Why I Love My Library Contest Winners

Our "Why I Love My Library" Contest inspired wonderful poems, drawings, essays, and one-liners. In fact there were so many funny, inspiring, or heartwarming entries that our judges, Laura Headley and Hadassah Contreras, had a difficult time making their choices. But the 1st place winners are:

Preschool: Kayleigh McCullough (picture)
Grades K-2: Ji-Eun Song (picture)
Grades 3-5: Mackenzie Miller (poem)
Middle School: Jaeyeon Park (picture)
High School: Rachel Bohrman (essay)
Adults: Melinda Wates (poem)
Senior Citizen: Mary Beach (collage)

Thank you to every one who entered the contest, and to the fabulous local merchants who dontated prizes: I'm Puzzled, Tessuti Zoo, and The Works.

Winning entries are currently on display at the Library. Come by and see how talented our patrons are.... Meanwhile we'll leave you with the opening stanza of Mackenzie Miller's poem:

"The Five Senses of my Library and one Extra"

I love my library

because of its smell,

it smells like

books

and new adventures

waiting to happen.

An Amazing Birthday Gift from "PG Reads"

There were many memorable moments during the Library's 100th Birthday Party. But the most memorable moment was when the children of our community presented Lisa Maddalena with a special birthday gift - a gift they earned through reading. (See blog entry for April 19, 2008.)

As Linda Bailey, chair of PG Reads for the Library, shared: "So far, the amount the kids raised through their efforts has been a closely guarded secret... But that secret is about to be revealed."

Holding a small, beautifully wrapped box, she continued, "This box. It’s tiny, isn’t it? Yet it holds something truly magnificent. Inside this box is a gift of love to the Library and its wonderful staff."

Addressing the children, she continued."The check that is inside this box represents your dedication and commitment, and some 50,000 minutes of reading that you did over a two week period. It is proof that you truly can make a difference, one book and one minute, at a time. Through this gift, you give back some of the joy the library has given you, and help ensure that same experience for children yet to come."

Then the children carefuly passed the box from one to another, finally presenting it to Senior Librarian, Lisa Maddalena. The crowd was silent as Lisa opened the box, unfolded the check, and announced the amount: $18, 057.99! There was a moment of silent awe, and then wild applause.

Ms. Bailey summed it up best when she addressed the children, " You are our greatest potential resource, our most compelling inspiration, and our profound hope for the future."

Everyone at the Library agrees. We thank you, every one of you, for your amazing gift to the Pacific Grove Public Library. You truly are making a difference, and an inspiration to us all.

The Library is 100 Years Old!

100 years ago, on Tuesday May 12, 1908, the Library at 550 Central Avenue was opened to the public. It was an evening filled with civic pride and celebration. As stated on the front page of the next day’s Daily Review, “There was very large attendance, the library being filled almost to suffocation” to celebrate the new library, “the best advertisement Pacific Grove has ever had.”

100 years later, the Library is celebrating again. On Saturday, May 10th, the Library is having a centennial celebration - with music, magic and cake! At 1 pm the party begins with all American banjo music. Master magician, The Great Blindini performs at 2 pm. After that, winners will be announced, and prizes awarded for the Why I Love My Library Contest. And then we’ll all sing “Happy Birthday” and eat cake!

Spontaneous acts of music, recitation, magic and merriment will occur throughout the afternoon. So Come One! Come All! It’s the Pacific Grove Public Library Centennial Celebration. Saturday, May 10th 1-5 pm.

Lisa Maddalena - Our New Senior Librarian

After 24 years of service as the Library's Children's Librarian, Lisa Maddalena has been promoted to Senior Librarian.

Patrons and staff welcomed the news with hearty hurrahs and congratulations. Lisa has a wealth of experience working with the community and staff. So her promotion offers the Library continuity during a time of tremendous change.

Since she began her new job, the Library has hosted the incredibly successful Read-a-thon, (organized by PG Reads for the Library). And now she and the staff are in the final stages of planning the Library's 100th Birthday party. Lisa is 100% enthusiastic about these kinds of events, and hopes to host many more during her tenure as Senior Librarian.

If you don't already know Lisa, please stop by and introduce yourself. Lisa wants to meet (and serve) you all!