by Jill Forman, member of the Board of the Ventura Friends of the Library

The County Board of Supervisors gave the Friends of the Library a round of applause recently. The Friends had just pledged to give over $200,000 to help establish a new branch library.

Why the applause? As Nancy Schram, Deputy Library Director, said in her address to the Board, “The Friends is a grass-roots organization…made much of this money holding book sales…selling books for as little as 25 cents.” That is a lot of book sales, a lot of books, and a lot of hard work.

As Supervisor Steve Bennet pointed out, this is a perfect example of the government and the community working together for a common goal. The remainder of the funding for the branch is coming from governmental agencies and a trust.

The new branch will be on Hill Road, across the from the government center. It is on a bus line, in a heavily-trafficked area of the city. East Ventura has not had a library branch since the closing of Wright Library in 2009.

The Friends take in donated books in decent condition, sort and price them, and have periodic book sales. The sales involve boxing up the books, loading the boxes onto trucks, and taking them to the sale site. They also bring tables, chairs, signs, bookends…and themselves. At the most recent sale, many volunteers worked 10 hours including setup, sales, and takedown. Most of the regular volunteers are in their 70’s and up, and it’s a long day.

All the money from sales, memberships and donations, goes to support Ventura’s libraries. They fund the Summer Reading Program, and year-round reading programs for children and youth. They purchase supplies and materials for activities. They have been fighting for an East side site: attending government meetings, writing letters, serving on commissions, speaking with officials. This new branch is a dream come true for the organization.

The new branch will combine the best of traditional libraries with innovative technology and mobile furnishings. There will be adult literacy training, early childhood literacy classes, and a collection of print materials. The staff is excited to have this opportunity to build a branch to “…enable residents to explore, discover, and connect with the world,” in the words of a Library Services flyer.

Kathy Thomson, President of the Friends, asks all Venturans to join the Ventura Friends of the Library to support this vital service.

Norbert Tan has accepted a new position at Antioch University. He will serve as their new Associate Vice Chancellor for Institutional Advancement. Norbert will be based at the Santa Barbara campus and also oversee fundraising for Antioch’s Seattle and Los Angeles campuses.

Norbert’s last day as Executive Director of the Ventura College Foundation will be July 7th. He has served for over ten years of providing service to Ventura College and its Foundation.

Norbert successfully built a strong team and helped steward and grow critical programs that support VC students including the Promise, Textbook Lending, the Weekend Marketplace, and Scholarship programs. Most importantly, under his leadership, Norbert developed many community relationships and helped raise significant funds to help thousands of students succeed in college over the past decade.

Greg R. Gillespie, Ph.D., President Ventura College stated “Congratulations Norbert and we wish you success in your future endeavors! “

Keeping its commitment to public safety, the Ventura Port District will once again fund lifeguard services from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day at Ventura Harbor beaches off Spinnaker Drive. Ventura Port District commissioners have decided to contract again with California State Parks for lifeguards to cover Harbor Cove and Surfer’s Knoll beaches.

Harbor Cove will have a daily lifeguard from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. and the South Beach/Surfer’s Knoll area will have a lifeguard from 11 a.m. to 7:45 p.m. daily. Visit www.venturaharbor.com for updates or time changes throughout the summer. Lifeguard coverage is subject to change due to crowd and environmental conditions.

Parking is free at both beach parking lots and free street parking is also available on Spinnaker Drive.

“I’m glad the board has allocated money to make our harbor beaches safer by having state lifeguards present from Surfs Knoll to Harbor Cove beaches through the summer season. Public safety is a priority to the Port District,” said Port District General Manager Oscar Peña.

Ventura Harbor beaches are a unique summertime destination for walking, basking in the sun, playing beach volleyball and wading at Harbor Cove Beach.

Visit Venturaharbor.com for more information on Ventura Harbor beaches as well as seaside amenities.

Ventura County Bird Club presents, with the Havasi Wilderness Foundation “Birds and Wildlife Around the World.”

Join in this exciting adventure as they explore plants, birds, mammals, and environmental “breaking news” from 11 countries and visits to 10 World Heritage sites.

Thursday, June 29 at 7pm at the  Ventura Moose Lodge 1394 at 10269 Telephone Rd. visit www.venturacountybirdclub.org and www.havasiwf.org for more information.

Ventura Mayor Erik Nasarenko will cut the ribbon to welcome 3,000 rockhounds converging on the Ventura County Fairgrounds June 9-11 for Ventura Rocks the Nation!, the national show and convention of the American Federation of Mineralogical Societies, a nonprofit, educational organization.  The show is hosted  by the local Ventura Gem & Mineral Society, and proceeds go toward educational endeavors, such as scholarship funds for college students.

Ventura Rocks the Nation! will highlight gems, minerals, and fossils from across the U.S.  A beautiful gold specimen will be one of the featured displays. It will be on display at the show, alongside samples of our state gemstone (sapphire-blue benitoite), our state rock (satiny green serpentine), and our state fossil (the saber-toothed cat).

Event organizers invite the general public to come enjoy 100 educational displays, 50 dealers and demonstrators, 9 exciting speakers, silent auctions, and raffles.  The first 50 kids at the Kids Booth on Friday, Saturday, and on Sunday will be awarded free sackpacks with school supplies!  Also, certified teachers will find free educational packets and other materials for classroom use.

Adults, $7.00 (3-day pass, $18.00)
Seniors 60+ & Military, $6.00 (3-day pass, $15.00)
Juniors (13-17), $4.00 (3-day pass, $9.00)
Kids 12 & under, free with paid adult