School Helps Library Mark Anniversary

To commemorate its second anniversary, the Platt Library will have a party today that any toddler would love, with cake, party games and even a present, a handmade quilt created by local schoolchildren.

Sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Warner Center along with the Friends of the Platt Library, the library’s birthday party also will be a fund-raiser to continue the library’s goal to be fully stocked within its first five years.

“There are still some times when there is such a high demand and such usage that even if we have 10 books on the Sioux Indians, we’re still out,” said Sherry Van Sickle, a reference librarian.

Kiwanis members and library supporters worked diligently Friday to sort books and ready the multipurpose room for a book sale, with hundreds of donated books available.

Sue Schuster, the Friends’ fund-raising vice president, used the anniversary to work on a project she has wanted to do for a while. She asked fifth-graders at nearby Lockhurst Drive Elementary School to each draw a square with a birthday message for the library, and she sewed those squares into a quilt.

“The kids were excited to do it,” Schuster said, “as they are [about] having something up in the library that they can see and they can tell their family and friends about.”

The quilt, which will be presented to the library today by the children, will hang in the Platt branch for at least six months before the Friends auction it off, with the proceeds going to buy books or fund programs. Schuster said the class has considered buying it and donating it to Lockhurst school.

“Besides making money for the library, we wanted to show these kids that they can become a part of the community,” Schuster said. “Even at their age, they can help.”

The festivities are scheduled from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the library, 23650 Victory Blvd. For more information, call (818) 340-9386.