The final week

At this stage of the campaign and with a blog to write, what should be its theme? There will be a final push this weekend to get out the vote on November 6. Is it too soon to take a short look back?

Last June the Library Board was seeking a candidate to finish an unfilled term. Monica wondered if I was interested.

For me, it was an idea that's time had come. I have signed petitions, sent letters, marched, carried signs, stood on corners and written checks for all kinds of causes and issues. And I have been left with a vague sense of doing something good. But I have also had a nagging question whether my efforts were really having any kind of impact. This past summer I was looking for a place where I could make a difference. We all want that, don’t we? We want to know that we are engaged in meaningful activity that will have positive outcomes.

Previous experience as a librarian, a life-long love of books and learning, experience as an administrator and board member, retired with time to spend on things I want to do – serving on the Altadena Library Board seemed a natural fit.

This fall, when the election was announced, I filed to run. That announcement had re-energized me. I wanted to work on behalf of our community and the Altadena Library District. It is an excellent resource for our community. It merits our deepest respect and most active support. It also is faced with challenges for which it needs a broader financial base. I want to help the Board meet these challenges. I also want to help it expand its life-enhancing literacy services.

So I am running and the race is in the final phase. It has been a real pleasure to advocate for the Library to numerous individuals and groups. It has also been satisfying to know that there have been issues raised and discussed on e-mails through the community. It has been exciting to find so many people interested in the Library's well-being, especially after learning that the Library is under our community’s control. People are talking about the Library. There has actually been an election campaign taking place and I am not the only candidate campaigning. That is very exciting. I sense this effort is a worthy one, and that it will make a difference. My efforts will have an impact. Wow!

Be sure to vote next Tuesday!

A new endorsement

The Democratic Club of the Pasadena Foothills invited me to speak at their meeting last Thursday night. David Datz and Mark Mariscal were also there. We are three of the four candidates for the Altadena Library Board. Before the meeting started, we had a chance to get to know each other a bit. It was immediately obvious that we were running for the Board and not against each other.

Each of us had three minutes. Basically, we all said the same thing. We need to explore new sources of funds and to update the 1998 Strategic Plan as the first step. I emphasized the need for expanding our Literacy Program. Each of us praised the quality of the Library and its staff. We were clearly on the same wavelength.

I was especially pleased by something Mark said. He was the last to speak. He ended his talk by saying that he originally planned to vote only for himself and David. Now he was going to vote for the three of us. That was nice to hear.

And I was happy to learn later that the Democratic Club of Pasadena Foothills has endorsed me, along with the two incumbents. For a full list of my endorsements, visit the Smart Voter Web site at http://www.smartvoter.org/2007/11/06/ca/la/vote/hubbard_t/endorse.html

I think the next four years are going to be especially good for the Altadena Library. Let me count on your endorsement by your vote on November 6!

The word is out!

It was refreshing to find that the Star-News has finally realized that there is an election going on up here in Altadena. The results will probably not be the lead item on the November 7th "Morning Report" or the banner headline in the LA Times. That's okay. It's just that democracy is working up here. We're preparing to vote.

One of the major issues before the Board is implementation of their Five-Year Plan to complete the work necessary to bring the Library into compliance with requirements of the Americans With Disabilities Act.

It was suggested that the Library should not be spending money to provide accessibility for disabled patrons. "The public as a whole is being disadvantaged for this extremely small group."

My thought is: the Library should be a resource for everybody, not just the hale and hearty. I am saying, "Look for new sources of revenue for this." There are foundations and governmental agencies that will not buy books, but they will help fund an ADA remediation project. The Board must assist staff in searching out these entities and ask them. And in order to make "the ask," the Library needs a Strategic Plan. That is the first step in broadening the financial base and the Board must take it.

It was also stated that, in the past, "elections were not held." Sitting members stepped down so that their replacements could be appointed. Perhaps the complainer should reflect that this is not how things are done in a free society.

I know that the Altadena Library Board is not a major player in the political game. But it has to be a sign of something good that the number of candidates is bigger that than the number of vacancies. If printing and mailing ballots to registered voters, securing polling places and poll workers, and counting and reporting votes so that the people have a chance to choose their public servants costs money, well, that's the way democracy works.

