The Library circulates somewhere approaching a half-million books and other items in the course of a year, and just like children who go out and play a lot,  library books get...well, let's just say they're more presentable when they bathe regularly.

That’s where the Monterey County Office of Education’s special education department’s "Transitions" team comes in. Each week, R.J. Adams and his class of thirteen students from the program work at the Library to keep books attractive and sanitary. This helps with the upkeep of library materials, and saves money by prolonging the life of the book jackets. So valuable is this service, that last Tuesday evening, the Monterey City Council honored R.J. Adams and his entire class for their service.

While helping the Library, the program teaches work skills to students with physical and learning disabilities and helps them develop toward independent living. Over time, the "Transitions" class has cleaned thousands of library books. As the Monterey County Herald wrote in its Wednesday, Feburary 4, 2009 editorial, "If there is a downside [to this program] we can’t find it." Our congratulations and gratitude to R.J. and all the "Transitions" kids!