Central Library

The Newport Beach Public Library has a series of free family-friendly music events to keep residents busy this fall. The Central Library, 1000 Avocado Ave., is hosting three Sunday Musicales for adults and teens, and two family concerts Sept. 11 through Nov. 20 in the Friends Meeting Room. All events are free, but seating in on a first-come, first-served basis. The first Sunday Musicales, the Modus Novus, a classical guitar duo, will perform at 3 p.m. Sept. 11. Elixir Piano Trio will take the stage at 3 p.m. Oct. 30. The Soprano Synergy will perform at 3 p.m. Nov. 30. The first family concert will feature the Southland Opera performing the "Adventures in Song and Story" at 11 a.m. Oct. 1. Paul Tracey will perform "I Found it in a Book" at 11 a.m. Nov. 19. For more information, call the library at (949)

When a thousand people each give $1,000 that equals $1 million. This major capital support campaign of the Costa Mesa Library Foundation — to raise a substantial sum of money for a new central library in Costa Mesa from a large number of residents in our community — gives everyone an opportunity to make a statement that they know and appreciate the importance of libraries in their education, employability, and relaxation. Why do we need a central library? A number of studies completed since 1998 show that there are unmet library needs in our city.

Glimmers, at last, of a dream come true! On Jan. 31, the Costa Mesa City Council's study session included planning for the next five years. In that planning is a Library Master Plan for Costa Mesa, and a marker for debt financing to pay for a new library. Also to be studied is a better way to finance the operational expenses of the libraries in Costa Mesa. Presumably, this will be further discussed and voted upon in upcoming council meetings. I encourage all of you who are interested in library service in our town to show up at council meetings to let your desires be known.

GET READY at the City’s Disaster Preparedness Expo The Huntington Beach Fire Department, coordinating with the Emergency Operations Center, is sponsoring a Disaster Preparedness Expo on Saturday, February 20 at the Central Library from 10:00 am-2:00 pm. Learn from experts what types of City resources are available, at this first of an annual event.  The event is free and will include fun and exciting demonstrations, information about local disaster volunteer organizations, disaster preparedness vendors (no sales only literature)

The Newport Beach City Council voted to remove a temporary "pinch point" in Corona del Mar and pay more than $720,000 to repair a Central Library wall and remind community members about this Sunday's Memorial Bike Ride at its regular meeting Tuesday night. * Pinch point The city will remove temporary barriers that narrow the road near East Coast Highway and MacArthur Boulevard in Corona del Mar, but the council stopped short of scrapping the changes permanently. The pinch point, or the spot where the southbound East Coast Highway lanes merge, was moved closer to Avocado Avenue on a summer trial basis to see if it would be possible to incorporate more outdoor seating and landscaping along the highway.

With completion of the Newport Beach Civic Center, the city of Newport Beach has a civic landmark in which it can take pride. The move from the ugly, crumbling, crowded City Hall that served this city for so many years has finally taken place. In the late 1960s — more than 40 years ago — I was directing public relations for the Los Angeles-headquartered architectural firm of Welton Becket and Associates when the Newport Beach City Council selected our firm to plan and design a civic center.

NEWPORT BEACH — To save $520,000 in interest payments, the City Council voted Tuesday night to refinance its 1998 Central Library construction bonds. It plans to combine the outstanding balance, $3.9 million, with the upcoming bonds for the Civic Center. This "piggybacking," the city says, would allow it to lower the interest rate from 5.15% to 2.1%. —Mike Reicher

I support Bill Ficker's plan to put a new city hall on part of the vacant city-owned land uphill from the Central Library between MacArthur Boulevard and Avocado. Most real estate decisions start with, and are most heavily weighted by, location. Unless there is another city hall site within our city limits that the city has missed, the Central Library site is the best location for a new city hall, which should serve our residents the next 50 years. When viewed on a city map, the site is located almost in the middle of our city boundaries, which are not likely to change in the future.

Kris O'Donnell The Newport Beach Library Foundation donated $144,507 to the Newport Beach Public Library system for future upgrades, programs and events on Tuesday. The foundation's President, Tom Edwards, presented the check to the Newport Beach City Council on Tuesday night. The foundation boasts more than 2,000 members who financially contribute to the . "Through fund-raising events like the 'Distinguished Speakers Series,' our members enable us to support a variety of programs," said Tracy Keys, the foundation's executive director.

The Newport Beach Public Library brought a bit of democracy to residents through an interactive program and display. "Searching for Democracy," a program that debuted in April, "gives people a different spin on something we all take for granted," said library Director Cynthia Cowell. "It's very easy for us not to think about it, and that's what the whole grant process was about. " The library received a $2,500 grant from the California Council for Humanities, plus matching funding from the Newport Beach Library Foundation, for the program to engage residents of all ages in a dialogue about the democratic process, said Jana Barbier, the library's cultural arts coordinator.

