Library

Starting in May, local photographer Jerry Muller's photographs will be on display at the Newport Beach Public Library's Central Branch. Muller, who teaches the History of Comic and Animation Art at UC Irvine, will have two shows — one showcasing his work on California called "The California Years" and another showing his stint shooting celebrities called "Bright Lights and Stardust, Classic Images: Valentino to Monroe," according to a news...

Orange Coast College will bring its books outside the library April 26 for a spring book sale. OCC Friends of the Library hosts its annual book sale from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in front of the library, 2701 Fairview Road, Costa Mesa. Every kind of book, from bestsellers and romance novels to mysteries and science books, will be on sale, with most selling for about $1. Starting at 2 p.m., it will be $1 for all the books that can fit inside a bag. The Friends of the Library puts on various cultural programs and activities throughout the year, offers a yearly scholarship and raises money to stock the library's shelves.

The Newport Beach Public Library Foundation recently donated $293,000 to support the library. The check, the third this year from the foundation, means the library will have received more than $500,000 from the group over the past six months. “The library has been exceptionally fortunate because of the overwhelming generosity of individual members of the community,” Library Services Director Linda Katsouleas said in a news release. “We could not have such wonderful facilities without it.” The most recent donation will be used to expand the library’s collection and pay for a new system to improve the facility’s record-keeping.

June Casagrande NEWPORT BEACH -- City Council members are expected to support a Mariners joint-use library at Tuesday's meeting, likely bringing to a close an increasingly emotional debate. A public hearing will give residents one last chance to weigh in on the proposal before council members vote on whether to apply for state funds to build the library. The project, a library on the Mariners Elementary School campus that will serve as the school's library and as the new Mariners branch of the public library, has been met with snowballing concern among some parents who have worried that the project puts schoolchildren in danger by exposing them to the general public.

As one OCC student put it, the difference between the school’s new $33-million library and its former home in 32 portable buildings is “night and day.” “I love it, I think the architecture is ideal,” said Regina Frisbie, who’s studying to get her real estate broker’s license. Thursday was the library’s first day open, and by the afternoon it looked almost empty. Maybe it was because it’s winter session and most students are on break, or maybe it’s because of the two-story learning center’s spacious 88,777 square feet.

Danette Goulet COSTA MESA -- After years of having some of the lowest standardized test scores in the district, the numbers are on the rise at Whittier Elementary School. School officials say a new community library that serves students, parents, siblings and teachers is at the heart of the improvement. The school offers kindergarten through third-grade instruction, as well as adult education and a state-funded preschool. As a way to improve the students' education, Principal Sharon Blakley set up the library so students and their parents, most of whom speak little or no English, could check out books.

Noaki Schwartz NEWPORT BEACH -- Library foundation members are now saying they know what is at the heart of their impending divorce with the library's board of trustees -- a difference in vision over the very institution that brought them together. Foundation member Don Adkinson said the problems with the trustees first started when the nonprofit entity refused to support the board's plans to build $200,000 arches in front of the library. But trustee chair Jim Wood -- leading the effort to make the library more visible -- and the other trustees say the accusation is ludicrous.

I wish to clarify any misunderstandings regarding John and Donna Crean's generous gift to the new Mariners library named in their honor. It has been my privilege to have known and worked with the Creans for many years. They support many worthwhile causes and activities with their time and money. Never have they expected special consideration or favorable treatment of any kind in return for their generosity. They give because they care about their community. Their home on the Back Bay is always open and utilized by many philanthropic groups.

Noaki Schwartz NEWPORT BEACH -- Nearly six months after a bitter feud between the library foundation and board of trustees erupted publicly, the problems have yet to be completely solved. While most of the major disagreements over mismanagement have been addressed, there are still lingering issues over which body gets to claim the high-profile Distinguished Lecture Series as its own. Traditionally considered a trustee event, the foundation has footed a good portion of the bill.

