Friends of the Oakland Public Library
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"Public libraries receive less than 1% of all tax dollars and are used by more than 50
percent of the population." |
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Friends of the Oakland Public Library
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Seashells, Waterfalls & Other Mysteries;
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| Pat Lichter served as Manager of the
Children’s Room (Oakland Main Library) from 1995-2003, with a hiatus of two
years as Acting Children’s Coordinator, Children’s Services, between
1997-1999).
Prior to 1995, Lichter served as Branch Manager with
Alameda County Library (1987-1993), and was also a Teen Services Librarian
earlier in her career. |
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What happens between June and September when school is out,
when vacations are often in the mind of many people? And what about those of us
who stay at home and have that extra leisure of longer hours of sunshine to
enjoy the beauty of what is available right here in our own neighborhood?
What follows is a mere sample of what the Rockridge Library is like during the
season between Spring and Autumn – different activities, but certainly still
quite busy.
Most people know that the summer is a busy season for serving children with the summer reading game (a reading incentive program sponsored in part by FOPL). Rockridge and other branches also offer many special events, sometimes drawing up to 100 families at a time. While the children are enjoying the special activity in the Children’s Section, specifically designated for their delight and furthering their knowledge and curiosity, the parents might simultaneously browse through various books and end up checking out what seems of interest for the family’s “good read.”
| During the summer, more families seem to come together to the library, often to do family learning activities. For example, families going to the Oakland Museum or other local attractions, or families planning a trip often ask for information about where they’re going and what they’re seeing – from researching animals at the zoo, the history of the city or country they’re visiting, to bugs and birds in their backyards. Adults traveling often look for language tapes, and, of course, travel guidebooks. |
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While fewer students (of all ages) come to seek research information for their homework assignments, more are catching up on required reading lists – and just books to enjoy. This process will primarily begin in the very late days of Summer and will fully progress in the early Fall, continuing throughout the year until the cycle repeats itself once more in June of the following year. Instead of helping visiting school classes with research assignments, the children’s librarians serve summer day camp groups coming to look for leisure reading or requesting special story times.
Preschool groups also come for story times all year long, but more parents are off during the summer and able to come with their little ones.
Most patrons now come looking for a “good read” – a leisurely activity without the pressure of homework deadlines and papers due. A “good read” is often a request for a book which piques the patron’s interest – and the librarian is there to assist with that special query. Summer is the time of leisure where one can spend more hours to immerse one’s self into an old favorite or learn something absolutely new, an exciting adventure in and of itself.
Summer is when librarians spend extra time helping college-bound students, locate background information on classics to read (or re-read); research activities lie in wait until Fall commences.
Rockridge’s branch manager, Pat Lichter, and Adult Reference Librarian, Linda Jolivet, select books for adults. Gay Ducey and Erica Siskind are the Children’s Services Librarians. Susy Moorhead, full-time Teen Services’ Librarian since December 2004, along with teen volunteers, is already involved in preparations for Fall activities. All use the summer season to look at their book collections with a fresh eye and plan their book, magazine, DVD collection (a very popular and much appreciated contribution thanks to the generosity of Friends of the Oakland Public Library) as well as CD purchases for the new (fiscal) year. And all love hearing from their patrons!
A Special Projects activity at the Rockridge Library – one full Sunday in late August - provides much-needed replacement and addition of new outdoor landscape, courtesy of the Friends of the Rockridge Library (FORL) and the Rockridge Women’s Club. The wisteria in front of the Library will continue to be pruned and maintained on a year-round basis by an all-volunteer group of landscape-design students headed by master gardener Peter Bowyer, who teaches Horticultural and Landscape Design at Merritt College in Oakland.
Paperbacks are in particular high demand during the summer, as they fit easily into overnight-bags or suitcases. More fiction is read than non-fiction; more request for books on vacation ideas and places to visit; “catch up” leisure time activities and recommendations on where to go and what to see and much less specific questions on in-depth research for school activities.
Finally, as a fitting conclusion, in addition to several college-student volunteers, for the past three years, the Friends of the Rockridge Public Library have funded a summer student intern from Oakland Technical High School, at 45th Street and Broadway, short minutes away. FORL’s stipend provides for the student intern’s services from June through mid-August.
The intern is selected by her or his high school counselor and has significant responsibilities: coordination of all-year student volunteers, assistance in Summer Reading Games, calling parents as needed for volunteer services, and any other tasks being asked to perform to support the Library’s success. Library staff mentor the student and, of course, encourage interns and all young volunteers to consider library careers and part-time library work during their college years.
“Gate-count” at the Rockridge Public Library for July 2005 was 20,000 visitors who could select from approximately 75,000 books, of which a third are usually in circulation.
Imagination and natural curiosity are the only requirements to enter this or any library.
- Written by Sophie Fynland Souroujon, Member, FOPL
Board of Directors
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