It’s not just books anymore
– the Gilroy Library takes on variety of community programs
By Marty Cheek, Special to the Dispatch
Gilroy – Nancy Valencia loves taking her three grandchildren to the Gilroy Public Library for the Wednesday morning story time hour. Last week, the Gilroy resident brought 3-year-old twins Sinena and Summer Filice, and 4-year-old Joshua Filice-Holler to hear a tale about the lives of busy bees.
The grandkids, along with 20 other tykes, sat on the floor enthralled as the librarian placed felt cutouts of the insects and their hive on a cloth board to illustrate the story.
Many people think of the library as just a place to get books. But over the years, as Valencia and her grandchildren well know, it has evolved into site where locals can enjoy a variety of community programs perfect for all ages.
“I think they’re doing a great job,” Valencia said of the weekly children’s story program. “You can tell they’ve done a lot of prepping and preparing with the story. They also do a very short song and a rhyme that the kids can stand up and move to – like ‘I’m a Little Teapot.'”
Lani Yoshimura, Gilroy’s community librarian, believes 21st century library customers want activities as well as books. Events for kids as well as adults help foster a fun and friendly environment, she said.
“In terms of families, the library has become a nice outing for the day,” she said.
The children’s story telling program helps kids associate the library as a fun place to go, she said.
“This is important because this is where the foundation is built for reading,” she said. “If you show your kids your love for reading, how much you enjoy it, then your children are going to be readers too.”
And readers are people who do well in their lives both economically and with personal enrichment, she added.
That love for the world of books goes for adults as well as kids. The library is part of the Santa Clara County Library system, which runs a program called Vision Literacy to help adults learn to read. Vision Literacy has a site in downtown Gilroy where four days a week adults can get free tutoring in reading.
Because many adults are highly motivated to read but might be embarrassed by the stigma of illiteracy, the tutoring is kept confidential, she said. Vision Literacy helps about 50 adults a year in Gilroy. County-wide, the program helps 500 adults annually, Yoshimura said.
The Martin Street site also contains a special collection of books for people interested in finding specialized medical information, she added. Material includes medical books and pamphlets as well as databases on computers where the latest research in medical advances are stored.
Every month, the Gilroy Public Library offers events focused on expanding people’s knowledge. For example, every other Wednesday night at 7pm, hobbyists gather in to help each other with craft projects.
The library also offers a monthly elementary computer class to help people get a grip on digital basics, she said.
Another special-interest group, the Gilroy Writers Project, meets to discuss the craft of putting words on paper. Matilda Butler, a regular attendee of this group, said she has improved her writing skills in several ways since joining.
“First, of course, I’ve gotten many new ideas about better writing from the monthly meetings,” she said. “And also, a number of the speakers have specifically talked about their experiences trying to get their books published, so I’ve learned about the publishing industry – learned perhaps more than I wish I had.”
Another library-sponsored writers program, the Garlicky Poets Group, get together once a month to share poems and tips on writing poetry.
Of course, programs promoting reading as well as writing are an important part of the Gilroy Public Library’s services. Every February, the county library system sponsors its popular Silicon Valley Reads program where the entire South Bay region is encouraged to read the same book and discuss it. This year, two books were chosen focusing on Japanese Americans during World War II: “Souvenir” by Louise Steinman and “When the Emperor was Divine” by Julie Osaka. Many South Valley patrons came together to chat about these two books.
And this summer, the Gilroy Public Library will kick off its annual reading program with a special June 3 family fun event.
If kids read eight books, they get a certificate and they also get a book to keep, she said.
Nancy Valencia’s grandchildren already have a head start in developing their love for the library.
“They see the library as a fun place. It’s always like a treat for them. It’s a fun experience and we work hard at trying to check out books – whatever they’re interested in for that day.”
Also Online For more information about the Gilroy Public Library, go to www.santaclaralib.org/gilroy.
