Rose Garden Resident

Cover Story

Photograph by Vicki Thompson

Book Stock: Jim Naylor replenishes the stock of books in the store at the new Rose Garden branch library.

Literary Friends

Group keeps library stocked and running

By Mary Gottschalk

Linda Kahn says, "books have always been my best friends," so it's not surprising she's a member of the Friends of the Rose Garden Library.

What surprises Kahn is how few people seem to be aware of the group.

"I feel we are hidden from view from both patrons and local residents. Friends is really a treasure for the Rose Garden Library. Our group raises money for year-round programs to continue that would never be held due to severe budget cutting," she says.

Lynne Jorgensen, adult services librarian at the Rose Garden branch, agrees.

"They are our support system and a necessary part of our operation because we are mandated to do programming, especially for children but for adults as well, and programs aren't funded by the library system itself," Jorgensen says.

The money the group raises, mainly through book sales, is spent primarily on programming and sometimes on additions to the collection that aren't funded. "Our periodical budget has been cut so we're able to buy some subscriptions with what they have earned," she says.

Additionally, Jorgensen says Friends' members volunteer to staff sales tables for performers or speakers who come to the library with books or CDs to sell.

"As public employees we're not allowed to handle money, but Friends supply somebody to do that for us, which is permissible," Jorgensen says.

"They are really in essence the co-sponsors of almost every program we do."

Friends donated $2,500 to the Rose Garden Library last year. They spent $800 for cakes served at the grand opening, but the rest of the money was used for programs as well as supplies for the children's craft projects.

Pat Koopman, president of Friends, says no one is sure exactly when the group formed. A 1989 newsletter mentions a 1984 event, but she believes the origins likely go back to when the first Rose Garden Library opened in 1960.

Mim Bloom, a Rose Garden resident for 58 years and one of the founding members, says she believes it formed soon after the library opened.

"It goes back many moons," she says.

Bloom, Koopman and Kahn all feel strongly about the importance of libraries to the community.

"The public library system is one of the important things our country has available to a citizen," Koopman says.

"People can come in and get information; they can come in and read and check out videos. To me, it's just a good public use of our state's taxpayer money to provide a place for people."

Bloom sees the library as important to the three schools within a block of it.

"Trace, Hoover and Lincoln--the library grew from all three of those schools. Probably even the Bellarmine kids use it. It's a helpful place," she says.

Linda Funk, who taught at both Trace and Cory Elementary schools before retiring in 1998, knows first-hand the importance of the library to local schools.

Funk remembers taking her three children, including son Chris, who is now principal of Lincoln High School, to storytimes at the old library.

"When I was a teacher, I'd borrow books for my classroom," she says.

Funk joined the Friends in 1982, when, she says, "we only had five or six members who were active."

Shortly afterward the treasurer left the area, and Funk agreed to take over.

"We've raised thousands of dollars for the library," she says.

As a full-time graphic designer, Kahn says she learned of the group after spotting a community service advertisement Friends placed asking for graphic design and newsletter help.

Although she lives just four blocks from the library and is a frequent user, Khan says she didn't know the Friends group existed before that.

Khan volunteered and now produces the quarterly newsletter.

"A lot of times when you take on a volunteer job, it's more stressful than regular work, but everyone is very enjoyable and the staff is so appreciative we're there. It's just a great cause," she says.

Book sales are both the primary source of income for Friends and the biggest ongoing task.

When the new library opened on Feb. 11, 2006, it opened with a book sale room.

"The main reason I joined the Friends was that the bookstore looked like it needed some organization," says Jim Naylor, who volunteers between four and five hours a week alongside his wife Fran.

"In the old library it was pretty hard to just browse. The books weren't segregated into various topics. I like to buy used books, and I got tired of having to scan shelf after shelf looking for things I was interested in. That was my motivation," Naylor says.

Now, Naylor and his wife and other volunteers come in during the week to price books and restock shelves.

The books are categorized and include classic literature, garden, mysteries, science, biographies, history and psychology.

Almost every book is priced at 50 cents, but occasionally ones that are attractive or in better shape may be priced higher.

"The highest price is usually around $5 and sometimes $10, but very seldom," Naylor says.

"We have some extraordinary bargains. I've filled up my den with these bargains."

Most of the books are donations made by library patrons along with some library discards.

Naylor says the group sells about 100 books a week, a number he says is below sales at the previous library.

"The bookstore is set off, out of the mainstream and not very well signed," Naylor says. "We're not getting as much of a turnover as we used to get in the old library, where we were right out in front."

In the old library, which closed in December 2003, the Friends' books for sale were near the entrance.

Now, the room is around the corner from the front desk on the second floor. A sign reading "Friends' Book Sale" identifies it, and half the room is filled with a copier.

One thing that has remained the same in both libraries is that the book sale room operates on an honor system. There's a box to leave money for purchased books.

In the two-year period between the libraries, the Friends group remained active, primarily collecting and stockpiling books for future sales.

Storage is an ongoing problem.

Koopman says there is less space in the new library for storage of Friends' books and members' garages are full as well.

The group held a major book sale in the library last fall that raised more than $1,000 and hopes to start holding smaller ones throughout the year if it can find volunteers.

Funk says she and other volunteers took some of the books to the Festival and Farmers Market on The Alameda last summer after organizers asked them to participate.

"It was more of a goodwill gesture," Funk says. "They asked us to participate, and we wanted to support The Alameda Business Association.

"We tailored the books to the clientele with a lot of cookbooks and children's books and a few novels and coffee table books."

Sales were not great, Funk says, adding up to around $200 over three Saturdays.

"We knew we weren't going to make a lot of money. We picked up four or five memberships, but it was work dragging those books," she says.

During the down time between the Rose Garden libraries, Koopman volunteered at the new King Library at San Jose State University.

"I'm now a docent there," she says. "I thought I'd quit when our library re-opened, but it's so interesting I'm still doing it two or three times a month."

Members of the Friends would like more people to join them.

Current paid membership is at 75.

Dues start at $5 for an individual and $10 for a family membership.

There are some perks to membership, including a members-only book sale before the group's annual general membership meeting in March.

For additional information on Friends of the Rose Garden Library, stop by the sale room at the library, 1580 Naglee Ave., and pick up a newsletter. Hours are 2 to 7 p.m. Mondays, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays.