The Library is my Treasure
When you enter the Monterey Public Library, you are welcomed by a bright blue banner that shares a quote from a young customer - The Library is my Treasure. It makes me smile every time I see it. For, the Library is, and has been for much of my life, my treasure.
As I know it is a treasure for most of you! One of the best parts of my job as Library Director is speaking with community members who have a fond memory or heartfelt story to share.
Whether a young person climbing the big steps of the bookmobile to find "My Monkey, Curious George!", to a 100-year old home bound poet, relishing the verse-filled reading time brought to her by a dedicated Library volunteer, to the homeless man who gave thanks with tears in his eyes for "helping to keep me human", to the poised young adult returning to praise the patient reference librarian who found her, not just just a reference resource, but a path to a future successful career - you let us know we make a difference.
Please know that I appreciate each and every interaction, and treasure your thoughts, comments and time. At this season of thanks and giving, I give thanks for working at the Monterey Public Library, with our great staff and volunteers, and for the past year of giving service to our community - each and every one of you.
And one final BIG thank you to outgoing Assistant Library Director Doug Holtzman for his 17 years of service at the Monterey Public Library. We wish him all the best in his retirement!
Discover and Go provides passes to museums and other cultural and educational institutions designed to enrich and inspire us. As a Monterey or Pacific Grove Public Library cardholder, you have access to numerous museums and institutions throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. We hope to add Monterey area institutions soon. This unique program allows library users to make reservations online by date or by venue and print out a pass. Customers without Internet access can reserve and print out a pass at the library.
For many months, the Library's aging public Internet network has become slower and slower. Throughout that time, the City's Information Services Division has been working with the Library's Technology staff to upgrade the network to use Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) technology, meaning that each PC is actually a virtual machine created by software running on an offsite server. This lowers replacement costs and makes it much easier to update applications and settings. Most importantly, for your delight, you'll find the public Internet will be faster!
The grant-funded volunteer liaison project CALL (Community and Library Links) was recently completed. The Library held three meetings and a workshop, brochures were created, and new processes for reaching out into the community through this new type of volunteer position were put into place. The program recruits volunteers representing a variety of community organizations who help educate the library about what kinds of library resources would benefit their specific group, and share with their group information about what the Library has to offer.
Coming up first is the annual Giant Used Book Sale. On Friday, December 6, 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. is the preview sale for Friends members only. Get a jump start on the best books. Not a member? No problem. Join at the door. On Saturday, December 7, the public is invited to choose from among thousands of gently used books at bargain prices. From 4:00 - 5:00 p.m., fill up a shopping bag for $5. Bring your own bags.
