President's Message

January 23, 2024

Happy New Year to you all. I am looking forward to the coming year for a variety of reasons. First and foremost is that I will be stepping down as President next summer! I will have served in this capacity for 14 years and it is time for a fresh perspective. I won’t be leaving the Friends, just stepping over to be treasurer. If anyone has the time and interest to take over, or to fill another position on the board, please let me know. My email address is: [email protected].

The following are some other Friends of the La Mesa Library highlights:

• We await news from the City of La Mesa on the response they got when they approached the Postal Service about moving out of their current location in the Civic Center. If they do, the library can be expanded into that space. That was the least expensive option from the study the City commissioned to improve library services to La Mesa. Should the Post Office stay, the alternative would be to add a second floor to some portion of the existing library space. The City Council was not enthusiastic about the third option to design and build an entirely new library elsewhere in the Civic Center block.
• This past year a very generous local donor approached the Friends and the library staff with funding and an admonition to “think big” in terms of programs and activities at our branch. The result of this donation was to organize field trips for La Mesa’s third graders to visit the library last may. Close to 500 children came to see not only the library, but also the Police and Fire stations and a collection of Public Works Department heavy equipment. They received string backpacks, library cards and card holders, books, and helmets. It was so successful that all agreed that this event should continue. The next session is scheduled to occur at the end of February. In addition to the gifts to the students, the donated funds also pay the school district for the buses to transport the kids back and forth.
• Our bookstore continues to be our most consistent source of revenue thanks to Robin Theilman and her wonderful volunteers. We recently installed a new sign over the bookstore door for better identification. If you would like to help with the bookstore, please leave your contact information with a bookstore attendant or a library staff member.

John Schmitz, President