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President's Message
by Jill Gayaldo, President
I was that elementary student who always had her nose buried in a book. To the detriment of my math studies, "Loco the Bronc" was slipped inside my textbook while I spent sixth grade daydreaming of riding horses. In junior high and high school, I was determined to be the first female FBI inspector, and solving crimes and reading the great mysteries became my new passion. The library was my comfort zone, and it was truly exciting to be there at just the right time when new releases arrived. There was never a thought about buying a book at the bookstore, or that someday I could get an electronic book delivered in a minute. We all knew the library hours at our local branch, and our school work book reports would never have happened without the library.
When my kids were young, they soon learned that bedtime could be extended by 15 minutes if they chose to read. And if there was a favorite movie they wanted to see, that meant they had to read the book first. Friday nights meant a trip to Tower Books, spending hours wandering the aisles. I was lucky that these parenting tricks worked, and my kids continue to have a love for reading.
I think I just took it for granted that my grandchildren would love nothing more than reading a book on a Sunday afternoon while lounging on the patio. Sure enough, my first granddaughter was bitten by the reading bug.... and then my grandson arrived. I couldn't understand why he didn't get excited when I suggested we go to the library, and why he couldn't seem to find anything that interested him when we did. I I brought home stacks of books convinced I just needed to find the subject that sparked his interest, and I admittedly became frustrated when that didn't seem to happen.
But then he overheard me talking about some of the neat programs for kids that were offered through the library this summer. When he heard "robotics class" his ears perked up and he decided perhaps he could come to the library with me "just to check it out". And then he discovered Steam-o-torium where kids can do hands-on science experiments. After years of frustration, he has decided visiting the library is actually fun, and he finally happened to notice a few books he might be interested in while there. Progress! And most importantly, I saw a comfort with coming to the library and venturing into all it has to offer.
There are so many tremendous programs for kids of all ages. Reading with a cop followed by a tour of the police station is always a favorite. Preschool storytime, super reader training camp, romps and rhymes, and even reading to a dog are just some of the unique opportunities for kids. Find something that catches their eye, and get them in the door! They just might pick up a book on their way out.
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Summer Bot Fun
Where can you learn Creativity, Engineering, Math, Teamwork, Strategy and Programming? For a group of 13-17
year olds it was a Vex Robotics class over the summer.
The Rocklin Frien
ds of the Library partnered with the Hacker's Lab to host a six-week Robotics class. The R
ocklin Friends
classes were held on Mondays when the library is closed in the Community Room. The class was limite
d to twelve students and was full within one hour of posting it on social media.
The first week the students were divided into teams based on their various skill levels. The teams then built their robots from scratch. Teams were given a size and weight limitation that they needed
to stay within.
The second class was held at the Hacker's Lab where the students were given a tour of the facility and then could hack electronic equipment parts for their robots. Students were allowed to bring additional items they could hack in the building of their robots from home. It was amazing how some of the items were utilized by the students. Plastic forks, spoons and cups along with duct tape soon became a ball launcher and forklift.
Subsequent weeks, the students were assigned tasks that their robots needed to perform such as pop a balloon and launch a ball. Students also continued to modify the robots and some used coding to enable the robots to do additional tasks.
The final class was a competition (a robot Olympics) building on everything they had learned in the class. Each of the three teams had to pop as many balloons as they could within 5 minutes. The winning team was able to pop 40 balloons. The students were then asked to herd ping pong balls and then launch them into a bucket. The final competition was a battle between the robots. At the conclusion of the class team members were given a gold, silver or bronze medal.
The Friends received a lot of positive feedback from parents that their kids learned a lot and really enjoyed the classes. Students were asked for feedback at the conclusion of the class and all commented they enjoyed building and programming the robots. The Friends are hoping to offer this same class next summer as well as some additional classes.
We want to thank the Hacker's Lab for partnering with us and for providing Jeremy Turner who was such a great instructor to the students.
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Art Notes
by Janet Thew, Art Co-ordinator
On August 10, five women and I enjoyed an afternoon of playing with books in our "Altered Books" class."
We used old Reader's Digest books and decorative papers, fibers, paint, and fabric to give the old and unwanted books new lives as art journals. This was a free event sponsored by the Friends.
In September, a Rocklin high school student will show his comic book art. October's display will be colorful ink works on paper, and in November the display will be acrylics of regional farm scenes.
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Birthday Club and Storytime at the Station Are a Great Mix!
by Michele Vass
Recently a member of our Rocklin community reached out to us on Facebook to let us know that a young man named Ritchie was going to be celebrating his birthday with us at our August "Storytime at the Station." Upon further investigation, we found out that his hard-working Mom was not going to be able to do much for his birthday this year as she is struggling to even pay her rent. We signed Ritchie up for our Birthday Club and notified our friends at the Rocklin PD that we needed help to make this a special day for him.
When Ritchie and his Mom arrived at the station, he was greeted with his birthday book and a certificate for a free Baby Bite from
Icing on the Cupcake. To top it off, Wendy Smith of the Rocklin Police Department gave him a special department T-shirt and pinwheel. Everyone in attendance at Storytime helped to sing "Happy Birthday," and Ritchie was excited to take a tour of the station and meet some officers!
Programs like our Birthday Club and Storytime at the Station are so important. They help make Rocklin a great community!
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We Came, We Read, We Conquered Summer @ Your Library!
by Kathryn Cantwell-Cole, Youth Services Librarian
Planes, trains, and automobiles, oh my! This year our summer program took us around the world and beyond with our theme of
Let's Go!
