The
Del Mar Library
The photo above is by Larry Brooks.
New Library Partnerships Proliferate
Want to improve your writing? Bidding? Planting? Designing, knitting or castling?
Del Mar Library is partnering with other individuals and organizations to offer a variety of activities to the community. Most are held in the library’s new community room. All are free.
A popular newcomer is “Bridge Lessons to Improve Your Game,” from 10 a.m. to noon every fourth Thursday. Taught by Marilyn Anderson, an American Bridge Teacher’s Association instructor, the class is aimed at intermediate players. Other Thursday programs are “Knit and Stitch” in the first week and the Chess Club with master instructor Dawn Erickson at 3:30 p.m. weekly. Book Talks and Treats is offered at 2 p.m. on fourth Fridays.
Many of the activities involve education and gardening. One includes both. Betsy Schultz, who co-designed the wall in front of the library, has built a hydroponic garden cart to show third graders at Del Mar Heights School how to grow vegetables in small containers. During summer vacation the cart will be housed at the library where children can continue to see pagelearn about gardening. In August it will be harvested.
Again this April the Del Mar Rose Society holds its annual show at the library and, as in the past, the building will be filled with its colorful and fragrant blooms.
Library is abloom with Rose Society’s finest entries.
During April and the first two weeks of May, the County of San Diego has set up a kiosk to demonstrate water conservation techniques in gardening. An interactive touch screen computer display helps identify garden pests and how they can be controlled using few or no chemicals. Horticulturist Doug Kalal will give a talk at 6:30 p.m. June 16 on ”Thirty Great Tolerant Plans for Your Garden.”
In observance of Older American Month, the American Society of Interior Designers is offering a program on home improvement at 2 p.m. May 14. It will feature a talk, film and other materials to help seniors improve the quality of independent living at Meldahl discussing his latest book “Hard Road West.”
New library landscaping is flourishing
Automated Checkout Has Arrived
Del Mar has joined the long list of libraries utilizing automated checkout systems. At the end of January, two Radio Frequency Identification (RDIF) stations were installed and now account for more than 80% of customer usage.
Utilizing bar codes on library cards and books, the RDIF units are fast and easy to operate. Eventually, said librarian Gretchen Schmidt, they can be used to help manage inventory, restock shelves and add to library security. While that’s the case in some libraries nationally, it’s still in the future in San Diego County.
Of more immediate benefit, the automated checkout frees librarians to interact and provide better service to customers. It’s also a labor saver; Schmidt says Del Mar’s library staff is down one and a half from last year. More use of volunteers also helps maintain the library staff’s effectiveness, she added.
Another advantage of automation is that the RDIF units can check out multiple materials instead of the one-at-a-time manual system. That reduces the chance of carpal tunnel syndrome, an ailment that plagues librarians as well as others performing repetitive tasks in the work place.
No trouble using automated check-out.
Two Authors to Speak in May
Two different faces of writing will be presented during Del Mar Library’s Meet the Author series in May.
Merrill Joan Gerber, a prize-winning novelist and short story writer, will speak at 2 p.m. May 8. The focus of her talk will be memoir writing and the audience is expected to including members of writing groups in the area.
Gerber has published seven novels, five volumes of short stories, nine young adult novels and three books of non-fiction. In 1986, she won the prestigious O. Henry Prize. At present she teaches fiction writing at Cal Tech.
Vince Reardon will talk about his first book Legacy: Passing on Cherished Values in a Values-Starved World at 2 p.m. May 22.
Some of the 25 notable Americans profiled are Daniel Ellsberg, peace activist who leaked the Pentagon Papers, the Rev. Tom Doyle, who exposed sexual abuse by Catholic clergy, and Jeffrey Wigand, who disclosed abuse in the cigarette industry.
A San Diego resident, Reardon has worked in corporate marketing and public relations for 20 years.
Circuit adds a new link
San Diego County Library System’ popular Circuit has added a new Link.
Introduced in 2008, the Circuit enables library users to quickly borrow books from four universities - San Diego State, Cal State San Marcos, UCSD and the University of San Diego. With a simple click of computers at home or a library branch, books can be ordered and will be sent out within 24 to 48 hours. More than 7.5 million library books and periodicals are available.
