DIAMOND BAR
FRIENDS of the LIBRARY
Serving the
community
since 1977
Dec. 2015
President Chris Ko’s Message
Hi again Friends,
Welcome to the December newsletter. Summer is long gone
and we are now in the festive holiday season! What better
place to find stocking stuffers than buying some gifts at one
(or both?) of our bookstores. They can be found at 23447
Golden Springs Dr. (across from Lorbeer Junior High School)
and inside the Diamond Bar Library at 21800 Copley Drive.
Check the opening hours of each bookstore on our web site
at www.dblibraryfriends.org.
Speaking of stocking stuffers, our Wine Soirée tickets do the perfect job! I want to once again remind
you all to mark your calendars for April 24, 2016! Why? This will be the date of the 23rd annual
Wine Soirée and Benefit Auction! Come join us for great wine, delicious food from local restaurants,
live and silent auctions, book auctions, raffle prizes, and much more, with all funds raised supporting
our beautiful Diamond Bar Library!
We had a great month of Read Together Diamond Bar, celebrating the book "China Dolls" by Lisa
See, with wonderful events such as learning to swing dance, a discussion panel which included
various interesting immigration stories, and Lisa See herself joining us in the Windmill Room! I want
to once again thank co-chairs Rachel Kirk and Kathleen Newe for their wonderful vision and guidance
of a month of excitement and learning.
Please see the rest of this newsletter for more information on what the Friends have been doing lately.
Until next time, best wishes to all for a safe holiday season and a happy New Year.
See you at the library!
Chris Ko
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Save the Date!
Sunday, April 24, 2016
The 23rd Annual Wine Soiree and Benefit Auction
Soirée à Paris Don’t Miss it – Tickets on Sale Soon
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23rd ANNUAL
Wine Soirée
& Benefit Auction
April 24, 2016
Annual Librarian Appreciation Luncheon
– by Kiran Kumar
Richard Martinez and Monica Principe, Director
Secondary Curriculum and Instruction. Walnut
School District was represented by Superintendant
Dr. Robert Taylor and Administrative assistant
Bertha Pimenthal. And a warm welcome was given
to all the many school Principals and Library staff
who attended.
School Librarians encourage
all students to read. They help
students select books and
encourage them to expand their
horizons with the many different
titles available in the library.
They keep the bookshelves well-stocked and assist
students with online searches. In addition, they are
responsible for textbook checkout, collection and
other related duties. As we approach the Holiday
season, it has become a tradition of the Friends
to honor our school librarians and the staff at the
Diamond Bar Library with a special luncheon.
Guests were given a brief review of the resources
available at the two Basically Books locations.
Each person was presented with a book from
our bookstore. Staff and students from all our
Diamond Bar schools were encouraged to attend
and participate in the many programs and activities
presented at our beautiful, spacious library. Lunch
was catered by Al-Jibani markets and enjoyed by
all.
This year's luncheon was held in the Windmill
Room on November 4th. In attendance were:
Diamond Bar Mayor Pro-Tem Nancy Lyons,
Councilmember Jack Tanaka and Deputy City
Manager Ryan Mclean. Representing the L.A.
County Library System were Miguel Accosta,
Louix Escobar-Matute and Patricia Rivera. From
the Pomona School District, Superintendant
Everyone felt that this wonderful tradition started
by the Friends is a successful way to honor and
recognize the contributions of librarians, and
should continue.
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Imaginary People For Young Readers
By
Gordon J. Van De Water
We all have met dozens, if not hundreds, of characters found in books. Such individuals are often intriguing,
comical, frightening, or lovable, but always interesting. If they didn’t appeal in some way, they wouldn’t be the
memorable people they are. There are those who turn to books for an opportunity to meet someone who would
never appear in real life. Many of these characters come to mind as I stroll by my bookshelves. I’d like to
introduce a few who have impressed me in some way.
The first person about whom I write has a name that starts with the letter “A”, and that would be Alice, a
little English girl in Victorian times who has some odd experiences in strange realms of the imagination. Of
course she can be found in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. We must consider Tom Sawyer,
or Huckleberry Finn, both inventions of Mark Twain, also of the Victorian age, but youths raised in southern
United States. Tom is probably best remembered for the whitewashing of a fence, but Huck, though a pipesmoking ragamuffin boy, has much more depth to his character, especially in understanding and assisting the
runaway slave, Jim. The novel, laced with much humor, is considered to be an important American classic by
scholars who have studied society and the words written by Twain.
