13-0820_AVI-CON DBA CA CONSTRUCTION_D14_Correspondence (7)San
San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675
IRS No. 95-3704662
MEMORANDUM
To: Sam Allevato-SAllcvato 1alsanjuancapistrano.org
Roy Byrnes-RBvrnes(ci'sanjuancapistrano.org
Larry Kramer-LKramenwsanjuancapistrano.org
Derek Reeve -DReeve(alsanj uancapistrano.org
John Taylor, Mayor-JTavlor(ivsanjuancapistrano.ow:
From: Mary D, President
SJC Friends of the Library
Subj: Loan for Funds to Allow Contract A ward for Bookstore Relocation Construction
Date: August 20, 2013
08/20/2013
D14
Mayor Taylor, City Council Members. I am Mary 0, the president of the SJC Friends of the Library and I am writing to
humbly ask for your help in building a new home for our bookstore in your library facility.
First of all, I'd like to correct an item that was printed in today's agenda item in error. The agenda item indicates
$50,000/year in bookstore sales. This is inaccurate. Our bookstore sales numbers over the last five years are as follows:
I.
2.
3.
4.
5.
FY 5/31/09
FY 5/31/10
FY 5/31/11
FY 5/31/12
FY 5/31/13
Total:
$15,789.77 ($1 ,316/mo average)
$19,927.91 ($1,660/mo average)
$18,550.75 ($1 ,546/mo average)
$15,191.80 ($1,266/mo average)
$13,563.75 ($1,130/mo average)
$83,023.98 over the last 5 years, plus online sales over 3 years averaging $800/year.
The downward trend mirrors the economy. The bookstore market overall has faced declining sales over the last several
years -with bookstore chains and independent bookstores closing at an alarming rate. Our sales have faced a downturn
over the past two years, consistent with the overall weak economy. We experienced out lowest sales last year, but things
are steadily moving up in the months since our fiscal year ended in May. The last three months shows the beginnings of
an upward trend:
•
•
•
May
June
July
Total:
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$ 995.25
$1,271.75
$1,112.25
$3,379.25 ($1,127.42/mo average)
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With increased visibility, we project monthly sales to increase to $2,000/month the first full year ($24,000), then to
$37,000 in the second year and then to $49,000 and then level off to $55,000 over the course of the next three years. This
and special fundraising efforts will provide SJCFOL with funds to retire the debt if no benefactors are found.
SUMMARY:
We've come before you several times over several years regarding moving the bookstore, and on this most recent
iteration, we were here last September to get permission to move the library to the Bland Garden location and then again
in April for design/plan approval.
Staff and Council have been valuable partners in this venture, which was intended to be fully funded by the SJC Friends
of the Library and given as a gift to the citizens, residents and visitors of San Juan Capistrano.
With plans and estimate in hand, we went out to bid in July with our money in hand-earned over the last eight years
specifically for this project, confident that this was finally our time. A couple of weeks ago, we encountered a glitch,
however, that is the result of an economy that is on the upswing in South Orange County: Market conditions for building
anything have resulted in increased prices. Bids came in on August 7 at $40,000 higher than our estimate.
This puts is in the unenviable position of having to ask the City to loan us the funds to build this bookstore addition in
your facility. This is basically a tenant improvement project to the City-owned building that has housed our award-
winning San Juan Capistrano Library for almost 30 years. In fact, our 30th anniversary is in December. We had hoped
against hope we could award this project in time to celebrate that and the grand opening of the bookstore together, but we
have lost valuable time over the course of the last year and now, in addition, we find ourselves short of funds. We have
the projected/estimated monies; we don't have the additional $40,000 plus the 10% required by the City as contingency
for possible change orders, although we intend to work on value engineering opportunities to keep those down.