Now The Circuit has been expanded to include 28 more college libraries in California and Nevada. Called Link+, the expanded service is available without charge and books
Mini Book Reviews
I highly recommend Saving Cee Cee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman. Cee Cee is 12 and when her mom dies, she goes to live with a great aunt in Savannah, Georgia. This book has wonderful lovable eccentric women characters. While reading it, I laughed out loud and at times I felt very saddened. It is amazing to me that this first novel could explore so many feelings and experiences of relationships while relating the journey of a young girl who loses her mother. I enjoyed it as much as The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk.
--Pat Freeman
Caught by Harold Cohen catches the reader with the first page. The story seems clear-cut, but then it begins to evolve and captivates the reader with each detail. A junior reporter, Wendy, reports a story and then wonders is she has mistakenly accused someone, but then the story takes off in another direction. It is hard to put down as it makes you want to read until the book is done. Lots of twists and a great story to enjoy just like all of Cohen’s other books. Add it to your list.
--Barbara Myers
Children’s librarian hired
 |
Jennifer Runge |
Del Mar has half of a new children’s librarian. Jennifer Runge will split her time between the Del Mar and Cardiff branches. Her specialties are story telling and puppetry.
A graduate of Cal State San Marcos with a master’s degree in library science from UCLA, Runge comes to Del Mar from the county’s 4S Ranch Branch where she was youth services librarian. She lives in Carlsbad with her new husband, Stephan Hoover, a dog, two cats and a turtle.
The oil painting above is by Mac McMillan. 2009
Beautification of Our Village
Have you taken a look at our library recently? The Del Mar Library is looking good! Over the past year a new community room has been added, the roof has been replaced and now, the Del Mar Garden Club, in partnership with the City of Del Mar, has made significant improvements with the landscaping, cleaning the masonry and upgrading the lighting and irrigation. The Friends of the Del Mar Library contributed $500 to purchase plants yet the Garden Club is trying to keep costs down, and they have donated many of their own plantings to fill the space. Importantly, the Garden Club has also volunteered to plant and water.
Arline Paa, coordinator for the gardening project, along with Mary Friestedt and Zus Van Thillo, thank the city for assisting so generously with the project. Five cubic yards of mulch from the San Diego landfill was brought to the site to help prevent erosion. The soil has been amended as well so that plantings will have ample opportunity to flourish.
Arline Paa reports that the goal for the project is to open up the views towards the library, to highlight the sculpture wall as well as the James Hubbell sculpture. A change with the lighting will help focus on the Hubbell sculpture. By using only drought tolerant plants, such as Mexican feather grass, blue fescue and succulents Arline hopes the public will see attractive plantings in public places and move in that direction for their own homes. A decomposed granite path is being added to help our librarians change their signage and a succulent rock garden is designed in front of the new community room. Two pots, with blue-grey succulents on either side of the Hubbell bench, will offer the final touch to the project.
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Friends of the library spin a new web, Fall 2009
Crawling out from under its piles of paper, Friends of the Del Mar Library has joined the 21st Century with an online edition of its activities. The new site can be accessed at friendsofdelmarlibrary.org.
The website will supplement rather than replace this newsletter, which will continue to be published and distributed to Friends members twice yearly. “The new site,“ said Pat Freeman, Friends president, “will enable us to quickly and thoroughly inform the public about library services and activities. It is available to anyone at any time without charge.”
From its home page, topped by a new photograph of the recently remodeled library building, viewers are directed to five inside pages:
About Us contains articles and photographs about the library’s history, improvements to the building and other pertinent information.
News and Reviews has book reviews and details of past, present and future library activities and events.
Calendar is an up-to-date summary of upcoming activities.
Contribute tells how viewers can become member of the Friends of the Del Mar Library and how they can contribute to library programs.
Contact lists phone numbers and email addresses for library staff and names of board members.
Freeman urged residents of Del Mar and surrounding communities to use the website, tell their friends about it and offer criticisms and suggestions: “This is a wonderful way for the Friends to encourage community participation to help provide the best possible library services for Del Mar.”