Noaki Schwartz NEWPORT BEACH -- The Newport Beach Public Library Foundation donated a hefty $126,672 to the library, accounting for nearly half of its total materials budget this year. Among other things, the money that was turned over on Valentine's Day will be used to buy databases for the institution's computers. These will include databases to research news, financial information, books and general information. Of the total amount granted, $6,540 will also be used to add new books and audio books to the library.

For those who dislike being stuck without a good book to read, remember that our Costa Mesa libraries will be closed on May 28 for Memorial Day. The Friends of the Costa Mesa Libraries Bookstore behind the Mesa Verde Library will be closed May 26 and 27 and open again May 29. The Friends Bookstore at the Costa Mesa Donald Dungan Library will be open on its regular schedule, except on May 28 when the library is closed. * Support Our Local Lions Club An organization that has occasionally donated funds to our Costa Mesa libraries is the Lions Club.

I have been reading a lot about libraries in the past few years. I have read that, because of the Internet and eBooks, they are likely to become extinct. And then I read that "it is a big mistake to confuse the future of books or publishing with the future of public libraries. They are not the same. " I am inclined to believe this last statement. And as for the Internet, an increased public demand for more computers and other services in libraries seems to put the lie to the statement that they are about to be extinct.

More than 100 years ago, the philanthropist Andrew Carnegie saw the potential for the public library to be the center of enlightened learning in every community. He offered to build libraries if communities would contribute land, furnish money for annual maintenance, and exercise governance and oversight. Between 1881 and 1917, he invested the modern-day equivalent of $3 billion to build 1,689 libraries across the nation. Carnegie's investment and the involvement of those communities helped educate generations of Americans.

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.

The Costa Mesa Library Foundation this year is sponsoring a "Beginning Writers Workshop. " Three scheduled sessions will help those aspiring to be authors learn what is required. The first session will be from 7 to 8:30 p.m April 19, at the Neighborhood Community Center, 1845 Park Ave., Costa Mesa. In "Planning Plotlines," author Aileen Baron will explain the creative process, how to determine what comes first, and how to pull the plot together. Baron is a professor of anthropology at Cal State Fullerton.

It is time to remind you to sign up for this year's Literary Orange 2012 event, to be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 14 at the UC Irvine Student Center. The keynote speakers will be Paula McLain and Lisa See. There will be sessions on everything from fantasy, fiction and mystery to poetry, science fiction, history and more. They have kept the cost low again this year — $60, which includes your breakfast and lunch. I have really enjoyed each of these events I've attended, and I encourage you to attend as well.

"A democratic society in the knowledge age demands that its citizens learn continually, adapt to change readily, and evaluate information critically … U.S. museums and libraries are at the forefront in the movement to create a nation of learners. As stewards of cultural heritage with rich, authentic content they provide learning experiences for everyone. " The above excerpt from the just-released report of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, "Creating a Nation of Learners," makes a strong point of the importance of libraries and museums in the life of a community.

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.

NEWPORT BEACH — Some people in the audience gasped as the aerial photo flashed on the screen at the front of the room. They were reacting in wonderment as a color shot came up of the so-called "Loop," a section of the Green River that snakes through Canyonlands National Park in Utah. Two sets of bends in the river, a tributary of the Colorado River, seemed so close to each other in the frame that they almost touched — but isthmuses separated them. Photographer Peter McBride took the picture from his father's Cessna 180 as part of a project to document the length of the nearly 1,500-mile Colorado River in photos.

"Got Books?" will be the title of a speech by Costa Mesa City Councilwoman Wendy Leece, when she appears as the featured speaker at the Friends of the Costa Mesa Libraries annual meeting. The event will be at 7 p.m. Feb. 9 at the Mesa Verde United Methodist Church (across the street from the Mesa Verde Library at 1701 Baker Street). The public is invited, but call ahead to ensure that enough chairs are available. Please leave a message at (714) 438-0517. Leece, a long-time supporter of our city's libraries, will speak about Costa Mesa's library space needs and why we all need to make this a priority in our list of goals, both long- and short-term.