11:37 PM PST on Wednesday, March 23, 2005
By NITA HILTNER / The Press Enterprise
Did your family come to California on a stagecoach, a sailing ship or in a '57 Chevy? What is a Californian, and what does it mean to be one in the world, are questions that students and adults will be asked to answer during the month of April at the Woodcrest Library and other county venues.
The month of events titled "California Stories Uncovered" at the Woodcrest Library will culminate April 30 with "When My Family Came to California," an exhibit of artwork by Woodcrest Elementary School fourth- and fifth-graders. Prizes, funded by the Woodcrest Elementary School PTA, will be awarded at noon.
The California Council for the Humanities is sponsoring its second major multiple-year campaign of "California Stories Uncovered" to help benefit communities and to connect Californians by telling personal and community stories of today's California.
The Woodcrest and Louis Robidoux libraries each received $1,000 from the council to participate in the project.
This program is supported by funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the James Irvine Foundation. It is also supported in part by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provision of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the state librarian.
The Woodcrest Library participated in the last California Council for the Humanities event.
Held in 2003, it focused on John Steinbeck's novel, "The Grapes of Wrath."
"We applied for this grant to bring more people in and make them aware we're here," said Connie Rynning, branch librarian for the Woodcrest Library. "After three years, it's hard to believe they don't know we're here."
Rynning said getting adults involved in library events is often difficult, but she is hoping that many people will want to participate in sharing with others what it means to be a Californian.
A Month of Activities
She would like to see teens get involved and learn how important it is for them to get a record of their grandparents' and great-grandparents' remembrances of their life experiences.
To help achieve this, archivist and UCLA professor Chuck Wilson will hold a workshop from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday to teach professional methods of conducting and preserving oral histories, including primary research, developing interview questions, choosing the proper equipment and selecting interviewees.
Students from Martin Luther King High School in Riverside will join adults from noon to 1:30 p.m. April 9, 16 and 23 at the library to discuss "California Uncovered: Stories for the 21st Century," an anthology of work by California writers. Tad Wakefield, a teacher at the school, will lead the discussions.
Other venues in Riverside County will hold events promoting the campaign.
The Louis Robidoux Library, 5763 Tilton Ave. in Rubidoux, will host book discussions for teenagers and senior citizens at 6 p.m. April 7, 14, and 21. Rubidoux High students will read original poetry, essays or fiction at 6 p.m. April 28. Students from the discussion group will join the writers in displaying family memory books created during the project.
Professor Francisco Jiminez will present a slide presentation at 11 a.m. April 9 at La Sierra High School, 4145 La Sierra Ave. in Riverside.
Later the same day, Jiminez will conduct a conversation with writers at the Riverside Public Library, 3581 Mission Inn Ave. in Riverside, starting at 3 p.m.
The Mission Inn Museum, 3696 Main St. in Riverside, will feature an exhibit of the "Generation" project at 6 p.m. April 14.
Judith Sloan will discuss "Crossing the Boulevard" at 3 p.m. April 29 at the Woodcrest Library.
The Woodcrest Library is in the Stater Bros. shopping center at 17024-C Van Buren Blvd.
Information: www.calhum.org
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