Vol 6 # 4 January 15, 2022 |
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Notes from our Librarian,
Leni Matthews:
For the month of December, there were 7,478 checkouts.
For 2021, there were 74,227 checkouts. Compare that to checkouts in 2020, which was 51,803. Look at the difference!
We are updating the signage in the adult parts of the library to make the Hoot's owl indicate the Fiction and Nonfiction areas. Thanks to one of the visiting staff here (Chris)!
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You can win prizes: there is an in-branch raffle to guess the number of books Piedmont Avenue Library has. Winners will receive books; the two top winners (child and adult) will receive a gift certificate to a store on Piedmont Ave.
We're hoping to get more regular staff here to increase our stability and so that we can try to have in-person programs.
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Notes from our Children’s Librarian, Shani Boyd:
We held a Pop-up Storytime in December as an outside event. We had a small crowd as we expected because of holiday travel and the Omicron virus. The event worked well, and the families loved the cocoa and cider. We hope to organize another pop-up in the next few months.
Winter Bingo has Begun!
Winter Bingo is a fun family literacy game recommended for kids ages 0-14. There are 25 engaging activities on each card. There are cards for early learners (white) and cards for kids in grades K-8 (blue). Complete any 5 activities in a row before January 29, 2022,
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and win a prize book, courtesy of the Kenneth Rainin Foundation. This winter is special because everyone who completes the program will be entered into a raffle to win one of 17 Oakland Ice Center Family Fun Packs or a Christian Robinson tote bag!
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The Upcoming Renewal of OPL’s Measure Q Parcel Tax |
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The Oakland Public Library relies on three main funding sources: the city's general fund, Measure D (approved by voters in 2018), and Measure Q (approved by voters in 2014).
Measure Q has a 20-year term and will expire in 2024. The renewal of Measure Q is essential to keep the current levels of library services and to keep all library branches open.
A measure to renew Measure Q may be on your ballots in June 2022. City Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas has scheduled the draft of the Library Measure Q resolution for consideration by the council’s Rules and Legislation Committee at its Feb.3 meeting. If Rules approves it, it is believed the resolution would proceed to the full City Council for consideration at its Feb.15 meeting. It appears to have heavy support from Council.
This resolution requires only one reading/vote, instead of two, so if Council approves it on Feb. 15, the renewal will be on the June 7 ballot. If there is an issue, the Council’s next meeting is scheduled for March 1.
In 2018 The Friends of the Piedmont Avenue Library, members of other OPL advocacy groups and other library supporters worked tirelessly to pass Measure D. You saw us at Key Route Plaza talking to neighbors and we went door to door and phone banked contacting voters to explain how important our libraries are. That support will be needed again this June to renew Measure Q!
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Notes from the Friends of the Piedmont Avenue Library (PAL)
The next meeting of the Friends of Piedmont Avenue Library (PAL) is Tuesday, January 18th at 6:30 pm. Because we are exercising an abundance of caution, we are making this a Zoom Meeting. We will send the Zoom link in a reminder email. There will be no meeting in February.
Our neighborhood group, PANIL – the Piedmont Avenue Neighborhood Improvement League – will spotlight the library and the activities of our Friends group at their Zoom meeting on February 9th at
6:30 pm. The Friends of PAL will update the community on current activities at the library, our search for a new home and how our community can support the library. Please join the discussion. A Zoom link will be sent in the PANIL newsletter and to our members, before the meeting.
Be a Friend of PAL
Check our website https://www.friendsofpal.org/ and donate if you can. Together we will advocate for the Piedmont Avenue Branch Library and the Oakland Public Library, support our library’s ongoing programs, reach out to our community, and raise funds and awareness to find a permanent location.
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The History of a Tree
Our Piedmont Avenue library sits on property with an interesting history. The property, a small corner of a large piece originally owned by the Hume Family, was donated by them in the late 1800s so a neighborhood school could be built on it.
At that time, a creek ran across the undeveloped area and a number of trees grew in the open spaces. Among those trees a Giant Sequoia was planted. Now more than 100 years old, it has seen its share of local history and experienced first-hand the change from rural to urban living and the effect of climate change.
As well as its age, the street pavement and the cement sidewalks have all affected the tree’s access to ground water and contributed to its decline. This tree, on the corner, will be removed next week and a coastal redwood, Aptos Blue, will be planted to replace it.
This tree has made great contributions to the neighborhood, serving as a landmark and providing shade for those waiting for the school bus or playing in the front school yard. Some people have found its environs a good place for a picnic or playing with youngsters and dogs. Its shade will be missed, indeed.
The school and the library will continue, though. Just down the block from the tree, but on the same property, the library serves the community, too, but in a different way. Its services and collections provide something for most everyone. If they don’t have it, they can probably get it for you. And let’s hope that when they reach the age of that tree they’re still here.
The Humes couldn’t have known how the neighborhood would change or what a contribution they were making when they put that little school on that corner of their property.
By Ruby Long, a neighbor whose work has appeared in local and national publications.
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Bones: Brothers, Horses, Cartels, and the Borderland Dream by Joe Tone
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Books have the power to introduce us to places, people and experiences that are far from our everyday lives. And Bones may be the perfect example of this.
Bones is the fascinating tale of two brothers – Jose Trevino Morales and Miguel Trevino Morales -- and a revolving cast of characters. They’re all involved in laundering drug money for a powerful Mexican cartel through the sport of quarter-horse raising. The story takes readers back and forth across the border between Laredo, Tex., and Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, and to racetracks in Ruidoso, New Mexico; Oklahoma City; and Orange County, Calif.
Yes, this book is about horses and horse raising, but it’s more about the people involved. Jose, who had gone to Texas as a 17-year-old and became a bricklayer, tried to remain free of the influence of his brother Miguel. Also known as Forty, Miguel rose to leadership in the Zeta cartel, whose members are considered the most violent in Mexico. And Jose became entrenched in the horse racing business, eventually getting caught. The journey he took, and the people involved, provide insight into a world that few readers are probably aware of.
By reading Bones, you’ll learn about the quarter-horse racing popular among the cowboys of the American Southwest and Mexico. You’ll be introduced to the business of race horse auctions and the breeding of winners, who can rake in as much as $1 million in top races. You’ll meet Jose, cartel members, trainers, stud farm operators, wealthy horse owners and the FBI agent and his partner assigned to prove that Jose and a host of others were laundering Zeta cartel money. And you’ll be totally drawn into a story that in many ways is stranger than fiction.
Judy Jacobs has only been to the horses races one time. And that was when she was a journalist covering the Pacific Asia Travel Association's annual conference in Auckland, New Zealand, many years ago.
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What's Happening at the Library |
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Our library is open six days per week!
Sunday Closed
Monday: 10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Tuesday: 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.
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Wednesday: 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Thursday: 10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Friday: 12 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Saturday: 10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
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There are currently no programs scheduled at our library, but Oakland Public Library (OPL) has some great online programs. Among them are Virtual Lawyers in the Library and Virtual Tax Attorney in the Library. The Lawyers in the Library program is a free information and referral program staffed by volunteer lawyers and hosted by libraries throughout Alameda County. If legal help is required, people are referred to other agencies. Registration is required. For more information go to https://oaklandlibrary.org/lawyers-in-the-library/
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The Friends of the Piedmont Avenue Library is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Our tax ID is 84-4203055.
All contributions are tax deductible.
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