Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, Ore. Wednesday, January 14, 2015
Page A-5
Book ‘nibbles’ blog is not fiction
By
Judy Hoyle
IVN Contributing Writer
Anita Savio loves reading a good book and
then discussing it with others.
“Not long after I moved to the Illinois
Valley, I started a short-story discussion group,
which was intellectually stimulating,” she said.
In addition to writing articles for the Illinois
Valley News for the past six months, Savio has
been writing a blog about the many nonfiction
books she reads and recommends.
The blog is devoted to “nonfiction books
that are thoughtful and challenging.” The
various titles are listed under headings that
include language and linguistics, science and
technology, society and culture and public
policy. Not surprisingly, the blog address is
www.brainybooks.org.
Savio emphasizes that her blog has a “.org”
and not a “.com” address.
“The dot-com was already taken,” she
said.
Savio’s blog grew out of her experience
with acquiring her first Kindle e-reader. She
enjoyed the instant gratification of simply
typing a title into the device and immediately
having the “book” in her hands. Each time she
finished a book, Kindle would offer suggestions
about other books she might find interesting.
That led to her reading many more books.
“I didn’t have enough opportunities to
discuss the ideas with other people, so I decided
to start the blog,” Savio said. “Whether or not
others are reading the blog, there’s a certain
satisfaction with writing it.”
She says her posts are not so much book
reviews as they are “book nibbles.”
“I’m saying, ‘Here are key ideas in this
book.’ So even if the reader doesn’t choose to
read the book, they’ll be exposed to the ideas,”
she said.
Each post features a lively and readable
presentation about one or more ideas or elements
from a book she’s read. A book may merit only
one post or more than three, depending on the
number of ideas she finds compelling.
“I try to choose books that challenge my
knowledge horizons, including books that may
challenge my currently held beliefs and I urge
others to do the same,” she said. “Even if the
writers of these books have a point of view
that’s very different from yours, by being open
to what they have to say, you can become
exposed to new and valuable ideas.”
Savio has enjoyed a variety of careers in
her life, working primarily in the nonprofit
sector. She also lived and worked as a writer in
Mexico. She wrote articles for The News, the
largest English language newspaper in Latin
America at the time, as well as freelance writing
for some business and other magazines.
She says she enjoys writing for the Illinois
Valley News.
“I get to meet interesting people and write
interesting stories,” she said.
She’s now working on search engine
optimization for the blog, selecting more
keywords that people are already looking up
online. Google also offers a site with potential
keywords that might bring more traffic to her
site.
Savio invites others to post on the blog and
will accept any thoughtful review or post on any
area of nonfiction, not necessarily addressing
the topics she’s selected.
“The writing I do on my blog is intended
to be lively and a fun read,” she said. “I include
images in my posts, which allow the reader an
opportunity to rest the eye, and they’re fun to
look at too.”
Some of the photos are visual puns.
“One book I was writing about involved a
“FONZIE” environmental review. So I included
a photo of Fonzie from the happy Days TV
series,” she said.
A recent post discusses the book “With
Charity for All – Why Charities are Failing.”
“I urge anyone who donates to nonprofits
to read my posts on that book,” Savio said.
“There are a lot of problems with the nonprofit
sector, so if you donate, don’t do it with your
eyes closed.”
Another series of posts deal with books on
autism and vaccines and a series on GMOs.
“I think it’s worth taking a look at the posts
if you’re interested in these topics,” she said.
Library volunteers keep library running
By
Cilicia Philemon
IVN Contributing Writer
“I cannot live without books.”
Thomas Jefferson one of America’s
founding fathers once said. Libraries
have a longstanding and rich history
in America. Benjamin Franklin,
another great founding father
conceived of the concept of a public
library for one and all. Franklin
established the Library Company
of Philadelphia in 1731. It was
America’s first lending library and
was the forerunner of the free public
library.
As most people in the Illinois
Valley know, the Josephine
County Library System lost county
government funding and sadly
closed their doors on May 17, 2007.