The Friends website was designed and will be maintained by Virginia Lawrence, a resident of Del Mar Terrace since 2006. A former French teacher in New York and an English teacher in Switzerland, Lawrence designed her first website in 2003. Other clients include the Sandpiper, the Del Mar Foundation, and the Friends of the Powerhouse.
Editorial
When the economy turns sour and public funds dry up, libraries are the first to feel the pinch. San Diego County’s library budget is $41,313,536 - a decrease of 9.4% from the previous year. The cuts have been felt at every one of the county’s 33 branches.
At the Del Mar library, a hiring freeze within the county system has resulted in short staffing that has been especially hard on its handful of employees. Activities and acquisitions have been reduced. That’s where Friends of the Del Mar Library comes in. A $1,000 contribution will enable children’s and adult programs to be maintained at their present levels. Other funds insure no reduction in magazine subscriptions.
However, our own resources are strained. Friends contributed $50,000 last year to supplement a $200,000 appropriation by the county for our new community room. This new resource already is attracting a variety of users.
Del Mar Library has a history of strong supporters. The county Board of Supervisors, led by Pam Slater Price, a Del Mar resident, has been exceedingly generous. So has the City Council, which recently paid most of the cost of a new roof, and currently is helping finance landscaping improvements. Del Mar Farmers Market has been a generous friend.
Now we’re asking individuals in the community to help us face this financial crisis. Your contributions, large and small, can help us maintain and improve our library. Turn to the back page of this newsletter to find out how.
Chess club meets weekly at the library
If enthusiasm were ability, Dawn Erickson would be a grand master. Instead she’s the founder of Del Mar’s new chess club that meets at 4 p.m. every Thursday in the community room.
Erickson welcomes players from seven on up. Pretty soon, she says, she’ll start teaching 4-year-olds. All she asks is commitment on the part of players and their parents.
So far the chess club has about 20 members divided into two groups - seniors over 50 and children. But anyone can join. Erickson sees chess as a wonderful opportunity for children to interact with their parents and grandparents.
“Age is no obstacle,” she says, “nor is language. Every emotion can be expressed on a chess board.”
To encourage participation, Erickson has designed what she calls sub-games for children and their parents. She’s also devising a curriculum for teaching chess to second and third graders. She charges nothing for the class but is encouraging donations of chessboards and pieces.
Born in La Jolla, Erickson is the daughter of an Air Force fighter pilot and learned to play chess at the age of 3.
“Chess taught me the lessons of life,” she said.
Married to a realtor in Rancho Santa Fe, Erickson has switched her focus to education, but chess will continue to play a big part in her life.
How good is she?
“I’ve held my own against some pretty good players,” she said.
Library landscaping looms
Del Mar Library has a new roof and community room. Thanks to the Garden Club and city it’s about to get new landscaping.
Arlene Paa outlined the landscape plan to Friends of the Del Mar Library last week and the board responded by appropriating $500 to buy new plants. Another $3,000 will be contributed by the city of Del Mar for masonry, irrigation and electrical improvements.
Paa said landscaping would combine drought resistant native plants such as ceanothus and lemonade berry with succulents and grasses. Some new plants will be purchased and others will be donated.
Existing bougainvillea, bay laurel and a sun camellia will be retained. At the southwest corner of the library site, in front of the new community room, a rock garden will be installed.
The design and much of the planting will be donated by the Garden Club, augmented by city landscapers who‘ll be responsible for maintenance.
Pat Freeman, Friends president, said she hopes the project will be completed by the end of November.
Three authors will talk at the library
Baseball, wildlife and unholy mischief will be the topics of talks in Del Mar Library’s “Meet the Authors” series this fall.
Local author Elle Newmark will talk about “The Book of Unholy Mischief” at 1 p.m. Oct. 24.
A mystery set in Renaissance Venice, the novel uses food as a metaphor to describe the intrigue in and around the Doge’s palace. Newmark also will speak about her upcoming book set in India.
Harry Katz, a Del Mar author, will discuss his two latest books, “Baseball Americana” and “Herblock” at 2 p.m. Nov. 1. A former curator at the Library of Congress, Katz has been honored for his contributions to the field of graphic art. His books explore two U.S. institutions – the national pastime of baseball and the late, great political cartoonist, Herbert Block.
