Between Friends - Fall 2020

Vol. 40, No. 1 • Fall • 2020
A Message From The President...
Louise Paziak
President
Dear Friends,
I hope this finds everyone
well. We’ve missed so much
this year – the hug of a
friend, long conversations
over coffee at the local
Starbucks, meeting friends
at the movies, family get-togethers. Sometimes
it’s the little things we miss the most. Due to the
pandemic, all our plans to celebrate the Friends’
40 th Anniversary had to be scrapped. And with
the Library shut down these many months, we
also miss our wonderful volunteers who staff the
Bookstores and help at our booksales.
While the library staff have been busy developing
new ways of coping with the new “normal,”
the Friends didn’t have that luxury. Our main
function is raising money to support the library.
We can’t do that until we’re allowed safely
back into the library and the public can start
donating books once again. In the meantime,
we’re looking at alternative fundraising activities.
Watch the Friends’ pages on the library’s website
(burbanklibrary.org) for upcoming information.
We traditionally send out the membership
renewal envelopes with the Fall newsletter. Please
take a few moments to send in your 2021 renewal.
We greatly appreciate your commitment to the
Friends of the Burbank Public Library.
I look forward to the time when we can all meet
together at our favorite place --- the Burbank
Public Library!
Your Friend,
Louise Paziak
Elizabeth Goldman
From The Desk Of Library Services Director
Elizabeth Goldman
It’s been a long strange year, with the libraries and much of our community remaining largely shut down due to the pandemic. The
staff at Burbank Public Library have been keeping busy, however, reinventing services despite restrictions. Back in March, when
all City facilities shut down, most Library staff began working from home. However, a small crew came in each week to staff the
City COVID hotline, responding to more than 4,300 inquiries through May. Staff also launched online programming in April with
pre-recorded children’s programs to help kids adjust to the abrupt changes in school.
As the summer progressed, we launched our curbside service, through which we are circulating about 20,000 Library items each
month. We expanded our eBook offerings, and interest in those has really grown as well. To make access simple, we created an
eCard that doesn’t require someone to come in for access, and we also expanded our BConnectED partnership with Burbank Unified
School District to give all 15,000 students automatic access via their student ID numbers. We moved from pre-recorded video to live,
interactive story times and this fall have been able to offer several webinars with major speakers.
We know many people’s preference is to get back to being able to use the Library in person, and we have plans in place so that
when we feel this can be done safely, we will resume limited in-person use. It’s going to be a long time before we can offer
unrestricted use of the buildings or larger onsite group programs, but staff are truly rising to the occasion and bringing out their
most creative ideas to get services to the community.
Where do the Friends fit in? As always, you have helped us fund speakers, supplies and marketing material during the past
several months. We are open to ideas about how to sell used books and will be investigating how and when bookstores may
be able to operate. Although you may not be with us onsite, you are still very much a part of keeping this Library strong and thriving.
Thank you.

Tributes
A gift to the Friends of the Burbank Public
Library’s Tribute Program is the perfect way to
honor or remember a special person in your
life. Celebrate a birth, marriage, anniversary,
or other special event. Donate in memory of
a loved one’s passing or make the Friends the
recipient in lieu of gifts or flowers. Tributes
may be made by an individual, a group, or a
company.
Since its inception in 1980, the Friends of the
Burbank Public Library have raised over $3
million to provide funding for the Library.
How can you help the Friends support our
Library? Everyone who shops at our bookstores
and booksales, renews their annual Friends’
memberships, or donates through tributes all
make a difference.
Consider becoming a Legacy Donor. Name
the Friends of the Burbank Public Library as a
beneficiary in your will or other estate plans
to ensure our Library is enjoyed by many
generations to come.
If you wish to contribute in honor or in memory
of an individual, complete the form on this
page, detach it and drop it off with your cash
or check to any Burbank Library. Donations may
also be sent to:
Friends of the Burbank Public Library
Tribute Chair
P.O. Box 702
Burbank, CA 91503
Harold Rinard from Joan Rinard
Harold Eugene Rinard (Jay) from Joan Rinard
Pat King from Sharon Cohen
Agnes Boardman from Bonnie Yee
Rhedd Balazs from Loretta York
Donald B. Worden from Barbara
In Memory Of...
FINDING THE PERFECT GIFT
Life is certainly different in 2020, and we still can’t be sure when things are likely to change. With the
holiday season almost upon us, here are some suggestions for gifts that can be opened again and again!
1. Consider Adopting a Book for the Burbank Public Library.
2. Many of us will be doing the bulk of our shopping this holiday online. Go to the AmazonSmile
website and a percentage of your purchase will be donated to the Friends of the Burbank Public
Library.
3. Tributes are available for special occasions or in memoriam.
4. Give a gift of membership in the Friends of the Burbank Public Library.
Go to http://www.burbank.lib.ca.us/about/friends-library/gifts-donations.
Friends Officers 2019 - 2021
President.........................Louise Paziak
1 st Vice President............Doris Crutcher
Secretary....................Donna Lichtman
Treasurer.................................... Tami Schmidt
Members at Large....................... Mary Dance,
Tamala Takahashi
Please PRINT CLEARLY. Detach coupon and include with your Tribute donation.
FRIENDS OF THE BURBANK PUBLIC LIBRARY
Enclosed is a contribution in the amount of________________
(Circle one)
In Memory of / In Honor of__________________________________________________
(optional) Occasion_______________________________________________________
Send acknowledgement to:
Name_______________________________________________________________
Address______________________________________________________________
From:
Your Name____________________________________________________________
Address______________________________________________________________
Do you shop on Amazon? Your purchases can
automatically benefit the Friends of the Library.
When you shop, go to:
www.smile.amazon.com and use your regular
account. Amazon will donate a portion of your
purchase price to your favorite charity – the
Friends of the Burbank Public Library!
Friends of the Burbank Public Library

