In Memorium

Sheryl Anderson worked for both Brawley and Imperial County libraries and was on her way to becoming a wonderful librarian for Imperial Valley libraries. She had been seriously ill for many months and was recuperating from cancer treatment when she passed away from a blood infection in May. She will be sorely missed by her library colleagues.

Tina Jagerson - As a law librarian Tina is dedicated to helping those with limited funds navigate through the world of the law and the court system. She is determined to help those who truly need to help themselves but may not have the knowledge to do so. With law services being so expensive, she is able to provide free information, forms, and online legal databases for her patrons. Her knowledge and dedication to those who may feel overwhelmed by our justice system is unwavering.

Young-Soon Kwon - As an immigrant from Korea, Young-Soon discovered that the libraries of America were not just a quiet place filled with books. As she became aware of the programs the local libraries had to offer recent immigrants and their families, she knew she had found where she wanted to pursue her dreams. As a Library Assistant she has already assisted with the library's collection of multi-cultural and multilingual materials. She has a desire to work closely with her library's clientele to create displays and programs that will teach the community about their diverse backgrounds.

Lizeth Legaspi - Lizeth chose to come to the United States from Mexico to pursue college. She was introduced to the library through a Work-Study Program. This program led to a job offer that has her working at the Camarena Memorial Library. She enjoys working with the patrons there that remind her so much of herself when she first arrived in the United States, able to read English but uncomfortable speaking it. Lizeth hopes to further her education in an effort to serve her community at a higher caliber.

Joseph Miesner - With the belief that all people deserve equal access to knowledge and education Joseph has worked with the youth of the City of San Diego to help them envision their futures and guide them in the direction of personal success. Whether he is helping with career research or homework, his desire to make a positive difference in his community is a driving force to his moving forward and completing his MLIS degree.

Elisabeth Newbold - Through extensive volunteer work in her life and an opportunity to live with a Spanish speaking family in Mexico, Elisabeth has developed a desire to serve the underrepresented populations in our community. Her ability to speak Spanish has helped her conduct bilingual story time for children in our area. In addition she was able to initiate a partnership with Poway's Kumeyaay Interpretive Center, and looks forward to working with local tribes as they continue to upgrade their library services according to their wants and needs.

Karina Ramos - As a Spanish speaker Karina already uses her knowledge and abilities to coordinate outreach programs with the local Head Start group. Through bilingual stories and activity programs she is influencing the local youth. She is always excited when children come to the library with their families to apply for their first library card. Karina hopes to promote the services offered by the public libraries to help the community. Her future goals include working with the Latino students to help them develop a sense of their future dreams and career interests.

Carmel Reyes - Carmel has already been hard at work with the youth of San Ysidro and Logan Heights. Through many library programs such as summer reading, story time, and safety and literacy programs, she has been able to connect with children of the surrounding neighborhoods and introduce them to the resources and fun the library has to offer. She hopes to use her MLIS degree to become a Youth Services Librarian in order to conduct outreach programs and involve more of the community in the services the library has to offer.

Steven Schimminger - As a self proclaimed Bookworm as a child, Steven has had a love for libraries for many years. Through his years of library experience in both in the academic and public sector, Steven has learned what a sense of purpose he feels when he helps the predominantly Hispanic community learn the value and resources the public library has to offer them. Whether it is information on how to fix their own cars or information on how to write a resume, he finds a population thriving due to the vast knowledge the library provides. He looks forward to educating future library visitors about the limitless information that the library can provide.

Elaine Sinsuan - Elaine has many years of experience working with the diverse communities throughout San Diego county. She has learned that although she may not speak the same language as many of her patrons, through patience and staff assistance all visitors to the library leave with something more than they came in with. This may include finding phone numbers, information about citizenship, or hosting story and craft time at a level that can be widely understood. She hopes to lead by example with her future as a professional librarian.

Elizabeth Tarnove - While it may appear as though Liz has jumped from one career to another, she feels that her prior experience in education, journalism and various volunteer jobs have all led her on the path to become a Librarian. With the ability to communicate in 3 foreign languages and in American Sign Language, she is able to assist with many library visitors. She hopes to bring the library to more rural areas and to the disabled through the use of technology. Her main goals as a Librarian will be to work with the youth of the community.

Virginia Velati - Virginia came to the United States as a teenager after spending her childhood years in Argentina. She and her family quickly realized just how important the library was to help find information to help them settle in the U.S. and learn about the new culture in which they found themselves. Virginia became aware of the need to help the youth today to realize a dream and pursue it while volunteering at a continuation high school in Vista, CA. She wants to bring the library to the communities that can benefit from all there is to offer by becoming an Outreach Librarian.

Alison Weitman - Through her experience working in small town libraries, Alison has seen the direct benefit a local library can have on a community. Many low income families find their only computer access is at the library where they can have email accounts and work on school projects. With her ability to speak Spanish she is often helping the Spanish speaking community with their questions and information needs in the library. She hopes to promote literacy in adults and children.

Laura Yee - The volunteer work that Laura has taken part in for the last decade has helped lead her down the road to becoming a librarian. She sees that although she may not be able to help everyone, even reaching one person makes a huge difference. With the belief that hard work, determination and the dedication to never give up, she looks forward to reaching out to underrepresented people of the communities and making the library theirs. Through new library materials and targeted programs she believes the library can and will attract a more diverse clientele.