THE NEED:
Let's talk about why it is needed. We have a lovely, if small, bookstore now. Where is it, you :say? Well, that's precisely
the problem. Many current and past members have asked that exact question as have patrons, residents and visitors to our
fair city (where is your bookstore?) It's way in the back of the building and across the courtyard. Only the most
persistent and loyal of patrons find their way back there to buy used books at garage sale prices ($.25 or $.50 or maybe
even $1.00 a book). And it is those loyal few that we have to thank for the money we've raised thus far. But in the time it
has taken to get this far, construction prices have gone up and it does not look like they are going down any time soon.
We need to be seen so we can sell more books. It's a simple marketing strategy. And we need to sell more books to make
more money to be of more help to the library. The state and county have, over the last two decades, decreased funding and
cut program and resource levels for libraries so the burden of funding essential library programs, books and DVDs falls
increasingly onto the Friends, which relies on donations, special events and bookstore sales for revenue.
BACKGROUND:
We are a 501 (c)(3) organization devoted entirely to supporting the SJC Library. We've been around since 1980, before
this library was built and were a major force in getting this library built in the first place.
The residents of San Juan have had library services since 1921, when it was one of the first branches to join the Orange
County Free Library system, forty years before San Juan incorporated as a city.
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The City of San Juan chose to continue to provide library service by contracting with the County of Orange for those
services. This was a way or providing more library service for the money, which was dedicated to library service from
state property tax money earmarked therefor; so rather than those funds going to the City, they go to the County, which
allocates funds back based on library headcount. The City gets more library service then it could otherwise self-provide
with that same amount of money because of economies of scale within the County-wide library system. This includes
being able to be open six days/week. Prior to County bankruptcy in 1993, the library was open 7 days/week. It has since
cut even more resources and services.
This library was built through a design competition conducted by the City of San Juan. In 1980, the County had planned
to build a new branch library with $800,000 they would be contributing. The City wanted something special and said that
they would pay difference, which they did. The building itself is owned by the City; the County operates the library
system in it. The Friends support only the San Juan library.
When Michael Graves won the competition and designed the library, bookstores attached to libraries were almost non-
existent, so the concept of having one up front was not even considered. A space in the back was allowed for this purpose.
The concept of having a bookstore at the front of the library significantly changed after that. That's why our bookstore is
hidden in the back of the library and across the Courtyard. Most library patrons don't know it's there so supp01i is drawn
from a Joyal few. Since those early days, the concept of library bookstores has become very popular and most libraries
built in the last thirty years now put it up front -to catch patrons coming/going, like retail stores do when placing
merchandise up front for compulsive buying.
rt's that proven marketing strategy that we want to capitalize on. We need to catch up with the times to continue funding
library programs.
CURRENT BOOKSTORE SITUATION
Used bookstores overall, seem to be making a comeback. We believe that the economic slump may be an advantage in
the used book market-particularly to library bookstores where patrons (yes, patrons, not customers) feel an emotional
attachment to the library this bookstore (and their tax dollars) supports. As our patrons cut back on other retail purchases,
our little bookstore (if they can find it) will look more attractive to those who still wish to purchase and own books.
In these days of bookstore closings and the takeover of digital media, Jet's take a step back and extol the virtues of a used
book store. The joys of browsing in a used bookstore include the quiet, contemplative excitement of discovering new
ideas while drifting somewhat aimlessly among a world of like-minded souls. The browsers in our bookstore are as
interesting as the titles on the shelves.i
Sooner or later almost everyone shows up there. Used books are not for everybody and "everybody" is not our target
market. We serve the entire area, but our target market is made up of library visitors who want to buy books at deeply
discounted prices-in our case, gently used books at bargain basement/fire-sale prices. These are typically people who do
not intend to form an attachment to the book they find and ultimately buy. Our target market is that special someone who
doesn't really know exactly what they want, but just likes to browse through the bookshelves to find that special book or
discover one they weren't even looking for. For them, it's not a typical retail experience, except for the concept of what is
upfront sells, which is precisely why we want to move the bookstore so people can see it from the street. If they can see it
(e.g., the bookstore), they'll browse and if they browse, they buy. Thus, we'll not only reach our target market, library
patrons who want to own books, we'll have the opportunity to sell books to passers-by who would not wander into an
ordinary bookstore.
