Mission Statement

The mission of the Friends of the Atascadero Library is to support, promote and expand the library's resources and programs. 


Newsletter 
February - March
2016
In This Issue...
President's Message
Linda Zirk 
 
Update from Vice President and
Dancing With Our Stars Chair
Jeannie Malik

Library Art Programs
Eileen O'Grady

A "Friends" Perspective  (New!)
Susie Blackwell

Library Bookstore Update
Alice Rew

Librarian's Message
Joe Laurenzi
Upcoming Events and Funny Pages
    Neither wee hours, nor threat of rain nor hours of waiting fazed these hardy
Dancing With Our Stars ticket buyers anxious to secure their seats at the event!
President's Message

Linda Zirk
 
My love of Libraries...
Researching the past
 
There are a many wonderful buildings and tourist areas in New York...but one that I fell in love with 40 years ago is the iconic New York Public Library (shown right). This building had been used as a backdrop in movies, for gala fundraising events, as part of the New York Fashion Week, etc. The one reason I fell in love with the NYPL system is the research that can be carried out by anyone wanting to know more about almost anything in the world. 
 
I was working in New York as a Public Relations Assistant at the national professional association for CPAs.  This was the early 1970's and already the accounting industry was gearing up to computerize the way they did business.  This was a scary proposition to many in the industry - not the big companies (such as Price Waterhouse) but to the smaller firms around the country.  Our focus in 1973 was to write informational guides and speeches that could be given around the country to help accounting firms understand how computers could help them.
 
The P.R. team decided we needed to take the "scary" part of computers (ie, lack of knowledge) out of the equation, so the boss came up with the idea of relating the onset of computerization to earlier inventions that helped business and life.  This boss was convinced that 95% of all inventions had taken place since 1900 - - my job was to help prove this! 


Vice President and "Atascadero's Dancing With Our Stars" Event Chair's Message

Jeannie Malik
 
AMAZING....!  "Atascadero's Dancing with Our Stars" continued its strong momentum into 2016 with early birds lining up at 5:40 am on Saturday January 16th to purchase tickets. I'm pleased to announce that Saturday March 19th is completely sold out and that we still have a limited number of seats available for Friday March 18th. The remaining tickets are being sold online through our dedicated website: AtascaderoDWOS.org
This event always sells out, so don't delay securing your seats! Tickets are $75 per person and include Opolo wine, social hour with silent auction, Pacific Harvest catered dinner and the stellar show of the year!
 
Special thanks to our sponsors, dancers, choreographers, show director Frank Sanchez (pictured here with Jeannie Malik at last year's DWOS), dedicated volunteers and supportive community for making this event possible. The 2016 show, "Musical Movie Magic" is a delightful journey through time focusing on movie musicals that have influenced our American culture through their music and dance throughout the years.  The event will showcase fabulous dance routines, costumes, vocals and theatrics. Professional lighting will be provided by Bill Gaines Audio in San Luis Obispo. DJ Jerry Craig will provide professional sound, Paso Robles Mayor Steve Martin will emcee and Christina Bearce of Highlight Media will create a memorable DVD from the event. You may place your DVD order at the event. So, yes folks, we have a top notch, professional show that will be the talk of the town for years to come! 

Frank Sanchez,
Dancing With Our Stars
Show Director

"Hard to imagine the soft spoken, gentlemanly elegant and calm demeanored Frank Sanchez was once dubbed a "Triple Threat" in the entertainment profession that shaped his life since boyhood."

Click here to read all about Frank in the February issue of Journal Plus, Magazine of the Central Coast.  
"Blueberries" by Helen K. Davie
Two Plate Linocut
Library Art News
Submitted by 
Eileen O'Grady

Upcoming show featuring Helen K. Davie, Rosey Rosenthal and Bob Simola
 
In February and March, the Atascadero Library welcomes art from the printmakers of Studios on the Park: Helen K. Davie, Rosey Rosenthal, and Bob Simola.  Their original prints feature a variety of subjects and styles, from engaging animals to arresting portraits and fantasy art. 

The reception for these artists will occur on Thursday, February 4, from 5:30-7 p.m.  Light refreshments will be served, and the public is welcome to meet the artists and hear about the process of printmaking.
 
In April and May the library will host a variety of artists and poets whose work features the them of Renewal.  A prospectus is available on the FOAL web site for those who wish to submit art for this display.  To submit poetry, please contact the library for an entry form and more information.  The deadline for submitting art or poetry for consideration is March10.

Contact emogrady9@gmail.com for more information regarding events or submissions.

