Letter: Friends improving Pollock Pines library
To the community,
It gives me great pleasure and pride to tell readers about the positive changes we made to the Pollock Pines Library this year.
Our Pollock Pines Friends chapter has been busy putting donations to work. Our objectives for 2012 were to improve the facility (making the lovely little library as appealing and functional as we could), improve programming, and materials selection, and to increase the
effectiveness of library staff. This year, we upgraded some of the interior furnishings, purchased a laptop for staff use, improved the landscaping, replaced the carpeting (which was nearly 30 years old and getting threadbare), and expanded the kids’ area. We also purchased a storage shed for use in storing future book sale books.
The Friends hosted the ever-popular Wild Things Animal Program, which was enthusiastically attended by dozens of children and adults. The Friends also sponsored the Back to School Party with school supplies, ice cream, and cake. In addition, we hosted the Democracy Program with speakers on the Holocaust and Japanese internment, which packed the house.
All of these programs and improvements have been made possible by donations from Friends of the Library and other residents, grants from the Dogwood Garden Club and the Pollock Pines-Camino Rotary, and many enthusiastic hours of volunteer effort. We could not have done this without the support of the community.
In 2013, we plan to make additional minor facility improvements, fund new reading material purchases, and sponsor several children’s programs.
We have a cozy and wonderful library in Pollock Pines, with access to the county’s collection of over 400,000 books, magazines, videos and audiobooks. Our library has computers for Internet access, WiFi, and a very helpful staff. Through funding from First 5, the Pollock Pines
Library has become a leader in early literacy programs for young children. We’re duly proud of and grateful for our library and its staff of two dedicated librarians.
Much thanks to our Pollock Pines community for its support of the Pollock Pines Library.
Becky McIntyre, Pollock Pines
I agree with most of these items…I love the children s librarian…my grandson is ten…he crawled on that old rug. I still feel that $5000.00 is too much money to spend on that footage. One must come to the library to see how large the area for children is…not as large as this makes it seem. I am an educator–we buy area rugs for little ones–they are under 1000–well made and really colorful. This project was not function–it was form (decoration) And the plants have died that you spent almost 500.00 on–function is spending that kind of money on books–where their is no budget…on the children…only 1000.00 was on them. Pollock was already a leader in the children s program–the children s librarian is wonderful with them. Ice cream socials–parities …these have all been part of this library. El dorado arts have even come up and worked with them ( but the manager sent their wonderful bear statue back–no room)…None of this justifies spending that kind of money on a carpet project…now im just stunned–you should not use children as an excuse for a very poor choice. fran
I have been following the letters and newspaper articles regarding the Pollock Pines Library. I love that little library. But I, too, am astonished that $5,000 was spent on carpet! That seems extraordinarily expensive. I certainly hope that a Pollock Pines business was used as the vendor. I know there have been wonderful children’s programs in place for a number of years. What I am not seeing is enough books for youngsters. As teacher I had over 1,000 books available in my classroom. The children’s section of this little library is sadly lacking in variety of good children’s literature…less could have been spent on carpet and more on books. The reason teachers have area rugs are for children to sit on to INTERACT with the reader. Having a designated place to sit (area rug) gives the reader the ability to keep the children engaged and involved in the reading. I think the spending priorities should be re-examined. Charla