Over the course of the summer, over 3,300 people attended the Rocklin Library's sixteen events and our finale. Some of the events we held were an escape room, robot and electrical circuit building, and a ukulele workshop. We brought back our popular messy baby program from last year as well as providing a family-friendly Saturday movie every week. Our live performances allowed participants to enjoy classical marionettes by Fratello Marionettes; meet live animals at Wild Things; discover tricks of the trade with Brian Scott Magic; and listen to popular movie renditions performed by the Placer County Youth Orchestra. Our finale wrapped up the summer with a super hero/comic con theme that included an obstacle course, face painting, weight lifting photo ops, and mask making. We also provided our library patrons with meet and greet opportunities with popular Disney, Star Wars, and super hero themed characters provided by Sevilla Magic FX located in Rocklin.
Our patrons met our activity log challenge with fervor. We signed up over 3,000 participants in Rocklin alone! One of the biggest
differences this year was our change in our adult reading log from "50 item checkouts" to "25 read, watch, or listen to Placer County Library items" as a way to increase accessibility. An additional incentive to the adult log was the choice between a ceramic camp-style mug
OR
book-patterned socks.
Children at both the Pre-reader and Reader levels received a free book to take home.
Reader level participants also received a rainbow kite and a ticket to the secret Golden Ticket finales held across the Placer County Library branches. Teens were invited to participate with a chance to win a $25 Barnes and Noble gift card at the branch and the system wide grand prize: a gold-trimmed Apple iPad Mini. Regardless of the reward, participants of all ages were excited to pick up a log and meet the summer challenge.
And with that, we will pack up our summer programming until next year and the new adventures that await. Until then, see you at the library!
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Free Public Libraries - Accessible to All
by Getta Dolinsek
Did you ever wonder how our free United States public libraries were created? Over the next few RFOL newsletters, excerpts from the Digital Public Library of America exhibition will tell the story from the beginning to the present of the history of US public libraries.
Part I: 
After the Revolutionary War, and before
public libraries were created throughout the United States, people were looking for outlets to access and discuss literature. During the Enlightenment, these came in the form of literary salons, which gained popularity in France and Italy. Salons were spaces for conversations about art, politics, and literature. They were particularly empowering for women, who had been barred from formal learning spaces and now had a place to exchange ideas, read and share their writings, and debate. Decades later, libraries offered a similar opportunity for women to enter the workforce and academia in new ways.
With the rise of non-religious texts and literacy rates in the 1700s, private book clubs among wealthy men evolved into subscription libraries. Subscription, or membership, libraries were funded by membership fees or donations, with collections accessible only to the paying members. From the late 1700s to the mid-1800s, they sprang up in cities across the country. The first of these libraries was formed in Philadelphia, under the direction of Benjamin Franklin, and would come to be known as the Library Company. While today there are fewer than twenty membership libraries in existence in the US, many focus on special collections or rare materials rather than a varied book selection.
Reprinted with Permissions. Brady, Hillary and Franky Abbott. A History of US Public Libraries. Digital Public Library of America. September 2015.
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Bookstore Summer Sales Soar!
by Gloria Beverage
Our used book store continues to thrive thanks to generous donations from readers and the infinite energy of our many FOL volunteers.
From May through July, we collected more than $2,200 in sales. Our best month was July when we raised $928, thanks to a special children's book sale set up by Gay Morgan and Mary Whalen. The fact that it was held at the height of the library's super successful Summer Reading Program certainly helped increase traffic (and sales) in the store. Thanks again, Gay and Mary.
We're gearing up for our next Super Surplus book sale on September 8 in the Community Room of the library. Our inventory is overflowing, so we'll be offering an even larger selection of books than we have during past sales. Members will be able to fill a bag for $2 during the preview sale from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. The public sale will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; fill a bag for $5.
Want to get a head start on holiday shopping? We have some unique, collectible and vintage books in
our eBay store
My heartfelt thanks to the volunteers who work in the bookstore and help with the surplus sales. You're an awesome team! For more information about volunteering, please visit
rocklinfriends.org. Don't forget: FOL members can attend the preview hour (9 a.m. to 10 a.m.) of our surplus book sales.
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Upcoming 2018 Programs
Rocklin Reads with Author Kiyo Sato,
All Ages Welcome. Sunday, October 21 at 2 p.m. at Old St. Mary's Chapel on historic Front Street. The author will discuss her book
Kiyo's Story, A Japanese-American Family's Quest for the American Dream.
Storytime At the Station, Geared for K thru 3rd grade, but all are welcome. Mondays at 4 PM. We will have a Halloween event October 29 and a Special Santa Holiday event on December 17. Storytime is held at the Rocklin Police Department at 4080 Rocklin Rd. in Rocklin.
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2018 Board and Meeting Dates
Our meeting schedule is as follows:
Sep 11 - 10 am
Oct 9 - 10 am
Nov 13 - 10 am
Dec 11 - 10 am
All meetings will be held at the Community Room at the Rocklin Library
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WE WANT YOUR GENTLY USED BOOKS
Non-fiction books, Children's Books
New fiction (hardback and paperback books)
DVDs and books on tape, and rare and antique books
PLEASE LEAVE YOUR DONATIONS IN THE BOOK DONATION SLOT
INSIDE THE LIBRARY TO THE RIGHT OF THE FRONT DOOR
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The mission of Rocklin Friends of the Library is to generate support for the Rocklin Library and Placer County library services and to promote community interest in libraries, reading, and lifelong learning.
Rocklin Library - 624-3133
4890 Granite Drive, Rocklin, CA
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