The community pulled together
and four months later formed
Josephine County Libraries, Inc.,
a nongovernmental and nonprofit
organization dedicated to ensure
long-term library services for every
Josephine county resident. By
December 2009, all four library
locations were reopened. It was a
proud moment of accomplishment.
Now our library is a nonprofit
nongovernmental library system
known as Josephine Community
Libraries, Inc. It is a privately
run public library that relies on
contributions for funding as well as
a large and varied volunteer force
to staff operations and support
functions.
The mission of Josephine
Community Libraries is to
ensure long-term operations of
a public library system serving
Josephine County, while adhering
to its core values of integrity and
accountability. There are over 350
volunteers annually. Library usage
is heavy. Each month in 2013 saw
24,623 items checked out to about
2,484 library cardholders. Through
each month in 2013, about 2,000
patrons came to use the libraries’
computers to access the Internet,
use the online reference resources,
or pick up the high-speed Internet
wireless service.
The library has two paid
employees. The rest are volunteers
and there are usually about 22 people
working monthly. A few of these
people have shared their reasons for
their service with the library.
Caroline Griffith started out
here as a volunteer in January of
2013. She says, “My partner and I
had just moved to the Valley and
I was excited to discover that our
library needed volunteers. I had been
volunteering for about 9 months
when the Library Assistant position
became available. I think that I have
the best job in the Valley.”
Griffith enlarges, “My main
responsibility at the library is
volunteer coordination. As volunteer
coordinator I work to recruit, train
and schedule volunteers. I spend
a lot of time talking with library
patrons and when I encounter a
particularly passionate person, I try
to bring them into the fold. Oh, and
Bob comes in once a week to clean
our bathrooms, for which we are
eternally grateful.”
A former Claremont, California
resident Linda Naydol, another
volunteer, says “Libraries always
need help and this library serves
the community. It cannot survive
without the help of the community.
And our Bookstore seems to be a
well-kept secret that I wish more
people knew about.”
Ryan Forsythe formally of
Cleveland, Ohio and now living in
O’Brien with his family is a local
author whose book is available at
our library. He says he volunteers
because, “Due to budget issues, our
library depends on volunteers. As a
writer and reader myself, it’s a great
fit to surround myself with the works
of fellow writers.” Forsythe also
says that he is surprised that many of
the evening programs are not better
attended, and he feels people may
not be aware of the book readings,
story times, community reads,
Young Master Gardeners group, film
showings, and other evening events
offered.
Diane Schofield, formerly
of Los Angeles, shelves books.
Schofield says, “I volunteer because
of my love for books. It’s a good
fit for me. But of course, the main
reason is to keep our library open
and available. It is an important and
vital part of the community.” She
wants everyone to know that there
is a meeting place for community
groups outside of regular hours.
And she adds that the staff is warm,
friendly, always helpful, and just a
great bunch of people.
Andrea King works at the front
desk. She has lived in Selma for
the past 21 years. King volunteers
to help offer the riches of life to
everyone. She says, “It vexes me
that so many life experiences have
become elitist.” King also says that
the library is a place for exploration!
Bob Clinton, retired from Aero
Space and an Illinois Valley resident
for the past 30 years takes on the
toughest and least glamorous job of
all. He cleans the restroom weekly.
Clinton says, “I like to read and I use
the library a lot. The volunteers at
the library are sweethearts and I feel
honored to be part of their success.”
Carla is from New Mexico and
has lived in the Illinois Valley for a
year and a half. She first volunteered
because she was unemployed. She
has a job now, but still makes time
to volunteer at the library because
it is something she enjoys. Carla
says, “I have always loved libraries
and it feels good to be part of an
organization that was formed by
people who felt passionate about
reopening the library.” She wants
people to know that the library is a
great place to spend a rainy day.
High school senior Kira Newton
volunteers at the library because of
her love of books. She says she is a
person who is happier volunteering,
especially at the library. She states,
“I believe some people might not
realize that the library has history,
fantasy and mystery books, among
many others, along with Wi-Fi
network, and nine computers here;
we are more up-to-date than people
might think.”
Newton also says, “We need
your help. Volunteer for us!!! We
need more awesome people working
with us!”
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