The Library is the Happening Place

There’s no question. It’s been a tough budget year. At this point it looks better for the library. If the final budget remains as proposed and voted on by Council, we will maintain our 36 hours at branch libraries into the next fiscal year starting on July 1, 2011; and we will not have to make staff reductions after all. If that happens, we will all breathe a sigh of relief and can move forward on addressing the evolving needs of our community with the current level of resources.

While much of our time was focused on the budget, Library staff continued to provide outstanding service and high quality programs. Recent awards they received reflect this dedication. READ/San Diego – Families for Literacy Program won $10,000 in the annual Better World Books/NCFL Libraries and Families Award. READ/San Diego was recognized for helping adult participants achieve their literacy goals, including sharing books with their children and helping them with homework.

Our History Librarian, Rick Crawford, received the History Award of Excellence from the Historical Resources Board for his Union-Tribune “The Way We Were” weekly column detailing the history of the San Diego region. Although writing the column is not directly associated with his position in the Library, it is representative of the special historical expertise that Rick brings to his work with the Library’s Special Collections, including genealogy, the California Room local treasures, and the Wangenheim Rare Book Collection.

The Logan Heights Branch Library Teens “Project Unknown,” which I referenced in a past blog, won 2nd runner up (third place) and $1,000.00 in the highly competitive American Library Association Teen Video Contest, “Why I Need My Library.” The six teens who submitted the video are 13 years old and members of the Logan Heights Branch Library Teen Council. They filmed and edited the video and also wrote and performed their original song about why their library is a special place. We’re so proud of their accomplishment and how actively they advocate for their library!

And there’s more…The San Diego Family Magazine just awarded Mission Valley Branch Library and Scripps Miramar Ranch Branch Library the Best Children’s Libraries. Hundreds of readers voted for their favorite things to do, places to go and local hotspots in San Diego. The magazine’s voters recognized what community members have known for years about the amazing resources that the San Diego Public Library provides to people of all ages.

In addition to these awards, we have so much happening at all of our libraries. In May the Valencia Park/Malcolm X Branch Library hosted a successful job fair that allowed job seekers to meet with top employers, acquire job leads, connect with key job resources, attend seminars, get referrals, and network. Linda Vista Branch Library hosted a Technology Fair for Older Adults to learn more about using various technology devices. University Community Branch Library hosted a College Application Essay Writing Workshop to provide tips to teens for how to write college application essays that stand out.

The summer is going to be just as busy with Summer Reading Program beginning June 15. This year in addition to children and teens, we are offering adults a chance to participate and win fabulous prizes. Black Storytellers of San Diego will present captivating stories at Valencia Park/Malcolm X Branch Library in honor of Juneteeth, the oldest nationally-celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the U.S. And construction on the new Central Library is progressing on schedule. The "gravity arch," designed to carry the load of upper floors, is now being erected and is quite impressive to see on the skyline. Check out the new detailed webcam that allows you to zoom in on construction in real time.


It’s going to be an exciting summer and I’m looking forward to planning for the year ahead. We are eager to examine how we can evolve our services to meet the changing needs of our community.

A Source of Inspiration - LAPL and Others

“Paying my dues” to the profession recently, I spoke at an event for library trustees and commissioners in the Los Angeles area. In return, I received so much inspiration! The participants were genuinely interested in the San Diego Public Library story and they expressed their appreciation for our community’s perseverance in moving forward with the new library construction project. Others who spoke reminded me of how dedicated supporters and volunteers are making a difference in keeping library services available throughout California for all to enjoy.

And speaking of inspiration, on Tuesday, March 8, 2011 voters in the City of Los Angeles approved a ballot measure dedicated to funding their library system! Since I was in the area, I decided to go visit the Los Angeles Central Library. Was I ever impressed?!? The place was abuzz with activity. There were groups of people rushing around trying to identify locations as part of a scavenger hunt. The participants seemed to be having so much fun, I wanted to join them. People were everywhere in that vast library, studying, borrowing books, using computers. It was such a validation of our own plan in San Diego seeing this large municipal library that was built many years ago offering so much benefit to the community.

I visited the teen area to get ideas for that section of our new Central Library. I had two teen relatives with me and they were excited. They reminded me that months ago they had offered a suggestion that a true teen area would have large bean bags for students. So they took me to see exactly what they meant - in LAPL’s teen room there, indeed, were the giant bean bags! And, intriguingly, each was occupied by a male student engrossed in reading. It was such a site to behold!

There were other fun features at LAPL too - the round booths for shared computer study, and the relaxed seating where snacks were allowed (occupied by the girls). The Library Foundation's bookstore was pure fun shopping. The restaurant area is called the "Book Ends Cafe." We had a lovely lunch there. Others were there enjoying a meal and conversation, too. I was thrilled to see a family come in to set up a birthday party in a reserved room in the cafe.

There were so many things that we are planning to include in our new library that are happening now at LAPL’s Central Library. While it will be different for us, no doubt, it is so much fun to see a real life example of many of the features and services that will be ours at the new Central Library for the City of San Diego, very soon...

The People Behind the New Central Construction Project

On day 101 of the construction project for the new Central Library, I had the pleasure of being among the very first to tour the construction site. The people behind the project at Turner Construction Company, along with city engineering and project management staff, led the tour and told us all about the processes that were occurring. In the photo below are team members shaping the new Central Library construction project, although conspicuously missing from the photo is Tony Perez, the City’s Resident Engineer for this project. He decided to be our photographer and he did a great job!

