Tiles, Tiles and More Tiles

Empty. Isn't it amazing to see the space like this. All the hazmat work has been done and the heavy demolition has begun. The checkout desk has been moved and the walls and floor have been blasted away to make way for the grand staircase which will connect the Adult and Teen areas with the Children's Room downstairs.

If you look carefully, you will see the old checkout desk, usually a hub of activity, sitting quietly in the main reading room.

And scaffolding dominates the old Children's Room which no longer has shelving or flooring.

Wow.

Let me tell you: my last day in the completely empty building, alone with a telephone and computer--with nothing to sit on except an overturned garbage can--was, well,-- special. It was great and felt like something out of a movie.

Hundreds families had a blast at Children's Day on Sunday, May 4th, courtesy of the Bernal Heights Parents Group which generously offered to donate proceeds toward the Library Campaign. They raised over $2,600! Valerie and Trish had fun talking to people about the library renovation and interim services. Chris was there from the Friends of the Library to answer questions about the fundraising campaign. And Keith and Jimmy brought the Bookmobile too which guaranteed more fun for all (If you missed the bookmobile, you can step on up into the magic bus, every Monday and Thursday, from 2-5, at Holly Park Circle, next to J. Serra School.)

Bernal Dad’s raced their hotrod at the 24 Hours of LeMons on May 10th and 11th and raised $4,000 for the library renovation. These guys are amazing and fun and so generous. We think this has got to be the most creative and unusual fundraising event in library history. Thank you Dad’s!

Contact Chris, at the Friends of SFPL for more information on getting involved in the Bernal Campaign: Chris.leishman@friendssfpl.org

Here are some photos of the downstairs from May 1st. It really was that dusty! They've been doing some heavy-duty excavating and hauling. It's amazing to see this happening and imagining this space becoming a beautiful new area for children.

It's already May!



It is hard to believe that we have been closed for almost three months. I heard some interesting things were beginning to happen--like big piles of dirt appearing outside the Moultrie Street Door. So I stopped by with my camera to see for myself--and what do you know? There are big piles of dirt outside the door. Wonder what it's for.