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And, this will be San Juan's only bookstore. It will become a gathering place for those new to books, curiosity-seekers
who will find something they'd like to get for themselves or a friend who did them a favor and they thought they might
like a particular book they discover in our little bookstore, where books take on an interesting after-life after being
circulated either through the library system or elsewhere.
Our target market breaks the usual 80/20 rule down in the following way. Our market segment is intended to be not just
the 14 square miles that is the City of San Juan Capistrano, but the 15-20 mile radius surrounding it and its 150,000+
population base. The majority of our residents are:
• Caucasian (58.8%)
• Hispanic (35. 1 %)
• Asian (2.8%)
• American Indian/Native (0.3%)
The majority of household incomes (27.2%) range from $15,000 -$49,999 with 24.5% of households in the $50,000-
$99,000 category, 17.0% earn $100,000-$149,000, 5.2% earn $150,000-$199,999 and 16.95 earn over $200,000; 74.9%
of the 33,432 population is over 18 years of age and 11.2% ofthe total population live below the national poverty level.'i
Because ofthe relatively low-dollar value of our books, we believe we can grow and tlourish in San Juan, particularly in
that, in the 27.2% of the population that makes under $50K/year, there are people who still seek to cut costs. The
improving economy, has not yet hit this population segment. This is also the population segment that frequents the library
on a regular basis for programs and typical library services, such as the book check-out reference and computer use. The
individuals in this market segment will now see the bookstore and realize it is there and utilize it. It will become a retail
opportunity for them to get nice books at reasonable prices and will drive our sales up over time.
Another 24.5% visit our library for special events and Friends' fundraising activities. This group is surprised to find the
bookstore even exists and eagerly browses in it before/during/after events till they find something to buy-sometimes just
to suppoti the library, sometimes they discover that one book they've just got to have.
The balance ofthe over-18 population (23.2%) holds the few who will be targeted for special f;undraising and
contributions and special event sponsorships for the capital campaign that will help fund the loan payback.
Shoppers have particular purchasing habits:
• Casual shoppers come in with no set idea of what they want to purchase. They spend a fair amount of time
browsing the store and often buy on impulse. They often leave with small purchases or without buying anything.
They are attracted to bookstores with low prices and large inventory and they come back often, but make small
purchases regularly.
• "Hard-to-find" Shoppers with very specific needs. They are looking for a difficult to obtain item, usually a book
that is out ofprint. If we can satisfy them, we gain significant customer loyalty, but this is rare and it will be a
discovery made by happenstance. Our bookstore does not inventory books, so they have to just browse by section
till they find what they want. They are generally not price sensitive and are typically drawn to large used
bookstores \vith a large inventory.
• Specific category shoppers are people that typically buy books in a particular category. such as fiction or romance
or children's books. These customers generally have a good idea of what they want and make higher volume
purchases, often spending $25-$50.ii'
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Sooner or later almost everyone will show up there, so we'll not only reach our target market, library patrons who want to
own books, we'll have the opportunity to sell books to passers-by who would not wander into an ordinary bookstore.
This will be San Juan's Bookstore. It will belong to its residents and become a gathering place for those new to books,
curiosity-seekers who will find something they'd like to get for themselves or a friend who did them a favor and they
thought they might like a particular book they discover in our little bookstore. People will come in out of curiosity to
check us out and when they do, they'll buy our bargain-basement books.
"Jfy bestfrieml is a person who will gh•e me a booli I htn·e not read."
... Abraham Lincoln
Our bookstore will offer the opportunity to make new best friends-to come in and browse for a book through stacks of
reasonably-priced ones and then buy it, knowing you're supporting this wonderful library, and then give it to someone
who did something nice for you the other day without expecting anything in return. Try it; you'll be glad you did!
