A reason to celebrate

Tariq Malik

Surf City residents from the neighborhoods surrounding Oak Lane turned

out last week to celebrate a special 5-year-old -- their local library.

More than 200 attended the fifth anniversary of Oak View Branch

Library, the city’s youngest library, and enjoyed cake, live music and

face-painting during the Sept. 21 party.

“It was difficult at the start,” said branch manager Claudia Hilbck.

“We started off just a few patrons coming around for books, to now, with

people knocking on the doors to make us open early.”

The library serves about 2,000 patrons monthly, mostly from the

predominantly Latino community in surrounding neighborhoods.

“This place is very important, both to me and my family,” said Florina

Ramirez, who brought her two sons, Martin Hernandez, 4, and Juan

Hernandez, 2, to the event. “It’s a place where we can go together as a

family, read and learn.”

Ramirez and her sons are one of 100 families enrolled in the library’s

Family Literacy Program, designed to teach parents and children to read,

write and speak English in tandem.