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Spring 2020
President's Message 
by Georgina Van Horn

"I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the community, and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can." ~ George Bernard Shaw 
Dear Friends, 
As I start my final letter as president of the Friends of the Los Gatos Library, I repeat my very first quotation, one that is so relevant now more than ever. Each of us is doing our part for the good of the whole community. Never would I have thought I would be writing to you while sheltering in place. 
The memories of these past two years as president bring me joy. Working with such a dedicated board and realizing the generosity of Los Gatans has enriched my life. You have enabled the Friends to continue and expand the great variety of programs and activities offered by our library for all ages from the youngest to our seniors. The Friends are especially proud of the wonderful speakers both in our library and bookstore who have informed and inspired us. The library continues at this unusual time to bring us online programs and books that we can enjoy from home. 
We are also very proud of our bookstore which, during "normal" times, gives everyone the opportunity to donate and recycle their books to others and to purchase books at a very reasonable price. Before COVID-19, many volunteers worked many hours to enable the bookstore to be well-stocked and open six days a week. Volunteers behind the scenes sorted and priced books in addition to posting them on Amazon if appropriate. Bookstore volunteers kept order, shelved books and assisted customers. Our bookstore has enabled us to double the yearly funds we contribute to the library, so we are anxious for it to reopen! 
Because of the current pandemic, the board has canceled this year's annual general meeting at which author Duffy Jennings was to discuss his memoir, Reporter's Notebook: A San Francisco Chronicle Journalist's Diary of the Shocking Seventies. We're very happy that he has agreed to speak at a future meeting when it's safe to do so. 
I'm hoping this newsletter finds you safe and well!
Georgina Van Horn


The Friends Board Meeting Then and Now
A Friends Meeting Before COVID-19...

Due to the current shelter-in-place situation, we have had to cancel our annual meeting which always includes the election of officers for the following year. Therefore, during this unprecedented state of affairs, the executive committee of the Friends of Los Gatos Library has approved the slate of officers for 2020-2021 which was presented by the nominating committee in April. This slate is considered elected.  If there is an objection by a member, he/she should send a letter to the chair of the nominating committee, Toni Blackstock, stating the objection.

The incoming officers for the 2020-2021 year are:

Co-Facilitators: Louise Roon & Sue Tuttle
Vice President: Alicia Barela
Treasurer: Tom Atkinson
Recording Secretary: Celia Bakke
Past President: Georgina Van Horn
Membership: Beth Raphael
Corresponding Secretary:  Sylvia Rucker
Newsletter: Mary Martin
Publicity: Cheryl McKenzie
Programs/Community  Liaison: Alyce Parsons
Hospitality: Gretchen Bell
Parliamentarian: Celia Bakke
Mailings: Louise Roon
Book Store Director: Marlene Rodman
Sorting Room Director: Tom Atkinson
At-large Directors: Toni Blackstock,  Caroline Cocciardi, &
Brian Kulman

...and the Friends May Board Meeting Via Zoom
 
 

A Year of Wonderful Speakers
by Alyce Parsons

We have had a bountiful year of terrific speakers at our library. 

We started with photographer Ed Grant on October 19, 2019 who spoke about his book,  Piers of the California Coast.
His book is illustrated with beautiful color photos as was his slide presentation. 

In February 2020, Julian Guthrie, the Silicon Valley Reads author of Alpha Girls: The Women Upstarts Who Took on Silicon Valley's Male Culture and Made the Deals of a Lifetime, spoke to a standing-room-only crowd. Julian was interviewed by broadcast personality Lissa Kreisler. The audience was fascinated by the tales of four history-making women

James Bostwick, one of California's most esteemed personal injury attorneys, spoke in February 2020. His book, Acts of Omission, is based on true courthouse drama. Jim was engaging and authoritative about what actually takes place in courtroom trials and answered many questions from the audience.

A week later on March 7, Jill Avery Henderson gave a slide-illustrated talk titled "Harmony Through Transition" which riveted the audience and gave us a new understanding of young people growing into their adult selves Her recently opened Saratoga business, Life Launch, focuses on empowering teens and parents to navigate the real world while building balanced and meaningful lives. 