Bette Blaydes Pegas is an El Cajon writer who fulfilled her life’s dream by visiting the Galapagos Islands, made famous by Charles Darwin. Her book “Chasing A Dream in he Galapagos” is an account of her own personal evolution. Her talk is set for 1 p.m. Nov. 8.
Contrarian is
a Compelling
and Arresting
Book
The
subtitle of Contrarian:
Peter
Kaye’s Life Journey
from the Depression
to Checkers, Dallas,
Watergate and the
Great Wall,
tells one the scope
of this absorbing
collection of memoirs.
Kaye was 
born
in Illinois in 1928
but came as a seven-year
old child with his
mother to Laguna
Beach in 1936. A
1950 graduate of
Pomona College,
he moved to Del
Mar in 1956 and,
with several interruptions,
has lived here ever
since. His career
has mainly been
in print journalism
(from cub reporter
to editor), but
also in public television
locally and nationally
and in politics,
where he defines
himself as a “political
hack,” flack catching
for Richard Nixon,
Pete Wilson, Houston
Flournoy and Gerald
Ford among others
during their election
campaigns.
Kaye’s work in the media began in his college days, and he matured as a writer on his National Guard division paper in the U.S., Japan and Korea. He worked at the San Diego Union twice, from 1953-1968 and 1976-1993 where he rose to associate editor. In between, he transitioned to public TV here and in Washington D.C. The Kennedy assassination, the Watergate hearings, and the PSA crash over San Diego in 1978 were among the many significant events he covered.
 |
| Peter Kaye |
Self-deprecating and generous with his associates, Kaye has the rare ability to tell a story skillfully and with deft wit. In his hands, our English language fares well. What a marvelous raconteur! Among many reminiscences, I particularly cherish those about scientist-philosopher Jacob Bronowski and eccentric composer-inventor Harry Partch.
Were I to quibble in any way with this compelling and arresting book, it may be with its topical arrangement (reporter, politics, T.V. etc.) that leads to some repetition. Also, as a local, I should have dearly loved to see more on the Del Mar scene–past and present. After all, he has not only lived here before incorporation, he also wrote a lively column on Del Mar in the North County Times.
Overall, Contrarian is a humane and engaging book that you should get now and read. Copies of this book may be bought at Earth Song Books or on Amazon.Com.
Marc Gitttelsohn was undergraduate librarian at UCSD from 1971 to 1985.
Short
Stories from
Around the Del
Mar Library
Youth Librarian
Donna Melnychenko brings a wealth of experience to her job as Del Mar’s youth librarian. A native of Michigan, Donna was an elementary school teacher, school and corporate librarian before joining the San Diego County Library staff in 1999. She now splits her time between the Del Mar and Cardiff branches.
Donna’s outside interests center on music, books, her cat Noah and astronomy. “I’ve become an eclipse chaser,” she said, ”traveling to Europe and Africa to see total eclipses of the sun.”
Closer to home, her goal is to encourage parents and children to visit the library often and to become lifelong readers and learners.
Summer
Activities
Emphasizing creativity, Del Mar Library kicks off its summer program at 11 a.m. June 17 with a puppet show. There will be activities – magic, puppet show, arts, crafts, and games -- for children and adults through August.
Adult programs include Knit and Stitch at 3 p.m. on first Thursdays, acrylic painting at 9:30 a.m. June 20, book talks on fourth Frdays at 2 p.m., collage art at 1 p.m. July 11 and beginning crochet at 1 p.m. Aug. 22.
Children’s activities include story times in English and Spanish, Grandparents and Books, a book club, arts and crafts and guitar lessons for teenagers. A full schedule of activities is available at the library.
Homework
Help
San Diego County Library now offers free homework help on line. Available from 1 to 10 p.m. every day, the service connects students with live tutors for one-on-one help in math, science, English, social studies and reading. Adult learners also are welcome. Tutoring sessions are available in Spanish and English. There also is a 24-hour writing lab.
Users can access the service at main.sd.ca.brainfuse.com by typing their library card barcodes. Called HelpNow!, the program is funded by the California Library Services and Technology Act.
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