Going virtual with the Alpine library

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).

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