recycling collection site.  The collection bin is conveniently located in the lobby of the Mission Viejo Library at 100 Civic Center.

The City has long been a supporter of recycling efforts and takes prides in implementing programs, services and hosting events to benefit the community and help folks reduce their carbon footprint.

The collection bin is available during library hours and is sponsored by All Green Electronic Recycling, a full-service electronics recycler and collector specializing in providing pickup services and convenient drop-off locations.  All Green Electronic Recycling has collected more than one million pounds of electronics and processes up to 100 million pounds of electronic waste (e-waste) per year.

Look for the next e-waste drop off event at the Mission Viejo Library in September.

For more information on what to recycle or for convenient drop off locations, visit www.allgreenrecycling.com.

The Mission Viejo Library has made it easier for folks who generously donate books to the Friends of the Library.  Books can now be dropped off to the back delivery door of the Friends Bookstore, which is to the right of the main library entrance at 100 Civic Center.  The bookstore provides a dolly to transport donated books to the bookstore, and friendly volunteers are available during store hours to assist.  Tax-deductible receipts are provided for donations.

Donations of new and gently-used materials are the backbone of the Friends of the Library fundraising pool.  Donations are sorted for additions to the library collection or for sale in the Friends Bookstore.  Last fiscal year, the Friends Bookstore netted $120,000 for the purchase of children’s and adult books as well as library programs.

The bookstore is open seven days a week: Monday – Thursday from 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.; Friday 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.; and Sunday noon to 5 p.m.  For more information, call 830-7100 Ext. 5115.

The Mission Viejo Library has added two reference resources, the History Reference Center and the Legal Information Reference Center, to its collection of electronic databases to benefit the public. Library members can access these and all other electronic databases in the library at 100 Civic Center or from the comfort of home with a valid Mission Viejo Library card and PIN.

The History Reference Center offers full text for more than 1,600 reference books, encyclopedias and non-fiction books. It also includes full text for more than 150 leading history periodicals, 78,000 biographies of historical figures, 113,000 historical photos and maps, and 80 hours of historical video. Users will also find nearly 57,000 historical documents.

The Legal Information Reference Center provides exclusive online full text for many of the top consumer legal reference books, including more than 225 publications and thousands of legal forms. A majority of the full text legal reference books are provided through Nolo, the nation’s oldest and most-respected provider of legal information for consumers and small businesses. This database offers the everyday user the necessary tools and detailed “how-to” instructions to independently address a wide-range of legal issues including business law, financial planning, family law, property & real estate and rights and disputes.

The Library’s electronic resources can be accessed at http://cityofmissionviejo.org/Library/ElectronicResources.aspx.

World-famous puppeteer Scott Land will visit Mission Viejo on Saturday, March 24 delighting kids and adults alike with his musical variety show featuring hand-crafted marionettes.

The fun starts at 3 p.m. in the Saddleback Room at City Hall, 200 Civic Center.

Land has performed worldwide for celebrities like Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg and at popular venues including Disneyland and the legendary Magic Castle. This free family-oriented marionette show for children 3 and older cannot be missed.

For more information, call the Youth Reference Desk at 949-830-7100, extension 5107.  This program is sponsored by Mission Viejo Library supporter Marvis Kushnick.

Kristi Yamaguchi – an Olympic Figure Skating Gold medalist and celebrity champion in the sixth season of “Dancing with the Stars” – returns to Mission Viejo March 20 to discuss her latest book in the Little Pig series, “It’s a Big World Little Pig.”

The book centers around the character, Poppy, an adorable, persistent, dreaming-big pig who has a new adventure in store for her – the World Games ice-skating championship in Paris. Poppy is nervous about meeting so many new people in a new place. But, ever courageous and supported by her family, Poppy embarks upon this exciting adventure head-on. She begins to realize that although these animals look different, act different, and are from different places, they are all the same at heart.

Yamaguchi, who appeared in the City’s popular Writers’ Present program last year, is a household name. The mother of two girls is a New York Times bestseller, Gold medalist, and was a correspondent for the “Today Show” during the 2010 Olympics. In 2008, she delighted viewers worldwide by clinching the “Mirror Ball” trophy on ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars.” Her book “Dream Big, Little Pig” has garnered rave reviews and debuted at #2 on the New York Times bestsellers list. Yamaguchi’s modern content coupled with a positive message makes this more than just another celebrity picture book.

This free program sponsored by a Whale of a Tale Book Shoppe and the Friends of the Mission Viejo Library will be held at 5:30 p.m. on March 20 in the Saddleback Room across from the library at 200 Civic Center.

Yamaguchi will sign copies of her book purchased at the event.  To make a reservation and for more information, e-mail libreference@cityofmissionviejo.org or call 949- 830-7100 x5105.