by Avonelle D. Box

In the merry, merry month of May, merriment will echo from the library with programs celebrating Pacific Islanders Heritage Month.

The theme of the Toddlers and Preschoolers’ storytime and crafts, held at 11 a.m. on Wednesdays, will be as follows:

• May 5: Island Flowers

• May 12: Island Fish

Storyteller Harlynne Geisler at the Ramona Branch Library on May 1, 2004.

• May 19: Island Insects

• May 26: Island Food

From 3 to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, May 19, an after-school program will include "fishy" crafts and decorations.

Preschoolers will enjoy a puppet playtime from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Fridays in the Children’s Room, with storytime at 1:30 p.m. with Tita Braley, the Grandparent and Books volunteer.

At 11 a.m. each Thursday, the Grandparents and Books volunteer, Donna Shelton, will read interesting stories to youth.

Noted storyteller, Harlynne Geisler, will again entertain at our library with fantastic stories of oceans, from 6 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 11. Mark your calendars for this special event.

The Bilingual Storytime, from 6 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 25, is for children and their families. It will feature stories, songs and games in Spanish and English.

At the Adult Book Club meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 18, members will review "Mists of Avalon" by Marion Zimmer Bradley. Come join the interesting discussion group.

Now is the time for computer illiterates to come to the library: A computer docent will lead a class on basic computer knowledge at 1 p.m. on Mondays. Advance registration is required. From 10 to 11:30 a.m. on Wednesdays, a computer docent will be available to assist novice computer users. "Inch by inch, the computer is a cinch" with helpful instructions from a computer docent.

Elyse Kuhn, president of the Friends of the Ramona Library, will convene a meeting of the board at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, May 19. Members will review the status of the application for state Proposition 14 funding for a new library in Ramona, as reported by the fund-raising committee at its May 12 meeting. All members are asked to be present. Meetings are always open to the public.

The Acquisition Committee met in May and selected 50 newly released, adult books with its $500 budget, which in matching funds doubled the purchase to $1,000 for new books. Since the books require plastic covers and pockets, the committee convened again and prepared the books for distribution.

The Ramona Rodeo parade will be held on Saturday, May 15, and all roads to the library will be blocked off during the event. The Friends’ Mini-book sale scheduled for that day will not be held. Mark your calendars for the next Mini-book sale on Saturday, June 19.

The library will be closed Monday, May 31 to commemorate Memorial Day.