From left to right, are: Cynthia Meinhardt, City of San Diego Project Officer II
with the Engineering and Capital Projects Dept. (E&CP); Afshin Oskoui, City Engineer
and Assistant Director of E&CP; Dave Jarrell, Deputy Chief Operating Officer for
Public Works; and Kristine Wunder-Myers, Safety Manager for Turner Construction Co.
Continuing along the back, left to right, are: Tony Heinrichs, Acting Director of E&CP;
John Scheuer, General Superintendent, Turner Construction Co.; Ron Rudolph,
Vice President, Turner Construction Co.; Darren Greenhalgh, Deputy Director of E&CP;
and Nikki Lewis, Associate Engineer with E&CP. In front, left to right,
standing next to me is Carmen Vann, Senior Project Manager, Turner Construction Co.;
and to the far right is Amy Benjamin, Policy Advisor in the Office of Mayor Jerry Sanders.

We were on site with hard hats, safety vests and sturdy shoes. It was fascinating to hear about the process of constructing such a building and seeing firsthand the workflow among the various trades on site. It was impressive how well they worked together. We saw carpenters, steelworkers, and concrete workers, just to name a few, actively working step by step to complete their part and pass the work on to the next stage to keep the job going. The safety record on the job site is impressive, too. As of day 101 there were no safety incidents resulting in lost time.

From left to right, next to me are: Turner Construction Safety Manager
Kristine Wunder-Myers, City of San Diego Project Officer with the
Engineering and Capital Projects Cynthia Meinhardt, and
Senior Project Manager with Turner Construction Carmen Vann.

And, speaking of working well together, take a look at the photo above. Shown with me are the women leaders of this amazing construction project. I think that Kristine, Cynthia and Carmen are exceptional women who chose to take what has been considered (perhaps in the past) as an unconventional path to their careers. These are people with major skills and smarts who have reached high levels. I believe that these three women will serve as role models for many of us for years to come. I am so thankful to them and the many expert, dedicated, people involved in this project. I am thankful as well for the many people who support our library system in various ways.

Steel is in the Ground!

Just days after the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Central Library, Turner Construction started the project. We are talking tractors and other earthmoving equipment everywhere, a new trailer on site, and now there’s steel in the ground! Way to go, Turner Construction!

Excuse my enthusiasm but I can’t imagine a faster response to getting a project moving forward. For library users, staff and Turner Construction, the architects and engineers, opening day in August 2013 cannot arrive fast enough. So, when people ask, ”When will the construction project begin?” We just smile and say, “Please, go look at the site. You will be amazed, the project has begun!”

The groundbreaking ceremony was held on July 28, 2010, and it was fabulous. The Mayor’s Office, the Library Foundation and library staff pulled together an awesome ceremony, which was enjoyed by donors, library supporters and community members. There were approximately 800 in attendance, standing room only.

Mayor Sanders opened the ceremony with eloquent and heartfelt congratulations and offered thanks to the many people who worked tirelessly to see that this major asset for the City of San Diego would move forward. Among those mentioned were major donors, Joan and Dr. Irwin Jacobs; Judith C. Harris and Mel Katz, immediate past Chair and current Chair, respectively, of the San Diego Public Library Foundation; Jim Dawe, Founding Chair; San Diego Unified School District; the Friends of the San Diego Public Library; and Chair of the Library Commission, Katie Sullivan, along with her husband Dan Sullivan of Qualcomm. To see a list of donors and donation opportunities, as well as to see other information about the project please go to the San Diego Public Library Foundation’s website at: http://www.supportmylibrary.org/.

There were so many poignant moments at the ceremony, too numerous for me to describe here. I was especially moved by the participation of our future leaders. Girl Scout Troop # 5912, which was responsible for the presentation of the Colors, and the San Diego Children’s Choir sang. No doubt these young people will always remember their role in the beginnings of the new Central Library.

Another personal favorite for me was a celebratory moment at the groundbreaking with two people whom I admire and respect and who were very important to successfully moving the new Central Library project forward: former library director Anna Tatár, and California State Librarian Stacey Aldrich. I was planning to title our photo, the “Vamping Librarians” because of our poses, but thought better of it. :) It was a special time for us. We felt wonderful and had a lot of fun that day.

People Get Ready for a New Central Library!

Wow! The City Council/Redevelopment Agency for the City of San Diego approved the construction of the new Central Library project on June 28, 2010! The new library will be an incredible educational, civic and cultural resource for the City of San Diego and its community members. With support from Mayor Jerry Sanders, influential community members such as Joan and Irwin Jacobs, former NBA star Bill Walton, and Library Foundation fundraisers Judith Harris and Mel Katz, among other Library Friends, volunteers, and staff, this long-awaited project has finally been set on sure footing.

In this new blog, I hope to share with you the behind the scenes efforts that bring such a project to reality and other exciting Library news. Some colleagues have jokingly and lovingly compared building a new library to having a baby. A library building project lacks the true miracle of bringing forward a new life, but good luck telling that to us! The building grows over a period of time as a result of “love” and commitment, it drastically changes the lives of those intimately involved, and when it’s completed, we are so, so very proud and want to show it off! Following this blog, we hope that you will have a richer experience preparing for your new library and that you too will be proud of it.

To see more about this exciting new project visit the San Diego Public Library website New Central Library page. To support this project visit the San Diego Public Library Foundation website.