Our library is like a metaphorical town square-the heart and center of our community-that third place, as they say, after
home, work/school, you have the library, the hub and vibrant pulse of the community. We need to put it and the new
bookstore on the map, literally, and call attention to it with better signage, lighting and promotion. We can expand and
open this sub-culture to more people who don't even know it's there. When we first opened, we were the talk of the town
and part of everything San Juan, with lots of visitors and publicity and people just coming to town to see the library. As
the city grew and the commercial area prospered, it grew away from the library and now, it's more like an after-thought.
Out-of-town visitors are architectural buffs, not Mission tourists. We can change and should change that.
THE FRIENDS' COMMITMENT:
The Friends has been around since 1980 and was instrumental in the planning stages of the new library when it was built
three years later. It is dedicated to supporting the library and the bookstore supports the Friends. The Friends are active
in the community and support its activities and commercial endeavors throughout the year. The library bookstore will be
a new beginning for that end of downtown.
The Friends are investing in the library as an investment in our future citizens; we hope the City does as well.
One example of our commitment is highlighted by the situation a few years ago when one of our volunteers was leaving
the library as a visitor driving by stopped and asked if she could tell them where the library was. "You're here," she said.
At that time, there was no sign indicating it was a library, so the Friends put up the lettering on the building that says,
"Library." Later, we put up the large monument sign at curb level. These improvements cost the Friends approximately
$8,000, but directional signage is needed throughout the city to point people to the library. Better lighting is needed on El
Camino Real to highlight the library (the Mission block has ten street lamps, for example/the library block has one) and
under-lighting the trees would spotlight the beautiful facility itself without imposing garish light into the neighborhood.
Other improvements have included creating the new Teen Computer Lab out of the under-utilized space in the tower and
furnishing it with all new computers on which the kids could do their homework (now one of the most popular areas of
the library). We also paid for new carpeting and painting throughout the county to the tune of approximately $35,000 plus
the cost of the new computers and now we want to use the space in the under-utilized Bland Garden for a bookstore.
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The Friends are very committed to the library and the facility that is owned by the citizens of this fair city. There are Jots
of things we can do to put this important community icon back on map: take out the useless paver in front so people can
drop patrons off at the front door with their loads of books to return -and the new horse /n carriage buggy rides could
stop there as well. The City's new initiative to enhance mobility and connectivity downtown could include the library in
its pedestrian circulator system and improve walkability in that section of downtown. It can put the library back on its
radar in terms of its on-going initiatives for developing partnerships with nonprofits and multicultural organizations. We
provide services to all age ranges, ethnicities and economic levels. We can highlight and "icon" it on city maps, websites
and tourist information and draw the I ,500 ft. arrow line directly to it in the strategic plan. The economic benefits of
libraries to a city are well documented; we need to use that data in supporting our town's tourism industry with better
signage and lighting.
But all that is a vision and an argument for another day. Right now we need to get the bookstore up and running, so we
can make more money and make that little community bookstore a hub of activity in that little comer of downtown.
Remember, I said earlier it's been a joint effort to get this far? Well, please note that we took Councilman Kramer's
desire (September 2012) to highlight the natural light appeal of the current bookstore and we had our architect's design
include skylights in the new bookstore.
And I should also add that another-former Council member, who was involved in the original development of the library
and the design award through thirty years ago, envisioned for it to "become a social core" of this town. Well, it has done
just that. That visionary, Ken Friess, seasoned and trusted construction veteran, has helped shepherd this iteration of the
plans through to this point and donated his construction management services and advice to the Friends on this project
going forward. "In our community, everything that really happens in the library, from the standpoint of social
interaction, the events, programs and other activities, are a result of the Friends. They (the programs) would not
otherwise exist."
