Author Archives: cfolblogger

The Annual meeting, May 17 at 7PM in the Chico Branch Library Meeting room, promises to be a popular event.  The Speaker this year is Catriona McPherson (http://catrionamcpherson.com).  Catriona was born in Scotland and lived there until 2010, before immigrating to California.  A former academic linguist, she is now a full-time fiction writer, the multi- award-winning author of the Dandy Gilver detective stories, set in Scotland in the 1920s.  She also writes a strand of award-winning contemporary standalones including THE DAY SHE DIED and THE CHILD GARDEN.

Catriona is a proud member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, The Crimewriters’ Association, The Society of Authors, and Scottish PEN.

Catriona’s next book, QUIET NEIGHBORS, will be published April 8^th.  This new book has a librarian (a cataloguer) as a heroine and is set in a bookshop.  There will be books available to purchase and can be signed.  All profits from book sales benefit the Chico Friends of the Library.

The speaker will be preceded by a short business meeting during which officers and board members for 2016-2018 will be elected.  Speaking of electing officers, we are in need of a President for the 2016-2018 term, so if you love the library, can run a meeting and answer Email please do let us know ASAP and we’ll get in touch with you (CFOL Nominations Committee Katherine Gould and Rupert McDowell c/o the library 530-891-2726).

Well, last year was a hard one for the Chico Branch – hours were cut due to lack of resources (money).  But there was good news too.  Young adults are involved in the library’s creative space.  The 3D printer is a hit, and there are even a couple of 3D pens.  Staffer Leslie Botsford and her enthusiastic young volunteers are busy.  Library staff and library volunteers worked hard in 2015 to meet the needs of the community.  The Chico Friends of the Library’s web page has been overhauled (http://chicolibrary.org).  There is a rumor that we might have a new volunteer to take over the web page maintenance (Yay!).  The Chico Friends of the Butte County Library Facebook page is active and this is where we put timely bits of information and maybe a joke or two (https://www.facebook.com/cfobcl). 2016 will be a year of physical changes in the library.  An automated check-in system will be installed pretty soon (estimated first quarter 2016).  Library material will have Radio Frequency ID (RFID) tags installed in them, and then when you put a book into the book drop it will be scanned and checked in automatically.  All this automation should free up staff to interact with you more … right now they spend most of their time doing check in/check out activity instead of developing community programs or helping you in the library.  This new staff availability should make a difference in Butte County, and Chico in particular.  There will be other physical changes, probably, but this is enough to deal with for now. Book sale volunteers took the holidays off (well-deserved days off), and they are ready to open again.  Since they missed a couple of sale Saturdays they have another surplus of books and will have yet another half off sale this weekend.  If you are ever in doubt about whether or not a book sale is open, check our calendar. Dates to keep in mind: The First Friday book sale, actually the second Friday this month, is this Friday, January 8th, 2-4PM in the library meeting room. This is for CFOL members only, so it’s a peaceful browsing environment which should be a welcome change after the bustle of the holidays.  If you are not a member, you can sign up at the book sale. Regular Saturday morning book sales resume this Saturday, January 9th, 9-11:30AM in the library meeting room. There is no book sale on Saturday, January 16th (MLK Junior holiday at all branches).  The book sale volunteers always welcome your donations of clean books. You can drop donations off at the book sales or any time the library is open. The book sale volunteers can use some help, so if you find yourself with some free time and are in good health please call Hellen Sutton and speak to her (530-588-4989).  The book sales are our main source of income and we spend it all on the library.  Your time will help the library. Have a nice, wet January!

About:

Ann Elliott has been a pillar of support to the Chico Friends of the Library since her move to Chico in 1996. While she is the current liaison for the book sale, Ann has held other positions on the board, including president.

Ann Elliot explores the mystery section of the library.

Ann made the move from the sandy shores of Cambria, California to the City of Trees 19 years ago with her husband and twin boys. Before retiring, Ann was an Instructional Special Aid Assistant for the Chico Unified School District.

Interested in being involved, Ann sought out the Friends of the Library in Chico, having knowledge of the group from being previously involved with them in Cambria.

While Ann’s main duties for CFOL include setting up for the weekend book sales, she also works on any projects that need doing at the library. She loves being crafty and enjoys making posters.

Even in retirement Ann is a busy bee. She takes guitar lessons and tries to enjoy the outdoors as often as possible, whether that is hiking, bird watching or gardening. If she can’t be found outside or at the library you can probably find her reading the latest mystery to catch her eye.

Why Libraries?

Ann believes that libraries are important because of the support they give a community. Having a library reflects how our society values the spread of knowledge and allows everyone to have access to the same information.

“Public libraries are free and available to everyone,” says Ann. “It is good to be exposed to this place of knowledge.”

Books:

Ann’s favorite genre is mystery, though she reads a variety of books because of her participation in a local book club.

Authors Ann recommends to those on the hunt for a good mystery include Anne Perry, Laurie King and Jacqueline Winspear. The Maisie Dobbs mystery series is one of her favorites.

On November 6, Chico Friends of the Library competed in and won the 9^th annual Trivia Bee for Literacy.

The event, which promotes literacy and raises support for the Butte County Library Literacy Services, took place in the Sierra Nevada Brewery big room last Friday.

This year’s winners, the “Bibliomaniacs” represented Chico Friends of the Library. CFOL won in 2012 and were thrilled to bring in another win at this year’s event.

“It’s always a lot of fun,” said Nancy Leek, Bibliomaniac team member. “I always see people I am happy to see and we have a good time.”

There were three rounds of trivia with 20 seconds to answer each question. There were numerous teams of three, representing various groups, organizations and businesses. One point was allotted for each correct answer. At the beginning of each round, the teams restarted at zero points.

When it came to the finals, the Bibliomaniacs were in first place and five teams were tied for 2^nd and 3^rd place, so they had a tiebreaker to determine the runner-ups.

Chico locals cheered on the competitors and played along from their seats.

Chico Friends of the Library Board Members, Diane Friedman, Marian Milling, Rupert McDowell and his wife, Joan McDowell, supported the Bibliomaniacs from the audience.

There was catered food served before the trivia began.

The Bibliomaniacs, Nancy Leek, Jean Ping and Phil Midling, took the gold medal.