There is a quite intriguing story of a strong and gawky red-headed girl who stars in a Swedish novel Pippi
Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren. Pippi is so strong she can lift horses in the air, and uncaringly
wears mismatched stockings. In reading about Pippi’s adventures, one can more understand the
fantasies of youth trying to escape the conventions of grownup civilization. Another work, Peter
Pan by J. M. Barry, is the story of a boy who never grows up. The best known story is of Peter
taking Wendy Darling and her two brothers to Never-Never Land, where they encounter the
villainous Captain Hook and crew. Few are aware that Peter Pan made his first appearance in
The Little White Bird, first published in 1902.
What child would not enjoy reading The Tale of Peter Rabbit, by Beatrix
Potter and first published in 1901. Ms. Potter also invented many intriguing
animals of interest to young people among them Pigling Bland, Jemima
Puddleduck and Squirrel Nutkin. There was a story-teller, Thornton Burgess,
who wrote more than fifty books for children, the first being Old Mother West
Wind. Though still being read, his popularity has dwindled with the current crop
of young readers. This is unfortunate since his stories of forest animals, fully
clothed and having the gift of speech show the habits, good and bad, of the many
species of life that inhabit the huge forests of North America. They are simple pastoral stories of
Peter Rabbit, Sammy Jay, Tommy Trout, Reddy Fox, and Jimmy Skunk to name a few.
Perhaps the author who most skillfully wrote about the trials and tribulations of youth was
Charles Dickens. For much of the nineteenth century, he wrote wordy novels to show how the
common youth lived and surmounted the hardships and misery that was often encountered in English society.
Oliver Twist is a perfect example of that situation. Here is the story of a foundling, near starvation, who nearly
escapes hardship, but is betrayed, suffers, and as the novel concludes, finds salvation. It is a perfect introduction
to the compositions of Dickens. I know, from my experience of reading the book when I was twelve. Then
there is Great Expectations, a Dickens masterpiece, where Pip, the ward of a blacksmith once again fights for a
better life. Dickens also wrote a semi-autobiographical novel, David Copperfield, to show how he struggled to
become a great writer. The characters Dickens created will live a lifetime with the reader.
The foregoing titles are important in treating language in a mature way. They all have messages that offer
much - the happy world of animals in the forest, a crazy athletic girl in search of her father, a boy becoming
a man as he learns about freedom and the dignity of human life, and the struggle to surmount daily problems.
These books may contain many words, but they are the building blocks to learning about becoming an informed,
giving, and thankful citizen. It is impossible to estimate the value of reading a book!
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READ TOGETHER DIAMOND BAR 2015
Read Together Diamond Bar is an innovative program
to unite people of all ages and backgrounds and
encourage reading at the same time. From October 1 to
November 5, the Diamond Bar Friends of the Library
invited everyone in Diamond Bar to join together to
read China Dolls by Lisa See. This annual RTDB
brings people together to discuss the themes and ideas
of a book with various activities throughout the month
of October.
standing-room audience about her best-seller, China Dolls.
At the conclusion of the program the Friends and the
American Association of University Women (AAUW)
Diamond Bar presented awards to four students who
won the Essay Contest, “How a Book Changed My
Life.” The awards were presented by Lisa See along
with Mayor Steve Tye, Mayor Pro Tem Nancy Lyons,
Librarian Pui-Ching Ho, Friends’ President Chris Ko,
Dana Cox from AAUW, and Rachel Kirk and Kathleen
Newe, Chairs of Read Together Diamond Bar.
This was a very successful October at the Diamond
Bar Library with activities throughout the month. We
learned so much from the panelists and moderator,
Ruth Low, with the lively discussion on “Becoming
American, Our Stories.” Our eight panelists came
from many different countries with varied stories
of their journeys to Diamond Bar. All told of their
immigrant experience and their happiness to arrive
in the United States. The panelists were JK Chun,
Kiran Kumar, Becky Losoya, Cindy Lui, Margarita
Martinez, Matt Martinez, Tony Torng, and Gordon
Van de Water,
The winners of the essay contest, “How a Book
Changed My Life,” were Brandon Phan from Rowland
Heights High School. Brandon’s essay featured
Mossflower by Brian Jacques. Katherine Kim from
Chaparral Middle School wrote about A Little Princess
by Hodgson Burnett. Fabiola Santiago from Pomona
High School wrote about Tortunga by Rodolfo Anaya.
One Honorable Mention award was given by the
AAUW. This award was presented to Victoria Samuel
of Park West High School for her essay on The Bay
at Midnight by Diane Chamberlain. This was a very
competitive contest with many entries received. All
four essays are on display at the Diamond Bar Library
for the next month.
On October 24th we were fortunate to be able to
spend an afternoon with best-selling author, Lisa See.