Another former Council member, Laura Freese, put it in eloquent, practical terms last fall when we first came before the
City Council for permission to relocate the bookstore. She said, "The bookstore may sound like it's something small,
but it's not. The bookstore can generated up to $2,000 a month, if it's in an area where it can be seen. That money
goes straight back into the library."
"It's a small thing, but it can make a huge difference in this town. This is a generational project," says Ken Friess.
The last generation built it. Our generation has used it and it's now time to pay it forward to the next generation. There's
been very little done to the library, except for structural repairs and maintenance, in the last 30 years. It, like your house,
needs updating. This bookstore may seem like a small thing, but it will make a big difference. It will change the
ambiance and character of that part of El Camino Real and make it more alive and vibrant.
Speaking of El Camino Real, it's not lost on me that El Camino Real, the oldest road in California, where Father Serra,
Governor Portola and so many other important and significant historic characters out of our past have walked, now houses
some of the most important and vital places of community in this town -all within a five-minute walk of the historic 1894
railroad depot:
• Historic Town Center Park
• Bias Aguilar Adobe Museum
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• Camino Real Playhouse
• The Mission San Juan Capistrano
• San Juan Capistrano Library
San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675
IRS No. 95-3704662
• The Old High School, whose parking lot now borders EI Camino Real. It housed the original library when it first
opened in 1921.
These historic structures line the oldest road in California, on which sits this town's metaphoric public square that is the
free-to-all public library.
"My guess is (it will be) about 300 years until computers are as good as, say, your local reference library in search."
... Craig Silverstein, Director of Technology, Google.com
CBS Sunday Morning, March 28, 2004
LIBRARY USAGE:
The library has been serving San Juan for nearly 92 years at the edge of the downtown commercial area -long before:
• OC had an airport (Eddie Martin Field-1923), PCH opened (1926) or Laguna Beach, the second oldest city in
OC, even became a city ( 1927)
• Babe Ruth's major league record (60 home runs, 1927)
• Winnie the Pooh (A. A. Milne, 1926) The Sun Also Rises and A Farewell to Arms (Ernest Hemingway 1926-27)
were written
• Random House publishers was even founded ( 1927)
• Sinclair Louis won the Nobel Prize for literature (1930)
• Bing Crosby made his first solo recording (1930)
• The "Star Spangled Banner" was our national anthem (1931)
• Penguin Books published its first paperback (1935)
• Swallows were national celebrities (NBC's live broadcast (1939) and Leon Rene's musical tribute" When the
Swallows Come Back to Capistrano," (1940)
• Little League, "Over the Rainbow," or "Gone with the Wind" were cultural icons (1939)
• John Steinbeck won the Pulitzer Prize, (Grapes Q(Wrath 1940)
• San Juan was a city
Almost forgotten and unseen by so many, but used and enjoyed and appreciated by more:
Population of San Juan Capistrano: 35,360 (20 12)
Land area (square miles) 14.2 (2010)
Persons per square mile 2,450.8 (20 1 0)
Population of Orange County 3,090,132 (2012)
Percentage of persons in SJC below national 11.8% (20 12)
poverty level
# of cardholders 794,191 (2011) (OCPL) Universal borrowing privileges throughout
California. Programs are open to the public, even those without
library cards/greater population served.
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San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675
IRS No. 95-3704662
# of SJC cardholders that have used their cards in 15,203
the past three years
# of books in circulation 124,224 (2012)
# of Library visits 196,850 (August 2012-July 2013)
# of items circulated from SJC 126,082 (August 2012-July 2013)
121,112 (Aug 20 11-July 20 13), an increase of 5,000 over last year
#of attendance for all library programs (many 12,990 (Aug 2012-July 2013), one-third ofSJC's population--
funded by SJCFOL) demonstrating wide-spread community participation and support for
library programs.
