Giving Back: RB High Friends of the Library

It's one of the hottest spots on campus.

Long lines sometimes, crowds always, unsatisfied demands for more time inside often. If this were the description of a new restaurant or club, it would make for a good example of the success tip "leave your customers wanting more."

Except it's the Rancho Bernardo High School library and the people behind it don't want its customers—studying, paper-printing, researching students—to want for anything.

Their wishlist could even be daunting for Santa: social science books, English criticism books, popular graphic novels, e-readers, more computers and a special printing system.

With a list like that, a new grant—like $1,000 from the Rancho Bernardo Community Foundation—is bound to be well-received.

"We so much appreciate that the Rancho Bernardo Community Foundation is helping [RB High] and their library through giving us this grant," said Linda Gannon, president of the fund-raising group, the RB High Friends of the Library, which was awarded the grant at the foundation's Thanksgiving Luncheon on Nov. 22.

"I know that the kids appreciate it, too, and it's nice to have organizations like them that are helping us with the kids' education in these times with all these budget cuts," Gannon said.

The grant will help pay for a pair of part-time library media assistants to help answer student questions throughout the day, while the school librarian is busy teaching classes that visit the library and completing other tasks, Gannon said.

It costs about $18,000 a year to have the two part-time assistants, and right now there is only enough funding for one person and substitutes to last through January, she said.

RB High Principal Paul Robinson also agreed to allocate $10,000 of site funds for library books and materials if the Friends raised $10,000 for staffing, Gannon said. The group has about $9,000 toward that goal now.

Find us on Facebook and Twitter @RBPatch.