by Mary Olson
Ventura Friends of the Library are holding a Books by the Bag Sale on Saturday, October 5, 10 am to 3 pm at the Vons at Telegraph & Victoria (6040 Telegraph Road). Buy a $5 bag and fill it up! Fiction, Non-Fiction, Children’s Books, Young Adult Books, Teacher Resources, Puzzles.
Ventura County Celebration of Books takes place on Saturday, October 12, on the campus of California State University, Channel Islands. This event is free and open to the public! Parking is free.
Dr. Jim O’Connell, the subject of Rough Sleepers, will be the featured speaker.
Rough Sleepers: Dr. Jim O’Connell’s Urgent Mission to Bring Healing to Homeless People by Tracy Kidder was chosen as the Ventura County Library’s One County One Book community reading selection for 2024. It tells the story of Dr. Jim O’Connell, who, after graduating from Harvard Medical School and a residency at Massachusetts General, found his calling in the creation of a community of care for a city’s unhoused population, including those who sleep on the streets—the ‘rough sleepers.’
Dr. Jim O’Connell will speak from 2:00 – 3:00 pm in the Grand Salon, followed by a book signing. Paperback books will be available for purchase or bring your own. Limit of two copies signed per person.
From 11:00 am – 12:00 pm in the Grand Salon, there will be a panel discussion on The State of Homelessness in Ventura County: A Conversation with the Professionals. Doug Menges, Executive Director, Many Mansions; Kay Wilson-Bolton, Executive Director, SPIRIT of Santa Paula; Jazmin Clark, Foster Youth Initiatives Coordinator CSUCI; Jeffrey Lambert, Chief Executive Officer, Housing Authority of the City of San Buenaventura; Alicia Morales-McKinney, Program Director, Ventura County Continuum of Care and Bryan Tomlin, Associate Professor of Economics CSUCI will be the panelists. Moderated by Amy Johnson, KCAL News Anchor.
Exhibits by local organizations and Friends of the Library groups will be open to the public on the North Quad from 11:00 am to 1:30 pm. CSUCI Early Childhood Studies & Ventura County Library will offer children’s activities. Bring your own lunch to picnic on the lawn or enjoy food from a local food truck from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm.
See https://www.vclibraryfoundation.org/events/ for more details.
Spooky happenings at the Library:
E.P. Foster’s Teen Advisory Group hosts the annual Horror in the Stacks for scary fun as the library turns haunted! E.P. Foster Library, Saturday, October 12, 7:30 to 8:30 pm. This event is free and open to youth, grades 5 -12. Children 4th grade or younger must be accompanied by an adult.
Science Spook-tacular Dry Ice Show with Science Heroes! Hill Road Library, Thursday October 17, 3:30 – 4:30 pm. Science and stories collide in this fun, interactive S.T.E.M. program featuring the ‘coolest’ thing in science — DRY ICE!
Ventura Friends of the Library will hold their Annual Membership Meeting on Sunday, October 20, 1:00 to 3:00 pm in the Topping Room of E.P. Foster Library. Our featured speaker will be Elizabeth Moore Kraus who will discuss her book 3 Sisters, 3 Weeks, 3 Countries (Still Talking) Our annual meetings are always open to guests who are interested in our organization or our guest speakers!
