SUNLAND : Donations Sought for New School Library

The Northridge earthquake derailed the completion of the new Mount Gleason Middle School Library, which had been scheduled to be finished next week, but school officials are trying to get donations for books to fill its shelves in time for fall.

“We were hoping the library might be open for the open house next week,” said Wendy Osborn, the school librarian. But although she will not be able to show parents a new library, Osborn said she still planned to ask them for donations to restock the shelves.

The Sunland library had been destroyed almost three years ago by a fire set by thieves who did $250,000 in damage. A collection of 11,000 books and 300 videotapes had been destroyed.

Last year, a temporary library had been opened in a former school shop room. So far nearly 5,000 books have been collected, about half of what is needed for a workable school library, she said.

“Where we run into problems is if a whole class is working on a particular subject and we don’t have enough to go around,” she said. Those who cannot find the books have to resort to using only encyclopedia articles.

Mount Gleason Vice Principal John McLaughlin said that construction of the new library--which started in November--would have been finished by next week, however, “nobody counted on Jan. 17.” Although the construction continued, it had been slowed down as school district officials then had to focus on several different projects, he said.

McLaughlin said the library may be finished by the end of the school year in mid-June.

“At least we can see the end in sight,” McLaughlin said.

Osborn said that she was hoping to buy more paperback books, adventure stories and nonfiction works.