The Alpine Branch Library is hosting a special free online story sharing and writing workshop on Saturday, July 18, from 1 to 2 p.m. The San Diego County Library and Berkeley-based Story Center came together to give a group the chance to lead through a process of feedback with a chance to rewrite and share personal stories.
Alpine Library branch manager Jenne Bergstrom said this came from a grant from the Californian Center for the Book and its partnership with Poets & Writers. Bergstrom said originally it was intended to be called the World Library Tour as poets would do workshops in libraries in rural California.
Receiving the grant, the Alpine branch planned to have a poet in April, but with COVID-19 restrictions, instead of having in-person workshops, they moved in the direction of virtual ones.
Bergstrom said local libraries are still offering services as much as possible through the pandemic. People can request books from the library website, call in and request over the phone and, once the books arrive at the library, they will call to set up an appointment to pick them up.
“Through the main San Diego County Library as a whole we have a whole summer reading series, Summer at Your Library, with certain events, challenges or adventures you can do virtually or around San Diego County with your family,” said Bergstrom. “There are ones for adults, teens, children and you can earn points and badges by doing fun, educational and entertaining activities.”
Bergstrom said there are many online ways to interact with the library through its website, Facebook page and Instagram. It offers many downloadable books and audio books, learning programs, educational tools, story times and more.
“So, if you are an online person there are many ways that the libraries are there for you,” said Bergstrom. “But we also realize that it is very difficult. Not everybody has internet access and for that we still do have our wi-fi available 24/7 at all of our branches. People can come and use our wi-fi outside the library, even though they can’t come inside. They can come and sit out in the parking lot or on the patio and take advantage of that.”
Bergstrom said that the library is still there for you and is still happy to help.
“We really miss our patrons as much as they miss us, perhaps even more,” she said. “We wish they could come inside in person and we are hoping for that in the future, but in the meantime we are all trying to keep together safe and still provide as many services that we can.”
For more information about all the San Diego County Library’s programs, including events at the Alpine Branch Library, visit www.sdcl.org.
Registration required – Workshop participation is limited to 20 “attendees”. Register at https://www. storycenter.org/story-gathering-workshop-san-diego-county
Must have internet access and a device to attend via Zoom (computer, smartphone or table).
