On Sunday afternoon, the City of Monterey rolled out the red carpet for our huge volunteer work force, with a nice lunch and words of praise and appreciation from the Mayor, a Councilmember, the City Manager, and the City's Volunteer Coordinator.

Representing the Library along with my colleague, Dina, I felt honored to be on hand to say "thanks" to the Library's many volunteers, and to take stock of just how much they do to make the Library a better place. Our volunteers keep order in the bookstacks and keep the book jackets clean. They assist with programs and special projects. They keep the house plants looking beautiful, greet customers, and give directional information. They deliver books and other library materials to homebound customers. They help with children's activities and the Summer Reading Program. They assist with shelving and other projects in the California History Room. The list just goes on and on. Thanks, volunteers, we couldn't do it without you!