#82, December 12, 2001
Q: Where does the oboe player go to work on her reeds?
A: The library…
Okay, it's a bad joke (reeds, reads…). But it could be the
literal truth, if the library is our very own Petaluma Regional Library.
Libraries through the ages have been centers of culture. Mr.
Webster, a popular resident of libraries, calls them places "in which literary,
musical, artistic, or reference materials--as books, manuscripts, recordings,
or films-- are kept for use but not for sale." They can be wonders of the world, like the ancient, lost library
of Alexandria or our own Library of Congress.
When I was a sprig, our local library was a stately but
stolid edifice Stone steps lead up to
stone columns, marble floors and what seemed to be a marble librarian. Turning
a page too loud would trigger an uplifted head, an arched eyebrow, and an icy
stare. I didn't spend much time there.
Petaluma's 25-year-new library is a different experience.
Warm colors, carpeted floors, comfortable chairs, tall windows, big whimsical
stone sculptures by local artist Mary McChesney, staff and volunteers with
smiles… an all-around nice place to hang out. Even my high school son, who is
not huge fan of books, put in dozens of hours there as a volunteer tutor.
But a great library must do more than "sit there and
wait for people to come", says Kiyo Okazaki, Branch Manager for the
Petaluma Library. Under her leadership and with the support from over one
hundred volunteers and an active Friends of Petaluma Library organization, the
Petaluma Library has become a magnet for people seeking to enrich their lives.
The library has for years sponsored lectures from authors, a travel series, and
art lectures featuring docents from San Francisco museums. Last year they began
a World Music series, which continued this year and brought some incredibly
talented musicians into the intimate setting of the library's Helen Putnam
Community Room.
Oh yes, two things about this intimate setting. First, there
is "no cover and no minimum", though you are welcome to imbibe in the
free punch with cookies (courtesy of the "Friends"). This makes it
possible for people who can't afford expensive concerts or lectures to enjoy
some of the wonderful talent that lives in or visits the Bay Area. Second, the
Community Room is getting ever more intimate, as word gets out about the
quality of the programs being presented. People were packed to the walls when
the Master Gardener Saturday morning lecture series presented Jim Lang and his
sure-fire gopher control program. A few months later, the Balkan folk music
group Anoush brought in a crowd that spilled out onto the patio. Bottom line:
Petaluma has outgrown this room.
So the resourceful and ambitious Friends are on a campaign
to expand the room, add a small kitchen, and improve the performance amenities.
They are 40% of the way toward their half million dollar fund raising goal, and
could use your help. For a holiday gift to someone who has everything, consider
a tax deductible donation in their name to Friends of the Petaluma Library. If
you'd like more information about it, call the library at 763-9801, extension 5.
In this column, I write about how we can live in ways that
are personally meaningful and rewarding yet can be sustained forever by our
living earth. Sometimes this means reaching out to new ideas, new technologies.
But other times, it's recognizing and nurturing something we already have. Our
library is such a thing, sitting right in the geographic and cultural heart of
our community. A healthy library is an indicator of a healthy society. It's
about sharing, not only books and tables and internet connections, but about
sharing our experience of the world's knowledge and culture.
Kiyo and her team like to call the library "Our
Community Living Room." I
encourage you to visit, take ownership, and enjoy the living.