Mayor Jerry Sanders recently reappointed Point Loma resident Matthew Hervey to the Board of Library Commissioners. Hervey was reappointed along with Susan Atkins. Their terms will expire March 1, 2010.
“I’m very honored to be asked by the mayor to participate,” Hervey said. “Giving volunteer time back and hopefully giving them whatever skills I have to offer is a great way for me to participate.”
Hervey earned a B.A. in economics from University of California, Berkeley and a law degree from the University of California Hastings College of the Law. He was a practicing attorney for 17 years and currently works with Price Charities.
This is Hervey’s second term on the board. Before that, Hervey helped with fundraising and design of the Point Loma and Skyline Hills branches, including helping select artists and architects for each of the branches.
According to Hervey/Point Loma Branch head librarian Christine Gonzalez, one thing Hervey currently does for that branch is provide funding for their operational hours on Sundays.
“He’s a good example of a library supporter for the system as a whole,” said Gonzalez. “Although the family donated money for the construction of this facility, it shows other donors ” given the opportunity and the funding ” exactly what can be done in the community. This library has become a cultural center.”
Gonzalez said Hervey’s presence at the Point Loma branch is always positive.
“He’s always very friendly, very supportive of the library as a whole and very friendly toward all staff,” Gonzalez said. “He’s great.”
One reason Hervey is involved with the library is his strong interest in reading.
“I like to be in the library. I enjoy the books and the history the library represents,” Hervey said. “I find it’s an accumulation of knowledge, of history, of experiences that can really only be represented in my mind on a written page.”
In addition to being a fan of the library, Hervey said the institution has a significant role in the community.
“We think education, which is what the library represents, is as important as any other service delivered to the residents of city,” Hervey said.
Hervey said the biggest challenge currently facing the library system is funding.
“We (Point Loma) are like all the other city branches,” Hervey said. “We want to maintain the best and highest quality service we can for the community and we need funding to do that.”