The library is a place of community-a place for people to connect. "When you're here-you can connect to books, to the
internet, to each other. You don't need to spend any money and you don't need an appointment. It is the most democratic
of all institutions, where everyone gets the same service without regard to status. Consider how many places like that
actually exist. And beyond that, we talk to each other. At our library, the staff knows the patrons and they engage with
each other. We learn something new every day about what is important to the community because people talk to us. We
can then create programs and collections that reflect the needs of people here. Our programs are not just meant to educate
or entertain-they are also meant to bring people together and build relationships. That's how we create community."iv
Those who argue that libraries are becoming obsolete don't know what public libraries do in the twenty-first century.
Libraries are more than books and technology. Libraries build citizens. They educate individuals and foster thoughtful
communities. They are essential components of communities-worth fighting for and worth funding.v "Many public
libraries have faced ugly, recession-spawned budget cuts and trimmed hours. Yet political leaders who control the purse
strings for four of the biggest cities fought and saved their libraries from severe hann. The city that has not done that is
Los Angeles."vi Please don't copy L.A.
We are proud of our little library. It was built thirty years ago this year-and it is yours-it is ours. It belongs to us and
we take pride of ownership in it and the many prestigious design awards it has won. We are blessed and grateful to have
it here. But it is 30 years old it now needs our help. It needs to grow and expand with the times-as any house or
building does as one generation grows up and another takes its place. This is one small thing that could have major
impact on that edge of downtown. Just think: a community bookstore, accessible on EI Camino Real.
The community supports it. Testimonials for it, the library and our programs include comments and favored programs
that are noted at the end of this memorandum. vii Public libraries used to seem intimidating to many people. Ours does not
-it never did, thanks in the beginning in large part, to the small intimate spaces created by its designer, world renowned
architect, Michael Graves, who did not want to create another large, impersonal mausoleum. Our magnificent staff, took
on the supervisory challenge noted in many of the letters to the editor of the time, criticizing the little rooms and long
hallways and separate rooms for the stacks and not only made it work, but made it great.
I will leave you with the voice of a library defendant that was heard above a crowd of critics when the library first opened.
She stood up to naysayers and wrote a letter to the editor of the Capistrano Valley News, barely one month after the
library opened when people were writing letters opposing the design in droves while ignoring the numbers of people who
were coming in and using the library. She wrote:
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"I've read some of the letters people have sent you and I don't think what they say is true about our library in San
Juan Capistrano. I think that this is a dream come true for San Juan Capistrano.
Someone wrote in a letter that 90% of the people in this area do not like this new library. If this is true, why is the
library always filled to the maximum? Let me remind you that this library is not small.
Mr. Graves did a wonderfuljob in the architecture work. I love this new library. I am a resident of San Juan
Capistrano, so I know how much everyone loves this new library."
Gia Lugo, Age 11, San Juan Capistrano
Gia was eleven when she wrote how much she loved the new library in 1984. She is a living testament to the democratic
notion that libraries build citizens. She has had a life-long love affair with the library. In fact, she has volunteered and
worked here part time almost since she was old enough to legally work. She loves the library today more than ever, and a
more enthusiastic supporter for the library, its programs and the Friends would be hard to find. For her, it's a family
affair. Her sister and brother-in-law worked tirelessly on the summer concerts this year while her mother chaired the very
successful return of the Multicultural Arts Series of concerts in the courtyard this summer.
Today, our library is definitely the community's house with the friendliest volunteers and staff who will drop everything
to help answer your questions and quest for knowledge. It is part of the history and culture of our town and is indeed a
hub of community interaction. The library and our Friends bookstore are places of discovery, adventure and excitement,
knowledge and books that are perpetually new to you. Libraries are a link to the past and an indispensable one, in my
view, to the next generation.
Our little bookstore is our generation's gift to the next. The last generation's dream of "Build it and they will come," has
been fulfilled. If we walk our "preserving the past to enhance its future" motto, building this bookstore and enhancing
the library with additional ways to interact with the community, will be one small step in the right direction.
Won't you help the Friends help the library?
Respectfully,
Mary D
President
SJC Friends of the Library, Inc.
