Altadena: July 2020 Update From The Friends Of The Library

Press release from the Altadena Public Library:

July 7, 2020

From Friends of the Altadena Library President Marne Brown

I was delighted to be elected as the new President of the Friends of the Altadena Library at our Annual Meeting on June 6, with Joy Strayer and Jannette Allen elected to continue as Vice President and Treasurer, respectively, and with Sallie Cruise elected as Recording Secretary.

Last November, the Friends celebrated our 60th Anniversary with our first ever ‘Book Pitch Party,’ at which sixteen people ‘pitched’ one of their favorite books to a large audience. The genres and topics were wide-ranging, from biographies to science fiction to children’s books, and you can find a recording of this fun event here: www.altadenalibrary.org/book-pitch-party-success

Our next, Virtual Book Pitch Party will take place via Zoom on Sunday July 26th from 1-3pm and we look forward to another wonderful set of stories! For more details and to sign up to pitch a book: https://bit.ly/BookPitch2

Over the past year, the Friends have continued to support many Library programs. These include Parent Workshops, Literacy and ESL, the Connect newsletter, and Read-a-Dena. We also supported the Second Saturday and Summer Movie Night series, the new Chamber Music Concerts by the Mt Lowe Chamber Players, and the “Poetry and Cookies” program, which culminated in April with the publication of the 2020 Altadena Literary Anthology and a fantastic 2-hr virtual event. A recording of the “Poetry and Cookies” virtual event, and other poetry readings, are available here: www.altadenalibrary.org/poetry

The impact of COVID-19 has highlighted the importance of the Library in our community. The www.altadenanews.org website, led by the Altadena Library District, has provided important information and a much-needed sense of solidarity at a time when many have been faced with great challenges. At the same time, the Library’s commitment to online resources has provided support to thousands of Library users: www.altadenalibrary.org/saferathome, with the Library’s curbside pickup service now providing even more: www.altadenalibrary.org/curbside

At our Annual Meeting on June 6, the Friends presented a check for $28,000 to the Altadena Library. In light of how things have changed this year, and in addition to supporting many of the Library’s regular activities, this donation will be used very flexibly to fund programs and purchases that support the current needs of the Community. This may include purchasing laptops that can be used outside the Library to aid in social distancing, or more Wi-Fi hot spots that can be checked out by Library patrons to provide them with internet at home.

Friends memberships and book purchases make all of this possible. The Friends receive most of our income from memberships, from our Book Store and online book sales, and from our huge Book Sales which now take place three times per year. We owe special thanks to our Book Sorting volunteers, to the Friends members and other volunteers who help at our Book Sales, and to the Library for all of their support. At present, we are not able to accept any book donations at the Library, but we look forward to a time when it is again safe to do so. We also look forward to holding our next Book Sale in the Library’s parking lot later this year.

The Friends hope to be accepting donations again in August or September, so please consider holding on to your book donations if possible! If you really need those books gone, however, some options may be found here: https://bit.ly/FOALBookDonations

The Library, Friends, and Foundation have all committed to addressing racism in our community: www.altadenalibrary.org/blacklivesmatter At our Annual Meeting, bestselling author Tim DeRoche and retired CA State Senator Gloria Romero gave a passionate, thought-provoking presentation on how school attendance zones can contribute to huge educational disparities in the US by effectively barring many low income and minority students from the best public schools. Videos of the presentation and Q&A, and of the entire Annual Meeting, are now available via www.altadenalibrary.org/friends. The Friends plan to support more speakers, panels, and community discussions in intersecting areas, from tackling racism to the state of public education to the growing poverty gap, in hopes these will help to spur change.

Wishing you all health, happiness, and safe times ahead,

Marne Brown, Friends President, on behalf of the FOAL Board

www.altadenalibrary.org/friends
www.facebook.com/altadenafriends
www.twitter.com/altadenafriends

This press release was produced by the Altadena Public Library. The views expressed are the author's own.