A "Friend's" Perspective

submitted by Susie Blackwell
Recording Secretary

One of the advantages of being on the Friends of the Atascadero Library Board of Directors is that I get to hear about a lot of cool things happening in our community. Last November I enjoyed a presentation on the solar system given by retired Air Force Cornel George Stetz. It was amazing! I found out things I didn't know like Voyager is an unmanned space expedition that is just now leaving our solar system and has been on this mission for more than 30 years. Some of the things I learned back in high school are understood differently now, like Jupiter is a dwarf planet. Even though I was already aware of this I found the subject fascinating, especially hearing about the criteria that goes into the different classifications. Col. Stetz kept the best for last and ended the presentation discussing Mars. This was shortly after the movie, The Martian, came out and seeing simulations of the landing on Mars was fun. My favorite memory from the evening was a seven-year-old boy, raising his hand to ask a question, explaining that it was important that he know this stuff because he was going to be an astronaut.
Board member Spotlight
Carol Gobler, Corresponding Secretary

My two great loves since childhood have been books and music. My first "big read" when I was pretty young was Exodus by Leon Uris and I became forever hooked on historical novels. James Michener, soon after, became "my favorite guy."  A bit later, my love for libraries began while attending Wheaton College where I worked on campus at the library to help pay my expenses. When I wasn't studying, I was immersed in either shelving and cataloging books at the "libs" or practicing at the Music Conservatory. Those were great years and they forever influenced the passions of my life today. I am so thankful to have found, in the Friends of Atascadero Library, wonderful people who also share the passion for books and the desire to leave a legacy in the form of a beautiful library for our children. 

I am somewhat of a " newbie" to the Board, and have enjoyed my role of Corresponding Secretary. This past November, my two worlds of books and music wonderfully collided when I had an opportunity to bring two choirs from the
Central Coast Children's Choir (pictured below) organization to the library to sing the holiday music they were preparing for their big concert in December. Fun was had by all...the community seemed to enjoy it and the kids profited from the extra performance, as well as the yummy cookies provided by FOAL. We'd love to make this an annual event. 

My husband Eric and our four children moved to Atascadero in 1987. Soon after we arrived, I began working for AUSD as the full time accompanist/assistant choir director at the high school, retiring from that job in 1999 after our last child graduated. Since then, I've worked on and off as accompanist at the Fine Arts Academy, as well as teaching piano lessons, full-time, in my home studio. Now I am almost fully retired, only working as an accompanist for CCCC, but spending as much time as I can with grandkids, and, of course, volunteering at the library whenever I can. 

Central Coast Children's Choir
Holiday Performance at the Library
Photo by Eric Gobler
Librarian's Message
Joe Laurenzi, MLS 
Regional Librarian, North County

Libraries Present "Discover Your Community" in 2016
 
San Luis Obispo County Libraries will be celebrating the wonderful communities we live in and the amazing resources that are available to us with a spring semester program titled "Discover Your Community" happening at SLO libraries January through April 2016. All libraries in San Luis Obispo County will have themes and special programming dedicated to life in our communities. 
There are over 60 free programs planned for this new county-wide programming schedule. 

Presenters will include Woods Humane Society, Central Coast Children's Museum, SLO Symphony, Charles Paddock Zoo, SLO Botanical Garden, the Master Gardeners, Central Coast Astronomical Society, Poets on the Edge, free concerts, wellness programs, local author visits and presentations by the talented staff of San Luis Obispo County Libraries. 

The Adult Winter Reading Program and the In N' Out Burger Reading Challenge for Children will also be available this winter. Libraries will also celebrate Black History Month, Women's History Month, National Library Week's Food for Fines and National Poetry Month during this time. 

You can find out more at slolibrary.org and click on to our calendar for more information.

Atascadero Library has EIGHT free programs planned for the celebration!
Alice's Bookstore Update
Submitted by Alice Rew,
Bookstore Manager (and namesake!)

Thanks to the generous donations of gently used books and magazines, CDs and DVDs we raised over $17,000 for materials, programs and services for our library.

Our current group of volunteers numbering about 45 give their time (over 265 hours this year) to cashier in the store, sort and price materials and keep the stock refreshed.

If you have a desire to assist in this endeavor contact Alice at 466-2230. You decide how much time you want to serve.

A new category to be added this month is the Vintage/Rare/Collectable collection. Prices will compare very favorably with what you might find on the internet. 
Friends of Atascadero Library
New Members

Tom and Dorine Jamason
Stevia and Mike Shaw
James Courtney (family)
Roberto Urzua
Donors

Joe and Deanna Dervin
Roberto Urzua
Duane Sanger
Christopher Neary
Annette Hatzman
James Courtney
Funny Pages!

FRIENDS OF THE ATASCADERO LIBRARY 

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

 

President--Linda Zirk

Vice President--Jeannie Malik

Recording Secretary--Susie Blackwell

Corresponding Secretary--Carol Gobler

Treasurer--Shirley Summers

Past President--Robert Alberti

Members-- Grenda Ernst, Liz Helgerson, Christina Lefevre Latner, Leigh Livick, Jim Patterson, Linda Persons, Marguerite Kelly-Pulley, Alice Rew, Sharon Turner

Webmaster--Tom Thompson  heytwt@hotmail.com

Newsletter/Social Media Coordinator--Deborah Cash  debcash@macservices.net








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Friends of the Library, P.O. Box 561, 
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