IRS No 95-3704662
Cc City Manager, Karen Brust-KBrust({/)sanjuancapistrano.org
City Engineer, Joe Mankewich-JMank.awichraisanjuancapistrano.org
1 Unknown
"San Juan Capistrano Long Term Strategic Plan
iii http://-MVW. bplans. com/used_ book_ store_ business _plan/market_ analysis_ summary.
1v Sarah Stimson, Head Librarian, San Juan Capistrano Library, in interview for September 2013 issue of Check-it-Out Magazine.
,. Julie Biando Edwards, Melissa S. Rauseo, & Kelley Rae Unger, Magazine Feature, Apri130, 2013-Public Libraries On-line.
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vi Patrick Range McDonald
San uan
San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675
IRS No. 95-3704662
""Comments and quotes supporting our library, its programs and The Friends:
nc.
"This library helped me get my Masters and Ph.D. -don't know what I'd have done without it"-trom a gentleman who stopped by our table at the Dana
Point concert on Sunday.
"This library is wondeifu/"-From a happy patron.
"Your reference people are unbelievable."
"Your staff has an incredible customer service af/itude. "
"The concerts are back-where did they go; they're wondeiful' Keep 'em going It's where we can come and see oz.r neighbors and enjoy great, danceable
mus1c. "-from a Multicultural Art Series concert attendee. From others: "So glad the concerts are back, where have you been," "I've been coming for years,
great bands,fantastic venue," "Are you doing more, any winter concerts on the hori=on?" For those unfamiliar with our concert series, it was started by our
librarian about twenty years ago, and offered as a public service benefit to the community. It has become a treasured program in this community. It was
brought it back by the Friends this year with a six-concert series, which enjoyed peak attendance of about 300/concert. It enjoys tremendous support from
the community; we're seeking an underwriter sponsor to continue it. Other supporting comments include: "I always enjoy these concerts;" "Kid-friendly,
good & diverse bands;" "Love this; it's the best;" "Wonderful program for the community;" "Love the space, the ambiance, the community feeling--Loyal
fans for many years--Love the concerts;" "Amazing bands, danceable music; amazingly talented, fantastic; Amazing warm feeling in the community."
Other programs are appreciated as well: "What a cool idea'"-From someone who couldn't wait to put his image on our traveling multicultural art canvas.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with this project, it is our current "we bring the library to you" outreach program. It started as a foreign exchange
student "art-in-the-park" project so they could give us their impressions of California and give something back to the community that hosted them for several
weeks this summer. It has since grown to include anyone in the community who wants to participate in giving us their "California Impressions." It is in the
lobby during this City Council session and will be donated to the library by local artist and teacher, Jane Owen Zeiger. in celebration of the library's 30°'
anniversary. It will hang in the library's gallery and then in the bookstore.
The library gallery, for those who don't know, regularly hosts a collection of a local artists' work and it hangs for free in the library for approximately two
months. Proceeds trom sales help support the library. Artist comments include heartfelt "thank you's" too numerous to mention.
A beloved event in the community is "Dia de los Muertos," a continuing community favorite. It is a beloved Mexican cultural celebration of All Souls Day
in our community It occurs at our library in late fall (this year it will be held Saturday, October 26). We have a long tradition of celebrating "Dia de los
Muertos" in late October/early November. We have musical performances, traditional foods, crafts, and all kinds of cultural decorations. This holiday zs
very signzficant to our community, so we invite them to come in and share in the expenence It's fun and always brings newcomers to the library.
Other popular community event is "An Evening at the Academy Awards" with our own local celebrities, film producers, Stephanie Heredia and Robert Kline
is another of our popular programs and feature events like, "Night of the Arts," "Two Years before the Mast: A Culinary Journey around Cape Horn" and
"Savzng the Whales: One Captain's Tale" are popular, well supported events where the community comes together to celebrate, learn and be together in
community.
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