With completion of the Newport Beach Civic Center, the city of Newport Beach has a civic landmark in which it can take pride. The move from the ugly, crumbling, crowded City Hall that served this city for so many years has finally taken place. In the late 1960s — more than 40 years ago — I was directing public relations for the Los Angeles-headquartered architectural firm of Welton Becket and Associates when the Newport Beach City Council selected our firm to plan and design a civic center.

On Tuesday afternoon, after an underwhelming and predictable Costa Mesa City Council study session about the proposed charter, I left the Council Chambers and decided to take a quick stroll to the greenbelt across the street from the Police Station. The 2.5-acre property, envisioned since 2005 as the potential home of the city's central library, hosts mature trees and an aging, unremarkable billboard. The architectural rendering is faded, and the sign is peeling away from its frame.

A bedtime story is the foundation of many children's nighttime routines. Picture books can be a wonderful resource for creating that special bonding time with a child. The imagination is piqued by visiting the Newport Beach Public Library and checking out its vast array of great picture book favorites. The children's shelves are bursting with the latest picture books as well as the classics. Here are just a few of the thousands of perfect story-time books to be found at your Newport Beach Public Library: "Miss Nelson is Missing!"

The Newport Beach City Council voted to remove a temporary "pinch point" in Corona del Mar and pay more than $720,000 to repair a Central Library wall and remind community members about this Sunday's Memorial Bike Ride at its regular meeting Tuesday night. * Pinch point The city will remove temporary barriers that narrow the road near East Coast Highway and MacArthur Boulevard in Corona del Mar, but the council stopped short of scrapping the changes permanently. The pinch point, or the spot where the southbound East Coast Highway lanes merge, was moved closer to Avocado Avenue on a summer trial basis to see if it would be possible to incorporate more outdoor seating and landscaping along the highway.

The library will soon be alive with the sound of music - opera music. The Newport Beach Public Library is hosting a free, family concert, Adventures in Song and Story, to introduce children to the world of opera through a performance by members of the Southland Opera. The concert will introduce children to operas, operettas and musicals by teaching a dance with Hansel and Gretel, singing with Maria from "The Sound of Music" and meeting the Three Little Maids from "The Mikado.

The Newport Beach Public Library brought a bit of democracy to residents through an interactive program and display. "Searching for Democracy," a program that debuted in April, "gives people a different spin on something we all take for granted," said library Director Cynthia Cowell. "It's very easy for us not to think about it, and that's what the whole grant process was about. " The library received a $2,500 grant from the California Council for Humanities, plus matching funding from the Newport Beach Library Foundation, for the program to engage residents of all ages in a dialogue about the democratic process, said Jana Barbier, the library's cultural arts coordinator.

The Newport Beach Central Library is hosting Triple Entendre for its Sunday Musicale at 3 p.m. Sept. 9 in the Friends Meeting Room, 1000 Avocado Ave. Triple Entendre is a chamber music group featuring Jonathan Marzluf on oboe, Lisa Yamamoto playing flute and Kevin Garnica on piano. The event sponsored by the Friends of the Library is free, with seating on a first-come, first-served basis. Reservations are not accepted. For more information, call (949) 717-3800 and choose option two, or visit http://www.newportbeachlibrary.org . - Britney Barnes Twitter: @britneyjbarnes

The column ("Wu: A new chapter of library rules") by Jack Wu on Sunday morning in the Daily Pilot demonstrates that he does not understand current problems with libraries nationwide. When we built the library to open in 1994, we purposefully did not make "comfortable" the upstairs reading room. There were no foot stools, no lamps; it was functional as a reading room. The purpose being that we did not want people sleeping in there. The last library director added the foot stools and lamps.

The City Council expanded the list of the Newport Beach public libraries' prohibited behaviors this week. People will have to lock their shopping carts and bikes up to bike racks and stop lounging on furniture under the new rules the council passed Tuesday. The Newport Beach Public Library system has more than 1 million annual visitors for a city of about 85,000 people. With some of the most modern and expansive facilities in the region, the Central Library draws visitors of all stripes.

If you are reading this, somewhere right now, a librarian is smiling in satisfaction over a job well done. To further promote the love of reading — a chief tenet of the librarian code — in all age groups, the Newport Beach Public Library is hosting a full week of free programming in observance of National Library Week, Sunday through April 14, at branches throughout the city. "The goal for any of our programs is to bring people into our branches and make them aware of what we have to offer," Youth Services Manger Debbie Walker said.