We were planning to host Bay Area newsman Duffy Jennings at our annual meeting in June, but COVID-19 and the shelter-in-place mandate made that impossible. There's good news, however: Duffy has agreed to come to Los Gatos to discuss his book, Reporters Notebook: A San Francisco Chronicle Journalist's Diary of the Shocking Seventies when it is safe to do so. I can guarantee this will be a fascinating talk because I had the pleasure of hearing him speak at my book club. This is something to look forward to! 

We urge you to join the Friends Of Los Gatos Library and visit our bookstore, once it opens again. Your support goes directly to the library and provides for all of our speakers and activities. 


In This Issue
Slate of Officers 2020-2021

CO-FACILITATORS   
Louise Roon & Sue Tuttle

Vice President   
Alicia Barela

Treasurer  
Tom Atkinson

Recording Secretary
Celia Bakke

Past President
Georgina Van Horn

Membership  
Beth Raphael

Bookstore Manager
Marlene Rodman

Sorting Room Manager 
Tom Atkinson

Grants and Appeals
Rita Baum

Newsletter
Mary Martin

Publicity
Cheryl McKenzie

Programs/Community
Liaison: Alyce Parsons
Hospitality: Gretchen Bell

Corresponding Secretary
Sylvia Rucker

Pariamentarian
Celia Bakke

Mailings/Sorting Room
Louise Roon

Members At Large:
Toni Blackstock
Caroline Cocciardi
Brian Kulman



Keep Busy at the (Virtual) Library!
The library may be closed right now because of COVID-19, but it's still offering plenty of online activities such as story times, workshops and book clubs. And you can check out e-books, movies and music; do research; delve into genealogy and local history; and peruse newspapers, all from the comfort of your shelter-in-place home.

To explore this rich variety of offerings, go to the Los Gatos Library website. 


A Support the Friends!
As a nonprofit organization, the Friends of Los Gatos Library relies on revenue from its bookstore, membership dues and financial donations to provide funding for materials and a robust selection of library programs for people of all ages throughout the year. These include the summer reading programs for kids, teens and adults; after school and family evening programs; book club kits; the adult bestseller collection; story times and special programs for babies, toddlers and preschoolers; and the library's local-history archives. 

With the bookstore currently closed due to shelter-in-place orders, the Friends are counting more heavily than ever on memberships and donations. The names of people who donate $500 or more to the Friends of the Library are included on the permanent rolling screen on the lobby wall near the entrance to the children's room. Our most recent donor whose name will be added to the screen is 
Barbara Murphy



The Friends Support Library Programs All Through the Year

 December 2019: Fratello Marionettes, a program sponsored by the Friends.
 

February 2020: "Wonderful Ones," a popular story time for tiniest tots, is funded by the Friends of the Library.
 


Some Noted Event
A Los Gatos cat named Wild Thing follows CDC guidelines by wearing a mask as he poses outside the front door of local author Katherine Dalziels on St. Patrick's Day. Katherine donates proceeds of her children's book
The Legend of Wild Thing to the Friends of the Library.

The Friends expressed gratitude to Marge Rice, a longtime member and board member, at the March board meeting. For many years prior to the opening of the Friends Bookstore, Marge managed the quarterly book sales the Friends sponsored to raise funds. More recently, she was in charge of taking the bookstore proceeds to the bank. A reliable and cheerful volunteer, she will be missed very much!



Holding the crossword puzzle he constructed for
The New York Times is Brian Kulman, a new member of the Friends board of directors. Published on Sunday, Feb. 9, 2020, the puzzle was the
Times' first crossword that used emojis for some of the clues. Brian says that the puzzle took about two years to finish, and that its theme reflects his love of movies.





Friends of Los Gatos Library Bookstore is 

CLOSED 

until we're given the all clear.


Donations
Until the library re-opens, please don't leave books at the door. They will only be taken away and not resold. Thank you for your cooperation.



   





Louise Roon will be back at her behind-the-scenes work in the sorting room once the bookstore opens again. 


Logo

BE SURE TO LOOK OUT FOR OUR 



Each event is on Saturday at 2 p.m. in the Los Gatos Library