FOL donates hardcopy editions of the books scheduled for discussion in 2021. Left to right (behind the masks) are Librarian Doris Koenig, FOL Chair Alan Albarran, Library Director Linda Terry, and Librarian Diane van Naerssen.
Alan Albarran
Happy New Year from the Friends of the Library (FOL)! We hope you had a joyful holiday season and are looking forward to this year and the hope we can return to some sense of normalcy, both at Robson Ranch and in our country very soon.
Like every other organization at Robson, the pandemic created havoc with many FOL activities in 2020. Nevertheless, FOL has a lot of good news to share.
* Our membership at the end of the year was approximately 300 members, ensuring our ability to provide important support to our library at the Ranch.
* FOL offered three book discussions to the community last year; Lonesome Dove (in February) held in the library; Da Vinci (in August) and A Gentleman in Moscow (in October) were held via Zoom.
* Due to CDC restrictions, we transitioned from print newspapers to online newspapers in the library, available on multiple computers.
* In June, FOL supported the launch of the New Yorker Magazine discussion group organized by Jane Scholz.
* We held a successful virtual annual meeting in July.
* FOL formed our first Book Discussion Committee (BDC) and selected all four books for presentation in 2021. We also donated hardcover copies of the books to the library.
* Marketing of book discussions took a new turn with Da Vinci featuring several promotional videos and recording of discussions for later viewing via YouTube.
* Thanks to Bert Zeitlin we now have a website that promotes the library and FOL activities, as well as housing our history. (Check it out at RobsonLibrary.org.)
Our RobsonLibrary.org planning for 2021 continues to be hampered by COVID-19. Our book discussions remain our primary activity for now. In case you missed earlier announcements, books slated for discussion this year begin with Founding Brothers in February, followed by For Whom the Bell Tolls in May, Emma in August and Still Life in October.
We have reserved space in the clubhouse to hold book discussions and our annual meeting in 2021, provided it is safe to do so. However, rest assured that the officers are prepared to continue to hold events via Zoom as needed, but hope at some point in the year to return to in-person events.
Our annual membership drive will take place during the month of June, followed by our annual meeting scheduled for July 14. We hope to add other events to the FOL calendar as the pandemic situation improves. Be sure to look for announcements via the HOA emails, Groupworks, and the Pioneer Press.
If you are not part of FOL, won’t you consider joining today and supporting the library at Robson Ranch? You can drop your check for $10 per person in the drop box at the library; be sure to include your email and phone number on the check.
Finally, FOL offers thanks and appreciation to Linda Terry who stepped down as Director of the RR Library on Dec. 31 in preparation for their move to Arizona. Godspeed to Linda and Dennis!