A Note from the President
Are you up to speed on the Library building project? If not, here are three good ways to
stay informed:
- Read the Library Building Watch newsletter. This free electronic update is published
every month or so and distributed via email. To subscribe, go to the Library web site
(www.ci.alameda.ca.us/library),
click on the "Join now" button, and enter your name and email address. You
can also read back issues of the newsletter at the Library web site. Paper copies are
available at the Library.
- Check out the webcam. A camera mounted on the roof of the police station provides
real-time photo-graphs of the front of the building through the internet. To view the
latest picture, go to this page on the Library's web site: www.ci.alameda.ca.us/library/webcam.html.
- Come to the Friends monthly meeting. Our acting Library Director, Jane Chisaki,
reports on the building's progress at every meeting. Please join us on November 21st
to hear the latest.
~Molly Skeen
From the Minutes
Thanks once again to Chris Christopher for taking the minutes, we still need a permanent
recording secretary!
President's Announcements. Karin Lundstrom, young adult services librarian, sent
a letter expressing appreciation for support for the library's Teen Book Discussion group.
Dale Lillard, Acting Director Alameda Recreation and Parks Department, sent a letter
expressing his appreciating for our $500 donation to AR&P. Linda Koistinen from Haight
School sent her thanks for the $25 voucher and the opportunity to choose her books before
the presale started.
Treasurer. John presented the financial report for January to date in October
2005. Our total net worth was reported to be $213,481.56, slightly less than last month and
before the book sale (see Book Sale Reports below for the latest ~ed.).
Membership. Peter reported that memberships paid through 2005 total 251.
Eighty-seven are paid through 2006.
Library Director's Report. Jane Chisaki, acting director, reported on
construction progress for the new library. She summarized the plans for the Library's
"Spooky Night at the Library" on October 27 and for the upcoming Teen Read Week
"Get Real at the Library." Jane also mentioned that there is now a link on the
Library web page to a site accepting donations for Gulf Coast library relief.
Junior Friends Report. Marilyn Ng reported that all Jr. Friends' bank accounts
had been consolidated in the checking account for a total of approximately $920. It was
moved and approved that these funds be donated to the Library for children's and teen's
reading programs.
BALIS Report. Marc reported the System Advisory Board welcomed new
representatives from Alameda County and Oakland. The Board is off to a good start. He
announced his term will end in June and will be looking for a new Alameda representative.
Anyone wanting to know more, contact him or Jane.
Old Business
Friends' bookmark and website. Chris Christopher reported that the artwork for
the Friends bookmark proposed at the September meeting was finished and distributed a
sample. Chris also summarized the work done so far on the proposed new Friends web site and
gave information about hosting and domain name services. The temporary URL for the proposed
new web site will be distributed soon for comments and suggestions.
Bulletin board. A general discussion of the Library bulletin board where Friends
information is posted resulted in a suggestion that a volunteer be sought to serve as
bulletin board coordinator in order to keep the information posted there more up to date.
New Business
Tote bags. There was a general discussion of the status and whereabouts of the
small canvas Friends tote bags. There are a fair number of these remaining, but the
consensus was that they are too small. There was general agreement that we should acquire a
new, larger bag with the Friends emblem, and that this would likely sell well.
Uncle Albert. A proposal was made and approved for the Friends to purchase the
statue of "Uncle Albert" from Gert and Pete Woods. "Uncle Albert" is
approximately 4 ft. tall and is carrying a large stack of books. The statue will serve as a
donation and sale mascot.
~Chris Christopher
Book Sale Reports
How to say "THANK YOU" to a group of dedicated people that come back every
Book Sale to help the Friends put on the greatest sale.
- to the Alameda Firefighters who on their own time load and unload
over 600 boxes of books into and out of rented moving vans.
- to members who show up year after year to empty boxes and fill tables
on Friday.
- to members who Cashier, Pre-count, Book Sit and table watch Friday
nite, Saturday and Sunday
- to those who stay Sunday to pack 'em up and move 'em out, cut up
boxes and load up book-ends.
THANK YOU THANK YOU
This year a Special Thank You to the DECA CLUB, students from Encinal High School.
Sunday they really learned how to manhandle a handcart loaded with boxes of books to
customers' cars. GOOD SHOW. ~Adair Jorgensen
The news is the Book Sale produced gross revenues of $12,985.12.
~John Quick
On-line Searching for Dummies
It's very likely that you are familiar with the For Dummies® series.
The black and yellow cover is a distinctive sight. There is a conspicuous triangular-headed
cartoon figure also. The earliest book in the series was about the DOS computer operating
system. Since that first one in 1991, the various owners of the trademark have added many
topics and produced videos as well as books. The current publishers of the series describe
their selection criteria in these words: "For Dummies® tackles any
topic that's complex, confusing, intimidating, or conjures up any feelings of
anxiety."
In my ongoing exploration of the online catalog of the Alameda Free Library (AFL)
collection I wondered: "Which For Dummies® titles are in the AFL
collection?" I found 153 items. My strategy: I selected "Keyword" at the
search page of the online catalog. I selected the drop-down category "Words in
Series" and entered "dummies" as a keyword.
Within the selection of 153 titles, one can browse for delightfully serendipitous
discovery by sorting results of the search in four different ways: author, format,
publication date, or title. The oldest book in the AFL collection is Excel for Dummies; the
most recent is Baby Names for Dummies. For learning another language, patrons can check out
slim volumes on French phrases, Spanish phrases or lengthier books about Spanish and also
Japanese. One can find both Home Buying for Dummies and Home Selling for Dummies. On
matters of health, one can find topics such as Arthritis, Fibromyalgia, and Heart Disease.
Although there are many general interest titles, the techie focus remains: Opera for
Dummies pertains to the web browser product, not a musical endeavor. ~Mari Clark
(Mari Clark has been a library volunteer and activist for many years in many places,
most recently Alameda. We appreciate her offer of a column on the inner workings of
libraries ~ed.)
Friends Officers & Committee Chairs
President: Molly Skeen
Vice President: Richard Kolberg
Treasurer: John Quick
Recording & Corresponding Secretary: vacant
Membership Chair: Peter Woods
Book Sale Co-chairs: Adair Jorgensen & Gert Woods
Book Sale Chair Emeritus: Lois Hanna
Fire Department Volunteers Coordinator: Archie Waterbury
Publicity Chair: Nancy Brandt
Legislative & Parliamentarian: Donna Vaughn
Newsletter Editor: Marc Lambert
Webmaster: Steve Brandt
Jr. Friends Advisor: vacant
Author Night Coord.: Virginia Jones
Bulletin Board Coord.: vacant
BALIS Representative: Marc Lambert |