FRIENDS FUND
SUMMER LIBRARY ACTIVITIES
When life suddenly changed last spring, library staff found it necessary to think outside the box.
Summer plans had to change from in-person to digital. Major kudos to the library for developing
all the ways to keep our community entertained, informed, and engaged during the pandemic.
Nicole Hartman, Youth Services Senior Librarian, reports on the innovative programs they were
able to present.
Dear Friends of the Library,
This past May would have been my first Spring Fling
as the Senior Librarian in charge of Youth Services,
and my first opportunity to officially thank you
for your support of the library and youth related
programming. However, as we were unable to get
together and celebrate, I hope you’ll find this letter
a suitable replacement.
In April of this year, just a few weeks after the
shutdown commenced, our youth services staff
began recording and posting mini story times
online. Two months later, in June, we began
hosting live story times using Zoom. Now that fall
is upon us, we continue to navigate how to provide
engaging programming online, and we have you to
thank for our latest improvement in service. Using
some of your generously provided funds, we created
one hundred story time kits consisting of: shakers,
scarves, bubbles, a dance ribbon, a reusable tracing
pocket, and a story time guide. Distributed via
curbside service to families who signed up for
story time, these basic materials have enriched the
experience of our online story times in a variety
of ways and encouraged an increased sense of
connection between families and the Library.
The pandemic has changed many things about
the way the library operates. Perhaps my biggest
challenge so far has been to present a Summer
Reading Program without any members of the
public coming into the library. Ultimately, we
landed on a format that encouraged all ages and
abilities of readers, from babies to senior citizens, to
spend time reading every day. Participants tracked
their progress online or on a paper calendar, and
were able to earn rewards for every fifteen days
they read. A total of 570 patrons participated in our
program this year and with your generous support
we were able to offer prize earners: reusable bags,
eco-friendly notebooks, reusable straws, keychain
flashlights, and books as incentives. I’m excited
to report that books were by far the most popular
prize option. ​We gave away more than 450 books as
prize items this year, and we’ve heard from multiple
participants that they were greatly cherished.
I wanted to share this with you because, even
though you’ve been unable to resume your normal
operations, through your financial support you
continue to provide light and joy for our community.
Our success is your success.
Thank you for your support,
Nicole
FOR LOVE
of the
LIBRARY
When a door closes…look for an open window.
Thanks to the generosity of two long-time
members, the Friends are able to continue
supporting the library through bequests of Jane
Mulder and the North Family Trust.
Jane Mulder was a charter member of the
Friends of the Burbank Public Library since it
began in 1980. She was a steadfast volunteer,
donating several thousand hours helping in the
library. When the Buena Vista Library was built
in 2002, Jane set up and managed the bookstore
until her health issues intervened.
Jane’s estate lawyer, Bob Bowne, presented the
Friends with a check for nearly $300,000.00 on
March 17 th , the very week California shut down
for the Coronavirus pandemic. It came just in
time since the Friends’ main sources of revenue
-- bookstores, booksales, and Amazon sales --
are all closed down as well.
On May 29 th , the Friends received a check for
$10,000.00 from the North Family Trust. Barbara
and Bill North had many ties to the library over
the years. Barbara North was a volunteer in the
Friends’ Bookstore at the new Buena Vista Library
until she passed away from cancer. Bill worked as
a Page at the old Central Library, then later was
a History teacher at Burbank High School. Bill’s
mother, Jean, was secretary to Library Director E.
Caswell Perry for 25 years.
Story
time
oNline
Friends of the Burbank Public Library

Friends of the Burbank Library
P.O. Box 702 • Burbank, CA 91503
www.BurbankLibrary.com
Thank you for being our friends!
These are challenging times due to the Coronavirus pandemic. During the
Library’s closure, did you download free e-Books and audiobooks from Libby
on the website?
The Friends funded that collection.
Did you or your family participate in the summer Reading Clubs online?
The Friends funded that popular activity for people of all ages.
When the Burbank Public Library closed its doors in March, our wonderful
library staff was able to suddenly pivot toward new ways of serving the
community.
Thanks to your generous financial support, the Friends can continue to
support the library.
Please take a moment to renew your membership in the Friends of the Library
and mail it the envelope provided. If you’ve already renewed or are a Lifetime
member, please share the envelope with a friend. Renewal envelopes will be
mailed separately to those who receive their newsletter electronically.
Join us in supporting the Burbank Public Library. And THANK YOU!