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New library officials look forward to serving Moorpark
"We hope Moorpark residents will feel very welcome to come and use the library and give us recommendations on what they'd like to see in terms of books, resources and programming," said city librarian Barbara Wolfe, a Ventura resident who started her job last week. The city took over library operations in January because it wasn't satisfied with the level of service provided by the county system. "This library belongs to the residents of Moorpark, and we want to be a useful resource for all the residents here," Wolfe said. The library's weekend hours have been expanded to include Sundays, Wolfe said, and she is planning adult programs, something new for the library. The programs could include author visits as well as Internet workshops for parents whose children use the web for social purposes and for others who go online for medical resources. Wolfe was hired to direct the Moorpark Library operations based on her management-level experience in a number of libraries in Canada, most recently in British Columbia, according to Mark Smith. Smith is vice president for Library Systems and Services Inc., which manages the Moorpark Library on behalf of the city. "She is steady, calm and positive, and I think people will enjoy working with her," said Smith. Wolfe is currently completing her thesis to earn a PhD in library and information science from the University of West Ontario, Canada, she said. Youth services librarian Veronica Taylor was also recently hired to manage youth programs and assure that the library has the right materials to serve children and teenagers. Taylor said she enjoys the Moorpark Library because it's intimate. "There are many children in Moorpark and many schools are nearby, so it would be nice to get them in here," she said. Taylor has already developed weekly workshops to assist young authors who'd like to be published in teen magazines. The Thursday programs serve middle school students from 4 to 5 p.m. and high school students from 3 to 4 p.m. Middle school students can write short fictional stories and create illustrations, which may be published in Stone Soup magazine, and Taylor said she's available to help with the submission process. Older teens are invited to create artwork and stories for Ink magazine. They can submit their college application essay, opinions, poems- anything- Taylor said. Taylor is also looking to develop more programs for elementary school students. In the works are a summer reading program and an art contest themed "What the Fourth of July means to me." It will include four categories: painting and drawing, photography, sculpture and poetry. The library features a weekly preschool story time on Tuesdays at 11 a.m. to help youngsters get ready for kindergarten. Taylor has also been reaching out to local schools and is promoting a card campaign that will take place in April. "All the school students around Moorpark are invited to come in to get a new library card," she said. If children obtain a new library card with their parents any time in April, they'll get a credit for their school. Those who have an existing card can also participate if they come in and show their card, the youth librarian said. The school with the most points will get a special assembly sponsored by Friends of the Library. Taylor is looking for celebrity volunteers and other engaging individuals who want to come in and read to the children. The library has a good collection of books in Spanish, and the youth librarian hopes to add more resources in other languages to serve all bilingual residents, she said. Taylor worked in the San Diego public library system and at the El Dorado County Library in Northern California until recently. She moved to Thousand Oaks so she could be closer to her son, she said. |
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