By Arianne Leigh, Branch Manager

What do you want to see in your community?

As the Benjamin Branch librarian, I am blessed everyday with the opportunity to interact with members of the wonderful Allied Gardens community. I help locate books or DVDs for adults, find children something good to read, track down necessary pieces of information and assist computer newbies getting started on the Internet. In speaking with people, I learn different interesting facts, such as their parents were the original owners of the house that they now live in; they attended Lewis Middle School and now their children are students there; or the Waring Road shops have changed a lot but Brothers Restaurant and Foster’s Freeze have been a part of their lives since childhood. To say that this community’s roots run deep and wide is an understatement. The shared history and the many close and interconnected relationships here make Allied Gardens a strong, healthy, resilient neighborhood that will continue to flourish.

Although the Benjamin Library is a busy San Diego resource, I would like it to become a much more integral part of the community it is located in. In order to achieve this goal, I frequently go out into the community and speak with folks to try and learn what their aspirations for the area are. If you see me out and about at the First Friday Concert, the Friday farmers market, in line at a local merchant or in the library, please don’t hesitate to tell me what you would like to see in Allied Gardens now and in the future. I am always looking to add to the vitality of this community by providing programs, speakers and displays that are relevant to you.

Special presentations for adults:

Tales from the Trails: San Diego’s Rich Outdoors History – Friday, Oct. 16, 2–3:30 p.m.

Delight in stories linked to our natural environment and early colorful characters who played key roles in shaping San Diego, such as Junipero Serra, Kit Carson, Hatfield the Rainmaker, Ysidora Bandini, and the Cisco Kid.

Jane Austen: Writer and Psychological Diagnostician? – Friday, Nov. 6, 2–3:30 p.m.

A look into Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” shows us her amazing observational skills through the lens of the mental wellness and mental illness of her characters. What does it mean to be mentally well or ill and who defines these things? Which characters are the narcissists, the sociopaths, the anxiety disordered or the well?

Benjamin Friends of the Library Meeting – Wednesdays, Sept. 23 and Oct. 28, 1 p.m. Come join the Friends and support the library! Memberships start at $5 and new members are always welcome.

Special presentations for all ages:

Screening of Oscar-winning short film – Friday, Nov. 20, 4 p.m.

Based on the children’s 2015 One Book One San Diego companion book of the same name, this Oscar-winning short film utilizes miniatures, computer animation and 2D animation.

Ongoing programs for adults include:

Hatha Yoga, Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m.

Fitness Fun for Older Adults, Fridays at 11:15 a.m.

Healthy Back Yoga, first and ^third Saturdays at 1 p.m.

Book Club, second Tuesdays at 1 p.m.

Mystery Class, Thursdays at 1 p.m.

Benjamin Friends of the Library, ^fourth Wednesdays at 1 p.m.

Special presentations for children:

During October, pick up a pumpkin coloring sheet at the Circulation Desk and enter our annual Pumpkin Coloring Contest. Bring back your best artistic work and we will display it. Winners will be selected in various age categories.

Ongoing children’s programs:

Brilliant Babies Storytime (recommended for ages 0–18 months), Tuesdays at noon.

Toddler/Preschool Storytime (ages 2–5 years), Thursdays at 10:30 a.m.

Kids’ Yoga (ages 2–8 years), Thursdays at 3:30 p.m.

–Arianne Leigh is Branch Manager of the Allied Gardens Benjamin Branch Library.