Information provided by Friends of San Benito Free Library
When the late County Librarian, Jo Wahdan, asked Ruth to take on the Presidency of the Friends of the SBC Free Library in March 1983, she said “yes.” She would take on the challenge of building up the membership, advocate for the library, and hold fundraisers.
She was President, Secretary, and Treasurer all at once, while working toward becoming a non-profit organization in the future. She used her talents and skills as a designer and writer to design posters and flyers, with newsletters and newspaper articles, invite speakers for educational programs, and speak to community groups, Board of Supervisors and City Council meetings.
She works with the children’s summer reading programs, performing as various cultural and historical figures, putting together programs, reading to children at Storytime and teaching them crafts.
Ruth put together displays and exhibits in the Barbara room, display cases and at various city and county events. She planned and put together many entries in local parades.
Ruth and Jo attended many California Library Association conferences in various cities, and since, with [recently retired] County Librarian, Nora Conte. When funds were light in the early 1980s she and Jo had agreements with Soledad State Prison prisoners, to read books on tape for the visually impaired, with San Jose Mercury News to accept thousands of dollars’ worth of new books from their weekly book reviews columns and through Hollister’s Sister City Programs, established a Japanese Collection of books and materials about Japan, with Ozeki Sake USA in Hollister.
She has also organized and worked with the Friends on many fundraisers over the years. One was to involve county school children with a “Penny Drive,” as they would be the beneficiaries of outlying areas. Ruth and the Friends organized many fundraisers over the years while introducing the community to all the exciting new library programs.
Ruth was part of the two PAC Committees when advocating for a new library as the community was outgrowing the present 1960’s library. She looks forward to Friends’ work to expand the present library and hopes that, in the future, we will have a new library building to accommodate this growing community.