She was the highlight of Read Together as she spoke to a
(l to r) Lisa See, Katherine Kim, Brandon Phan, Fabiola Santiago, Pui-Ching Ho, Rachel Kirk,
Mayor Pro Tem Nancy Lyons, Mayor Steve Tye, Dana Cox, Kathleen Newe.
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Sandi Roberts
We occasionally introduce readers of our newsletter to a member of
the Friends. In this newsletter we are printing a message from one of
our truly great volunteers, Ms. Sandi Roberts. Sandi began working
at Basically Books shortly after her retirement and is well known to
bookstore patrons. She was absent for several months, but now she
is back!
On September 29, 2014, I underwent a below the knee bilateral
amputation as a result of a freak bacterial infection. Losing my
feet was difficult but not something I couldn’t overcome with time,
help and physical therapy. Shortly after the surgery, a dear friend initiated a fundraiser on Facebook titled
“Help Sandi on Her Path Back to Good Health and Independence!” In turn, this fundraiser initiated others. The
response was overwhelming and came from many I knew and many anonymous donors. The ending balance
was undeniably generous and allowed me to reach my goals free of outstanding debt. My home of twenty-six
years required too many changes to make it possible for me to return so the difficult decision to sell was made.
After a few modifications, I recently moved into a disability friendly house that is quickly becoming home.
I take this opportunity to thank everyone for their positive thoughts, prayers, cards, phone calls, visits and
contributions? My medical bills are paid; my wounds are healed; I’ve become a wheelchair whiz; I’m walking
and driving short distances with prosthetics; volunteering two days a week at Basically Books, and living
independently. To my family, friends, doctors, nurses, therapists, Arbor Glen and Heritage Park Care Centers,
Facebook, Friends of the Diamond Bar Library, Bishop Amat Memorial High School, Azo Vino Wine Bar
and Gallery, and all those anonymous donors, you made this possible. Thank you! Thank you! I hope I can
somehow pay it forward!
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The Library Endowment Fund
“Plant a tree today, and our children’s children will enjoy its shade.”
The old proverb quoted above explains the reason behind the Friends’ creation of the Diamond Bar Library
Endowment Fund. The Endowment Fund is intended to grow steadily over the years, and to be a perpetual
source into the future of additional funding for the Library’s books and materials collections, as well as to help
upgrade the Library’s technological resources when needed.
None of us know what the future will bring, but we can be reasonably sure that Library budget and funding
challenges will always be with us. Just as we can be sure that children will continue to be brought to the Library
by their parents and grandparents, to experience the joy and wonder of books and the world of the imagination.
A donation to the Endowment Fund is in effect a gift for the Diamond Bar Library today, as well as a gift for the
future. At this time of year in particular, many people consider their plans for charitable giving, in consultation
with their accountants or tax advisors. A contribution to the Library Endowment Fund is tax deductible to the
full extent of the law. Perhaps you might consider making a donation to the Library Endowment Fund in the
name of a friend or relative, as your Christmas or holiday gift to them?
Donations are very welcome any time of year, of course. Please call Jim Hackett, the Chair of the Friends
Endowment Fund Committee, at (909) 573-6811 with any questions on the Endowment Fund or how to make
contributions.
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Diamond Bar Friends Of The Library
www.dblibraryfriends.org
23535 Palomino Drive, #232
Diamond Bar, CA 91765
NONPROFIT ORG
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
Chino, CA 91708-9998
Permit NO. 797
Or Current Occupant
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Basically BOOKS
A
Are you looking for a great volunteer experience in Diamond Bar? Basically BOOKS, the Diamond
Bar Friends of the Library's two non-profit bookstores, are friendly places serving the community as
a resource for school, work and pleasure reading at exceptionally low prices. Bookstore Manager
Peggy Murphy is actively looking for new volunteers to staff both locations at 23447 Golden Springs
Road (near the intersection of Golden Springs and Diamond Bar Boulevard) and the bookstore at the
Diamond Bar Library, 21800 Copley Drive (across from the AQMD Building). All proceeds from
both Basically BOOKS directly benefit the Diamond Bar Library
There are many special sales throughout the month so stop by both of our beautiful locations.
Basically BOOKS gift certificates are available and make great stocking stuffers for the
Christmas holidays.
The Diamond Bar Friends’ Book Group meets the fourth Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. at Basically
BOOKS on Golden Springs. There is no meeting during December. The Nightingale by Kristen
Hannah will be discussed at the January meeting on Tuesday, January 26th. New members are always
welcome.
Diamond Bar Friends of the Library website: www.dblibraryfriends.org
Diamond Bar Library website: www.colapublib.org/libs/diamondbar
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