By KATHRYN JOHNSON
Contactless library hold pick up
Good news! The San Diego Public Library has started contactless hold pick up at 11 locations. Holds that were awaiting pick up at our branch have been transferred to the College-Rolando library at 6600 Montezuma Road, San Diego, 92115.
Once you receive notification that your hold is available at that location simply go to the branch Monday through Friday between 10:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Be sure to bring your phone to coordinate pick up. When you arrive, stay in your car, or six feet away from the entrance, and call. Staff will ask for your library card number and check the items out to you. The staff member will then bring your materials outside and place them on a table for you to retrieve.
Some more good news for readers
In response to COVID-19 and library closures, Califa, a nonprofit library membership consortium, has partnered with Bibliolabs to launch enki California Digital Library, a free ebook library available to every person in California. This means that there is no holds queue and no need for a library card. The collection uses geolocation to provide access to anyone physically located in the state of California. Visit enki.biblioboard.com to start reading!
Get your puzzle fix
For those of you who are missing our puzzle collection, the Smithsonian has a few digital puzzles created with some of their artwork. To access the puzzles, go to s.si.edu/3ctg2f8. Getting a sense of the tools takes a few minutes but, once learned you will be on your way to the satisfaction that is puzzle completion.
Virtual tax preparation assistance
If you need assistance in putting together your 2019 taxes before the July 15 deadline, there is a local resource available to those making less than $56,000. The Dreams for Change organization is offering virtual, over the phone assistance. To take advantage of this resource call 619-497-0236 to make an appointment. At the time of the appointment, you will need to have all your documents in hand.
Summer Reading Program 2020
Dig deeper! San Diego Public Library’s Summer Reading Program (SRP) for all ages kicks off on June 1. Sign up to read 10 books or 10 hours. SRP)details, along with reading lists, reading resources (all our e-library offerings), and activity resources are listed on the sandiego.gov/summerreading page.
Although the details on distribution have yet to be worked out, we will be providing prizes for those that finish the reading goal! We will be giving out a tote bag, museum passes, and food coupons. Please stay tuned as we figure out the safest way to navigate.
We will also be providing virtual Summer Reading Programming for all ages on our Facebook page. Check out Stay-In Summer Reading Club on June 1. If you are already a member of Stay-in Storytime Club we are simply renaming it, so you’ll already be set!
Don’t forget our Facebook
Please continue to check out our Allied Gardens/Benjamin Library Facebook page. Along with informational updates, we’re posting a few fun things as well, such as weekly “Book Covers” for you to guess the title, author readings online, etc.
Join the Library Foundation Community Read-A-Thon
Join us in a community reading goal to read 200,000 books by the end of August. If we meet our goal, The San Diego Library Foundation and Intuit will donate $10,000 to support library youth programming. All you need to do is sign up for the Summer Reading Program and log your books and those books will automatically count towards the Read-A-Thon.
—Kathryn Johnson is managing librarian of the Allied Gardens/Benjamin Branch Library.
