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Newsletter January 2004 |
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Grand Slam Year Ahead for the Library Ruth Bailey On January 12th, the City Council approved the Library Grant Application, and the several inches thick tome was shipped off to Judgment Day. We in the Friends organization, led by Committee to Build the Library members Mary Ann Hoisington and Judy Garvens, are extremely grateful to all of the committee, to the Lafayette Community Foundation, to Anne Cain and Laura O'Donoghue, and to our community leaders -- both staff and elected -- who collaborated on that extremely impressive presentation. As City Manager Steve Falk said when he spoke to the FLL board on January 5: "To have a chance of winning this grant against all of the competition, we can't do it on singles and doubles; we have to hit a home run. And we feel we have a Grand Slam here!" Our part in supporting the new library was a pledge of $750,000 (see page 3 for a copy of our letter to Falk), which constitutes FLL's savings since the 1980s, when we began in earnest selling donated books and saving all that we could for a new Lafayette library. Every nickel contributed came from patrons of the Book Room sales, donations and bequests to the Friends, and membership dues carefully set aside over the years. We are all in this together, dear Friends. And that brings me to the last excitement of the moment: our new membership drive! With some 860 Friends members, we're steaming toward the 1,000 mark. We hope you will take just a moment to enclose your check, or credit card info, in the envelope provided and return it now. Then you'll have that good warm feeling all year of benefiting this vital institution. Our $750,000 contribution was, as Steve Falk called it, the first "angel gift" to the new library. Be an angel, yourself, and come join us. With many thanks. 2004 Membership Drive Renew your membership today. Founded in 1939, FLL has always provided vital support to our local library and never has that support been more needed than in 2004. Lafayette is well on its way to having a new library, and FLL is an integral part of that process. At the same time, as government funding for libraries is reduced, FLL helps take up the slack by regularly contributing money for the purchase of books and materials and the support of special programs. Your dues dollars are put to good use. Our goal is 1000 members. If each of the 800 plus families who receive this newsletter renews membership, we will be well on our way to this goal. Please take 5 minutes and return this membership envelope with your dues today. Remember "Our library depends on the kindness of Friends". Membership Chairperson By Anna M. Koch It is with great pleasure that I join the staff of the Lafayette Public Library. On a professional level, I look forward to my new position as your senior librarian. And on a personal level, I am thrilled to be coming back to the San Francisco Bay Area. A native to San Francisco, I have been living in Massachusetts for the past 20 years, working as a professional librarian in various institutions, both public and academic. Most of my family still lives in the Bay Area, so for me it is truly a homecoming. As my family has always said of me: you can take the girl out of California, but you can't take California out of the girl! No doubt it is an exciting time in Lafayette as the community awaits a new library building. With much to look forward to, and a lot of hard work ahead, life still needs to go on in our branch. Patrons still need their bestsellers; children need their story time and picture books; we all need our Internet access; and, yes, our teens still need a place to hang after school. As I begin to learn more about the library needs of the Lafayette community, I sincerely hope that my many years of professional experience will prove valuable to you all. What I hope to bring to this job is a commitment to continue, and continually improve, library service to the Lafayette community. I intend to work collaboratively with library staff, the Friends, and volunteers, to make our library one of the best in Contra Costa County. Reaching out to the community, I plan to promote the library, shamelessly, at any opportunity that presents itself. And, finally, I will work hard to accomplish all the above and then some, and to make myself available as the spokesperson for your library. My door is always open, so please feel free to stop by and say hello. Anna M. Koch January marks the end of my temporary placement as Acting Branch Librarian for the Lafayette Library. In the past year, I've enjoyed getting to know our many dedicated Friends volunteers at library meetings and our Sweet Thursday events, as well as during their regular library visits. I've also enjoyed participating in the planning process for the new library, which has been a tremendous learning experience. My new position as Adult Services Librarian at the Orinda Library won't take me very far away, so I'm sure our paths will cross at various times in the future - perhaps in the new Lafayette Library! A Success Thanks to You A warm Friends thank-you goes out to Dave Simpson and the Lafayette Book Store for helping with the 2003 Buy A Book, Fill A Shelf campaign. During the holiday season the Lafayette Book Store sold books on the library's wish list at a discount to people wishing to donate them to the library. Many thanks to our Friends who participated! Thanks to you there are lots of important new books on the shelves. Come in and check them out!
VOLUNTEER PROGRAMS AND SERVICES Project Second Channce Project Second Chance, celebrating its 20th year as the Contra Costa County Library adult literace program, invites volunteers to the first literacy tutor training of 2004. Once trained, volunteers are matched with adults seeking to improve their reading, writing, and spelling. Training takes place at 75 Santa Barbara Road in Pleasant Hill and will be held the following dates and times: Wed, Jan. 21, 6:30-8:30 p.m. and Saturdays, Jan. 24 & 31, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. All sessions are required. For more information or for future tutor training dates please call (925) 927-3250. Help promote early literacy as part of pediatric primary care. Reach Out and Read, a national pediatric literacy program, encourages parents to read to their children at an early age. Partnering with the Contra Costa County health clinics, library volunteers read to children in pediatric waiting rooms located in Antioch, Concord, Pittsburg, and Richmond. Training is required. Minimum age: 16. Call (925) 927-3288 for more information. Share the excitement of children's literature with preschoolers! Volunteers are paired with selected preschools serving low-income children in the communities of San Pablo, Concord, Pittsburg, and east county areas. The library provides theme kits that include books, puppets, props, fingerplays, and songs. Training is provided; TB testing is required. Minimum age: 18. Mentor at-risk youth in Juvenile Hall by teaching computer skills and searching the Internet for important information they may need. Volunteers work with youth in juvenile detention facilities located in Marinez and Byron. Must complete training provided by the Probation Department. Minimum age: 18. Call (925) 927-3256 for more information. 1st & 3rd Saturday of each month 9 a.m. - Noon Lafayette Community Center 500 St. Mary's Road 9 A.M to Noon February 7,21; March 6, 20; April 3, 17 The Friends of the Lafayette Library hold a book sale on the first and third Saturday of each month - an event you shouldn't miss. The sale is staffed by volunteers, and every penny generated by the sale goes to the Lafayette Library. We depend on YOUR generous and welcome donations for the books we sell. Most of our books sell for just $.50 to $2! You can walk away with a bag of books for the same price you would pay for a single book at a retail store! Be a Friend, bring a friend! STORY TIMEs Through March 11 Two different times (choose the right time for your child) Mother Goose Time Mondays and Thursdays, 10:15 a.m. Ages birth-3 Picture Book Time Mondays and Thursdays, 11:15 a.m Ages 3-5 (child must be at least 3 years old) Thursday After School Crafts 3 - 4 p.m. Ages 5 and older. February 5 Celebrate "Library Lovers" Month when you make a Valentine craft and check out a Valentine book to take home February 19 Let's play Library Lovers' Bingo in honor of Library Lovers' Month, Thursday February 19 at 3 p.m. Win a book or poster (ages 5+) |
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- Linda Peterson
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