October 2005 RETURN TO HOME PAGE FEEDBACK

The Halloween closing party neighbors were planning for the Noe Valley­Sally Brunn Library has been postponed because nobody knows exactly when the library's last day of operation will be. "The earliest the branch will close for renovation is Halloween, but it's more likely to close in mid-November," says Mindy Linetzky, the San Francisco Public Library's bond program manager. "The project is out to bid, and we're encouraging contractors to submit their bid packages to work on this historic gem."

Not to worry. Postponed doesn't mean cancelled. Kim Drew, co-chair of the Noe Valley Library Campaign (which is raising funds for the library's interior fixtures, such as furniture and computers), reports, "We're definitely planning something fun to give people a chance to say goodbye, to celebrate what's been and what the library will be in its new form."

The branch on Jersey Street, an Andrew Carnegie library built in 1916, is set to undergo a seismic retrofit, as well as improvements to the Children's Room and other interior spaces. The building also will be brought into compliance with the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act).

During the two years the branch will be closed, the lapsits and other children's programs will be held on Wednesday mornings at Upper Noe Recreation Center. The library also will park a bookmobile in front of St. Philip's School, 665 Elizabeth Street, on Mondays and Wednesdays from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. These interim services are slated to begin four to six weeks after the library shuts down.

Meanwhile, the fundraising campaign is picking up speed. According to Drew, people have been extremely generous.

"It's going great. Our goal is $150,000, and we've got about $65,000 raised to date. We had another very successful event in July hosted by B.J. Droubi and her associates, and they presented us with a substantial check from the entire office. We'll also be at the Harvest Festival Oct. 22," she adds. "We'll have a raffle and all kinds of activities for children, and, of course, we'll be taking pledges for the campaign."

Singing Librarian Brings Harmony

A week later on Saturday, Oct. 29, a women's "barbershop" harmony group called SF Sound Wave (a local chapter of the Sweet Adelines) will give a benefit concert at St. Philip's Parish Hall, 725 Diamond Street near 24th Street.

The entire neighborhood is invited to attend the musical fundraiser, "which will feature our own singing librarian Carol Small," says Drew. (Small is the longtime children's librarian at the Noe Valley branch.) "Most of us didn't even know she belonged to the [Sweet Adelines] until at the end of a Friends of the San Francisco Public Library meeting, Marian Chatfield-Taylor noticed a treble clef pin on Carol's lapel and asked her if she was a musician. The fundraiser concert idea developed from there."

The concert will take place from 3 to 5 p.m., and all proceeds will benefit the library. The suggested donation is $15; children under 12 admitted free. For more information on the Sound Wave event, contact Marian Chatfield-Taylor at 626-7512, ext. 103. For the latest scoop on fundraising, call Kim Drew at 643-4695.