Friends Of The Library: Sign changes at Park Avenue branch

“What happened to the big yellow sign?” people ask when they visit the library in Lions Park. “Does that mean you don’t do the passport acceptance service anymore?”

The passport service is still offered at the Costa Mesa Donald Dungan Library, 1855 Park Ave., from 3 to 7 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and by appointment from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays. Passport photo service is offered at those times also.

The yellow banner that was put up in 2005, when the services began, did yeoman duty in letting people know which building to enter if they wanted a passport. However, there was still the problem that the library had been one of the best-kept secrets in town.

For years, despite the fact that there is a sign in the parking lot that says “Orange County Public Library,” many people were uncertain which of the several buildings in the area fit that description. Since neither the county nor the city felt they had the funds to pay for signage that would solve these problems, the Friends of the Costa Mesa Libraries decided to bite the bullet and pay for it.

It is now obvious which building is the library. Check it out! We think it looks pretty great.

However, that meant that the yellow banner drawing the community in for our special services could not go back up. We have ordered new signage indicating that “passport services” are offered, so look for it in the next month or so.

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Volunteer over summer

Attention, teens!

Are you interested in doing community service hours this summer? Do you like working with children and other teens? See the children’s librarian at either the Mesa Verde Library, 2969 Mesa Verde Drive East, Costa Mesa, (or call (714) 546-5274), or at the Dungan Library, 1855 Park Ave., (or call (949) 646-8845) to find out how you can sign up to be a part of the “One World, Many Stories” summer reading program.

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Two-day book sale

The Friends of the Library held their first ever two-day book sale May 21 and 22 at the Dungan Library, and it was a success. Our next two-day sale will be August 27 and 28, so mark your calendars. Prices on Saturday are 50 cents to $1. On Sunday, all remaining items are “Buck a Bag.”

We provide the bags. Fiction, nonfiction and books for children and adults will be offered, both in hardback and paperback editions. Monies earned provide support for the three Costa Mesa public libraries.

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Join a book club

The Dungan Library has two thriving book clubs. One of the clubs reads a mix of classics, nonfiction and popular fiction, and meets on the first Monday of the month. The other is a newly added Mystery Book Club, which meets the last Tuesday of the month.

Both book clubs enjoy expanding on basic book discussions in a variety of ways. Last month, a recorded interview with the author was played over the Internet during the meeting. The Monday night book club is excited that one of its favorite selections, “Water for Elephants,” recently came out in theaters, and it is planning to go see the film as a group.

Group outings, recorded author interviews, and chatting with authors via speaker phone are all ways the library’s book clubs seek to spread a love of reading and provide greater enjoyment of books.

For June, the Monday night book club is reading “The Transit of Venus” by Shirley Hazzard, and the book for July is Susan Straight’s “Take One Candle Light a Room.”

The Mystery Book Club started as a special short program but was so well received that it became a monthly event. The club just finished reading four mysteries set in California.

The book club plans to revisit California mysteries, but for the next few months it is going back to the classics and will discuss classic authors, who have made mystery writing what it is today.

For June the club is reading, “Farewell, My Lovely” by Raymond Chandler.

For book club information, call (949) 646-8845 and ask for Samantha Hatheway, Adult Services Librarian.

MARY ELLEN GODDARD wrote this column on behalf of the Friends of Costa Mesa Libraries, the Costa Mesa Library Foundation and the three Costa Mesa libraries.