Anyway, if the Board is able to broaden the Library's financial base the way I think it can, the Library will be able to pay for the election and more.

Stay tuned!

The future of libraries

Last night, Polytechnic School celebrated its 100th Birthday by having Larry Mantle talk with Steven Sample and Jean-Lou Chameau about modern trends in education. As you know, Sample and Chameau are presidents of USC and Caltech, respectively.

Their conversation was informative and stimulating. We must equip our students to hold their own in the emerging international market for highly-skilled workers. Our colleges and universities are being seriously challenged by institutions all over the world. Beginning in elementary schools, we need to improve the education our children and young people receive. But we knew that.

At one point, in answer to a question, President Sample said something that I want to share with you. The question was, "With all the research material on the Internet, what is the future of libraries?"

His response was beautiful. I don't have the exact words he used, but he reassured me. He said that we need libraries because libraries bring people together. They nurture human contact. They remind us that the search for understanding is best done in the company of others, not in isolation. I suppose that there are wise monks somewhere who might disagree, but my experience has been that he's right. As Margaret Wheatley says, "You know something. I know something. And, together, we know something more."

Education and its product, wisdom, do require other people. And a good place to find those people is at the library.

Books that get "under our skin"

The Shatford Library at Pasadena City College is participating in the Art and Ideas Festival that kicks off this week. http://www.artideasfestival.org

This year's Festival is called "Skin." The Shatford Library has created an interesting blog called "Books that get under our skin" and invites readers to submit books that, for whatever reason, have been memorable.

Read and participate here: http://underourskin.blogspot.com

Getting an A in Citizenship

Ray Cortines, what a wonderful man! He guided Pasadena Unified School District through the difficult days of school integration and budget cutbacks. He was back in town recently for a speech at a fundraising evening for El Centro de Acción Social. It was the first time I had heard him speak.

He held us spellbound, speaking softly with only a rare downward look at his notes. He told how, as a child, his report card showed all but one A. He had a B in Citizenship. "You know how we used to get grades in Citizenship." And we all smiled and nodded. His parents were not pleased with the B.

Our parents looked at that Citizenship grade even before they looked at the rest of the report card. They were concerned about how we related to the other students and our teachers -- did we show respect, were we courteous, did we accept responsibility. When they were satisfied that we were behaving ourselves properly, they went on to how we were doing with our school subjects. How we behaved was every bit as important as how well we were doing with our studies. And they were right!

Ray Cortines was asking us, in his gentle way, to think back to what our teachers were looking for in us when they graded us in Citizenship. He was urging us to apply those same standards today, and to not to be content with anything less than an A. He knew, and we know, that our communities and our nation deserve nothing less.

We have an election coming up next month. I am told, by people who know about elections, that we can expect a 5% turnout of voters. At that rate, 95% of us would get an F in Citizenship. Any democracy needs its citizens to vote and that includes Altadena. You know that!

So go for an A in Citizenship. Vote on November 6.

Online Resources for Students

I continue to be amazed at the variety of services offered by our Library. Cassandra Stearns, who is responsible for Children's Services, has released a list "Online Resources for Students." They are incredible! Students in grades 4 through 8 can access "California Fact Cards" to learn about our Native Americans, the Missions and our other Early History, as well as facts about the United States and the rest of the World. "Kids Search" is for K-8 and covers many topics from magazines, dictionaries and encyclopedias. "Novelist K-8" helps youngsters find stories by authors and themes. Early elementary students can use "Searchasaurus" to help them find things in the "Kids Search" database.

And do you know about "Tutors.com?" Students in grades 4-12 interface with live tutors in Math, Science, Social Studies, and English. This service is available every day from 1 to 10 p.m. From 1 to 7 p.m., Sunday through Thursday, Spanish-speaking tutors are available. What a wonderful resource! And it's available to our young people.

All they need to login to these five databases is an Altadena Library card. They're free at the main library and the Bob Lucas Branch.

Get a new card or use your old one. Login and prepare to be amazed!