'Gambling Halls to City of Homes' – Talk at Library

For those interested in El Cerrito history, there will be an illustrated talk at the library tonight, Thursday, by writer and Historical Society Vice President Dave Weinstein on the city's old, quirky and architecturally interesting builidings.

We're happy to note that Dave Weinstein – a resident author, lecturer for the El Cerrito Historical Society and occasional contributor to El Cerrito Patch – will give an illustrated presentation tonight, Thursday, at the El Cerrito Library: "Gambling Halls to City of Homes.” The free presentation is sponsored by the Friends of the El Cerrito Library. Refreshments will be served at 7:15 with the talk beginning at 7:30. The announcement for the event says, "Friends of El Cerrito Library present a delightful and informative look at El Cerrito history in an evening program by Dave Weinstein, journalist and author of 'Berkeley Rocks' and other publications, Thursday, May 24, at 7:30 p.m., El Cerrito Library, 6510 Stockton Ave., El Cerrito.  "…

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New Friends Sought for El Cerrito Library

The volunteer non-profit Friends of the El Cerrito Library has issued an appeal for new members to "help support one of El Cerrito's most important resources – our library." (Dues are quite low.)

A new flyer has appeared in town, headlined: "The El Cerrito Library needs New Friends!" It's an appeal from the Friends of the El Cerrito Library for new members. The non-profit volunteer organization is the chief support group for the city's public library. El Cerrito's library, while enjoying an increase in public use, is widely acknowledged to be sorely in need of better and bigger quarters. One hope is to raise enough money for a new building, while in the meantime, the Friends devote much of their energy to enhancing the collection and programs available at the current home. The group's president, former El Cerrito Librarian Grace MacNeill, said there was concern on the Friends' board that some members of the community may not be …

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Revised Edition of Book Sale Draws Crowd — Adds Music, Food, Games

Even greater bargains as sale continues today (without the food, music and kids' activities) and next Saturday.

The Friends of the El Cerrito Library stepped it up a notch Saturday, adding food, music, and children's activities to its already popular annual fall book sale. Jasper Patch of Well Grounded was already on hand sellling refreshments as dozens lined up in the parking lot for the 9 a.m. start of the sale. Shoppers soon descended on the outdoor book displays and packed the portion of the sale that stretches into a narrow section in the basement of the library. Many arrived with cloth bags and left loaded down with dozens of books that together cost less than a single new hardback. New also this year for the first day of the sale was live music, provided by Mike and Jan James, and an area for children, where young visitors picked up colorful …

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A First — Brunch at Library's Big Fall Book Sale

At the El Cerrito Library's big book sale this weekend, you get not just great bargains on books and the satisfaction of helping the library but also — for the first time — brunch and music.

One reason that the El Cerrito Library, despite budget cuts and a cramped building too small for its collection, is enjoying a renaissance of sorts is a corps of volunteers who labor patiently and largely behind the scenes. The chief support organization is the Friends of the El Cerrito Library, and their big event of the year — the Fall Book Sale — is not only coming up this weekend, but this year for the first time the Saturday morning portion of the sale will be more of a festival with refreshments and family entertainment added in. Books 'n Brunch On Satuday, Sept. 24, the "Books 'n Brunch" event will feature coffee, tea, bagels and pastries on sale from Well Grounded Tea & Coffee from 8:30 a.m. to noon, and Mike and Jan James will …

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Books Make Comeback At El Cerrito Library

The latest circulation figures for the library show that books, especially for kids, are back on top. Movies are no longer the most checked-out item.

Not only are the doors swinging at the El Cerrito Library as more and more people use the library’s growing array of services. But even more notable is the shift in what patrons are checking out. The latest annual circulation figures show that library users are again more likely to reach for old-fashioned books on paper than for the previous most popular item at the check-out desk — movies. In just the past year, movies in DVD and VHS formats went from being the largest circulation item to third place, behind both children's books and adult books. Items checked out at the library are classified into five categories (in order of popularity for fiscal 2010-11): 1. Children's books 2. Adult books 3. Movies 4. Audio 5. Young adult books The …

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Charles Burress

2:05 am on Wednesday, September 7, 2011

You make an excellent point. It's the people who make the changes possible. In this case, it was a problem of limited time and resources on our side, plus the difficulty of deciding which individuals to highlight and which ones to omit in a single article. As you point out, "many others" deserve credit. Nevertheless we plan future stories on the library that collectively include more of the …   more ›

Novel Marriage — Art and Books at El Cerrito Library

The El Cerrito Art Association show at El Cerrito Library features artworks tied to novels about destinations or journeys.

When Charlotte Britton, a member of both the El Cerrito Art Association and the Friends of the El Cerrito Library, heard that the county library system was having a summer reading program called “Novel Destinations,” she got an idea. Why not have a show featuring artwork in some way tied to books? If you visit the El Cerrito library by Aug. 26, you’ll see the result of her inspiration — “Novel Destinations: An exhibit of artwork related to novels of destinations or journeys.”  The artwork is on display in the meeting room at the back of the library as well as in the display case by the front entrance, near the fireplace, and on a wall above a bank of computers. “The whole idea is to tie in different community groups and make them aware of …

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We Like Our Libraries in Contra Costa — Circulation Rising

Circulation of library materials in Contra Costa County libraries grew nearly 8 percent in the past year from the year before, library officials reported.

The number of items checked out of public libraries in Contra Costa County grew by 7.85 percent this past year, thanks in part to programs promoting recreational reading and literacy, according to library officials. The growth reflects a longer-term trend that has seen circulation more than double over a 10-year period, the county library system said in a news release Friday. The system includes 26 community libraries, including the El Cerrito Library. Library employees analyze how patrons use the libraries and also talk to them on a daily basis, officials said. "As a result of this practice, we have invested in children’s books intended to help kids feel confident when reading independently and have also increased the size of popular …

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Guest Columns

“Is the Book Dead?”

In a talk at the El Cerrito Library, Chronicle book editor and El Cerrito resident John McMurtrie discussed the importance of books and explained why they will never disappear.

All of us who love to read books or who are involved in the writing, editing, design and manufacture of books have been watching the development of digital publishing with a mix of fear and excitement.  We worry that the book as a physical object may disappear, replaced by a Kindle, an iPad or an ugly-named contraption like a Kobo or a Blio. And we fear that consumers of long-form writing will simply die out, replaced by New Gen youth who will still read, thank goodness, but only if what they read is no more than one screen long.  I’ve been watching developments, too, because I am a book publisher. So it was with special interest that I went to a talk on the evening of Thursday, May 19, by John McMurtrie, editor of the San Francisco …

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Kyrsten Bean

10:24 am on Saturday, June 4, 2011

Nice article -- a topic I ponder often. The physical form of the book (as you mentioned scrolls from the past, too) will certainly change as the world changes. We live in a great new time. A love of reading goes back far in time and it's not going to go away if we all can help it. (The Book of the Dead, for one, was written on papyrus.) I love books in their physical form, but since witnessing …   more ›