It’s August (already!), and the Monterey Park Bruggemeyer Library is preparing itself for a new school year! The Library Foundation will present a major book sale here in the Library’s Friends Meeting Room from Sunday, August 22 through Thursday, August 26. Bring your family and neighbors to see what great buys in books, magazines and media are available for school, college, work or for just relaxing.
New Senior Librarian
We are delighted to welcome a new Senior Librarian for Adult and Teen Services! Cindy Costales, MLS, joined us in July, just in time to prepare the first floor of the library for the new school year. She is our Guest Columnist this month. Read on to see what she has to say!
Monterey Park is a great city to work and live in. I’ve discovered this during my first month as the new senior librarian at Monterey Park Bruggemeyer Library. On a daily basis I enjoy seeing the library fill up with adults, teens, children and families who are eager to use library services. It’s great to work in a city that values families and education and was voted one of the top 5 places in California to raise kids in 2010 by Business Week magazine.
I’m happy to be in a city that values library services. Over the years, I’ve worked in many places and cities working with the County of Los Angeles Public Library, Riverside County Library System, and as a library consultant with California State Library in Sacramento.
I’ve worked as a children’s librarian, patient librarian, coordinated a bookmobile service, managed a public library on a high school campus, and was a literacy coordinator. What I’ve learned is that libraries are all about the people who use them and the good services that library staff provides to its users.
I’m looking forward to sharing my skills and experiences in updating the book collection to help meet the informational and recreational reading needs of Monterey Park. I’m also looking forward to working with City Librarian Barbara Williams and her dynamic vision of library service.
One of the areas we are currently working on is developing comfortable reading and study spaces for library users. This is an important task with so many people using public access computers, Wi-Fi or seeking informational needs on a daily basis.
I’m excited about promoting two new online services called Career Transitions and the Learning Express Library that I’ve discovered while working at the reference desk. If you are looking for a job and need to create a resume try Career Transitions. Reference staff will be happy to show you how easy it is to use at the library or from a home computer. This new service can help you step by step to create a winning resume. Career Transitions can help you to explore careers if you need to transition from one career to a new one. If you need to practice for civil service tests try another new database called The Learning Express Library where practice tests for firefighter, postal worker, law enforcement, real estate are just a few of the many practice tests available online. The Learning Express Library also offers practice tests for the ASVB, GED, TOEFL, and SAT. If you are interested in learning more about Career Transitions or the Learning Express Library, stop by the reference desk and staff can show you how to use the databases.
Working in a public library is an amazing experience. There is always something new to learn and share. I’m currently working on two new projects that will help to make Monterey Park’s local history easily accessible to all. One project is a photo history project and the other involves digitizing local history stories for everyone to hear. The library is currently looking for photos that tell the local history of this great community. If you are a long-time resident with photos or a story to tell, stop by the reference desk and ask for Cindy. I’m looking forward to meeting you and learning more about the wonderful city that I work in.