Ojai Valley Library Friends & Foundation, Inc. (OVLFF)
A 501(c)(3) Corporation
In the News...
Click here for a recent article about SchooLinks, the after-school homework program.
Newsletter
Here are some articles selected from the most recent edition of Library Reader, the quarterly newsletter published by OVLFF.
Visit your local library to pick up a copy of the latest issue. Be a Friend – become a member and receive this printed newsletter in its entirety through the U.S. Mail!
PRESIDENT’S CORNER
By Jon Lambert
Libraries are public places. The fact that they are free and open to everyone is one of America’s gifts to the world. Two great philanthropists helped to develop today’s extensive library system. In 1829 John Smithson, an English aristocrat, left his entire fortune “to the United States of America, to found at Washington (D.C.), under the name of the Smithsonian Institution, an Establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge.”
The Smithsonian is still headquartered in Washington but has specialized branch libraries all over the country. During the late nineteenth century, Andrew Carnegie funded the building of 2,509 libraries throughout the English-speaking world. Carnegie devoted over $55 million to establishing free public libraries throughout the United States. Today, the Carnegie Foundation continues to support library development.
Ojai stands tall in the roster of Library supporters. In the late 1990s as state funding for libraries began to shrink (alas! the state has yet to reverse that trend) property owners in the City of Ojai and surrounding areas made a conscious decision to maintain our library’s high level of service. The parcel tax was passed by referendum in 1996. Since then Ojai Library has remained open seven days a week and maintained sufficient staff to allow development and maintenance of over fifty community- oriented programs. Our three Valley libraries not only provide help to school children through the SchooLinks afterschool homework centers, but reach out to our valley’s seniors through the Home Delivery Program.
In addition the library acts as a community nexus in which numerous groups meet and friends interact. Although those activities are an integral part of any public library’s mission, it was the willingness of the Ojai community to make sure it kept happening that is laudable.
In today’s Internet age the library’s role is changing. Library computers are always busy, community members come in to pick up books and materials ordered online from the Ojai or other Ventura library collections, and soon books will be checked out with the simple swipe of a bar code. Yet there is something comforting in the presence of bound volumes, shelves of DVDs, Large-print books and all the other physical forms of information. You, apparently, agree. The library continues to be one of the most used buildings in our city.
BOOK SELECTION TIPS
By Vivian Sudhalter
How do you select the books you’d like to read, especially new ones? You browse the library shelves, of course, and discuss who’s reading what – with friends, family, book groups. You read reviews in the paper or other sources.
But how do you keep abreast of new books you’re likely to enjoy? Or find out when there’s a new title by your favorite author? Here are some personal tips from a compulsive reader:
• Publishers Weekly magazine, the industry standard. Every book published in America is listed here, and the highly respected reviews are literate and concise. Ask at the library desk for the most recent copy, or check it out online at http://www.publishersweekly.com/ and click on Reviews.
• You can receive The New York Times Book Review free each week, sent directly to your email inbox, by registering and signing up at http://www.nytimes.com/. Of course, you can also examine the latest copy on your library’s shelves.
• BookPage, a monthly book review publication – 50 copies are made available each month at the library, courtesy OVLFF, for you to take away. Or visit http://www.bookpage.com/.
• Visit http://vencolibrary.org,then click on Databases, then click on Reading Suggestions which takes you to NoveList – a great source for new fiction and non-fiction.
• Know the author or title? Check Amazon.com for a wide range of editorial and frequently in-depth reader reviews.
• Join a club – like Book-of-the-Month Club or the Quarterly Paperback Book Club (QPB). Even if you purchase only an occasional title, you’ll continue to receive well-written bulletins that describe books you won’t want to miss. There are also many specialty clubs, such as Large Print Book Club or the Mystery Guild, which focus on your interests.
You know what you want to read but don’t see it on the shelves. What to do? Take advantage of the great online resources available to you at http://vencolibrary.org. Click on Search VCL, then Log In to Your Library Account. Just plug in the title (or author, or subject) to locate books in the county system – and request the book you want to read. When it arrives at the Ojai Library, you’ll be informed via postcard or email.
We hope these tips will help enrich your reading pleasure!
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