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Friends of the Fort Bragg Library Fall 2013 Newsletter

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Friends of the Fort Bragg Library
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Just Among Friends
Friends of the Fort Bragg Library
August 2013
What a Difference a Year
Makes!
Wally Clark, Librarian
The 9th of July was my anniversary date
here at Fort Bragg. I think of when I arrived here,
of my first lessons in Mendocino volunteerism at
the side of the road in the Navarro Redwoods, of
how moving trees off the highway would plant a
thought in my head that said yes, getting out of
your car, moving wood out of the way with the
help of total strangers, was the way to get things
done at 4 in the morning if you want to get on
down the road here in Mendocino County.
I think I have been living and reliving that
moment almost every week I have been here, not
only here at the branch but out and about in the
community as well. I have been especially lucky
here as I have a very good volunteer force to help
work the desk, process books, make things
happen when they need to happen most. I feel
extremely lucky, too, in having such a supportive
Friends group behind me and the Fort Bragg
staff, one that has allowed us to do great things
over the past twelve months.
Over the course of a year we have liberally
weeded hundreds if not thousands of old, tired
books and materials but in their place have also
added many new and exciting books to the
collection. We have added a bevy of programs to
our weekly branch operating schedule, from
children’s story times for toddlers and
preschoolers to Sunday film matinees, family film
fests, adult, teen and children’s book discussion
groups and even a library sponsored knitting
club!
This past year has seen a massive build
up of our film library, brought in an LSTA
Steampunk-focused grant to help bring teens into
the library and has allowed for training in the
form of conferences and workshops. We have
focused on our county responsibilities, have
cleaned and spruced up the branch, maintained
fixtures, invested in furniture, sponsored
leadership and LAB meetings, all the while looking
outside our doors, to ensure that our focus isn’t
always inwards but looking out towards our
community as well.
As your branch librarian I am always happy
to be on my feet, behind the desk or out on the
floor, always ready to handle questions, take care of
problems or issues as they arise. But I am also
happy to be out in the community, too, taking on
volunteer opportunities when they arise, be it with
Coastal Cleanup, or fundraising for the Coast
Clinic, the Noyo Food Forest or Mendocino Film
Festival. The time I spend time out and about helps
to return the community’s focus on our branch
library and shows that we not only appreciate
having volunteers help us out with their duties but
that we also know that to give is as much fun as to
receive.
It has been a good year here and I hope to
see many more here in Mendocino County. Let’s
keep up the good work and continue to do good
things. Thanks for all you do.
Cheers!
New library chairs purchased by
Friends of Fort Bragg Library

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Friends of the Fort Bragg Library
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Friends of the Fort Bragg
Library, Inc.
P.O. Box 2718
Fort Bragg, CA 95437-2718
ffblnews@gmail.com
fortbragglibrary.org
Board of Directors
Josh Richardson, President
Janet Barnes, Vice President
Edith Goble, Treasurer
Kirk O’Dwyer, Secretary
Joyce Cookenboo
Linda Danton
Valerie Frey
Phoebe Graubard
Martha Hill
Carol Lloyd
Allen Stevenson
Marilynn Thorpe
The Board meets monthly in
open session on the third Friday
of the month at 10am
in the library community room.
The public is welcome to attend.
Join Us By Becoming A Member
It’s time to renew your membership for 2013.
Please take a moment to reply today. Don’t miss out on
our yearly Labor Day Weekend’s preview sale, held on
Friday for members only. Support your public library!
If your label has been highlighted, you have
not yet renewed membership for this year.

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Friends of the Fort Bragg Library
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Annual Labor Day
Weekend Book Sale
Friday Aug. 30
Members Only Night 7-9pm
Saturday Aug. 31
10am – 5pm
Sunday Sept. 1
Bag Day! 10am – 2pm
Buy a bag and fill it up!
We have purchased special
sturdy bags to replace the
paper bags from previous years.
You must purchase at least one
bag to enter the sale on Sunday.
New blue Book Sale bag!
Children’s Corner
Elizabeth Kalen, Children’s Librarian
This year’s summer reading program,
Reading Is So Delicious, has been a great
success. We’ve had over fifty kids sign up,
and the programs have been well attended.
Kids who read five books or more have
received a free book. Thanks to the generous
donation from Cowlicks Ice Cream, kids who
read ten books or more this summer have
been able to get a coupon for a free ice
cream. We’ve had lots of big readers so far
this summer, and many of them have already
earned their ice cream cones.
This fall, we have a number of
programs starting up for kids and teens in
the community. Both the Teen Book Club
and Kids Book Club will be starting up again
in September. Last winter & spring, both
book clubs got off to a good start, and this
year we’ve got a great line up of books. This
September the kids will be reading
Planesrunner, a great science fiction novel,
while the teens are starting with Heist
Society, a comedic crime caper. Story times
for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers will
also resume in September. Our family movie
matinee will be continuing every 3rd Sat. at
2 pm with a family friendly film.
We also will be starting up an RPG
(role-playing game) group for teens and
interested adults. The Dresdenverse role
playing game is based on the Dresden Files
series by Jim Butcher and has an urban
fantasy noir setting. Towards the end of
September we will be setting up a campaign,
so if you’re interested keep an eye out for
more information. Another upcoming
program in November, for teens and kids who
enjoy creative writing, National Novel Writing
Month’s Young Writer’s Program is a great
opportunity to write a novel with community
of support. More details will be coming later
in the fall.
Both our young adult and children’s
collections are growing as we add new
materials. We now have special sections in
both the children’s room and the teen area
for new books, so come and check out the
newest things on our shelves. We’ve also
expanded our collection of children’s DVDs.
As the children’s and teen librarian, I
couldn’t do everything that I do without all of
the support and help from both the Friends
of the Library and the volunteers.

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Friends of the Fort Bragg Library
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Friends of the Fort Bragg Library
Post Office Box 2718
Fort Bragg, CA 95437-2718
BULK RATE
US POSTAGE
PAID
PERMIT NO.
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Address Service Requested
Put more fun in
your life . . .
Become a volunteer at
the our annual Labor Day
weekend book sale!
There will be a Volunteer Sheet at the
library for you to sign up for the next annual
book sale.
Without volunteers we could not put on the
successful sale we have only once a year.
There are many jobs you can choose from
and time slots to fill for each day of the sale,
as well as the set up and take down.
Sign up at the library or call the volunteer
coordinator Joyce Cookenboo at 964-7622.
We would really appreciate your help!
Library Wish List:
• Good quality shop vac
• Tea set for 6-8 teachers for
‘Teacher Teas’
• Teen area needs flat screen TV
with game consoles
• Update light box and receiver
for films
• 12″ or larger digital picture
frame with 4GB or
more memory
• Cassette player with
AC converter

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