People of Richmond: Do you go to the library?

“People of Richmond” is a regular series in which reporters pose a question to people in the community. Answers are presented verbatim, though sometimes edited for brevity.

Q: Do you use the public library system?

“Definitely. My daughter loves to read, Susan (the librarian) is amazing, and we’ve got a little knitting group. We meet every Thursday and everyone’s learning together. My daughter really likes to knit, but she’ll only do it when she’s here.” (Keri Sullivan, pictured above)

“I tend to just buy books that I like and then donate them to the library. Or there’s lots of used little neighborhood free public library boxes. I make a lot of use of those.” (Dennis Phillips)

“For my kids, I use it, yes. But not for me.” 

(Venkatesh Tanuku, Kaleidoscope Coffee owner)

“I just google anything I need. My kids, I guess they use their libraries at their school, but as far as the public library, no.”

( Robert Cannon, PG&E worker)

“Well just recently I went to Berkeley Library, they had live entertainment. It was jamming. It was very awesome.” (Micael Shaleakh)

“I like taking the kids and letting them explore and see the variety that they can choose from and let them experience a book one page at a time. And I feel like the library is the best hands-on experience to do that.” (Tiffany Bryan)

“No, I don’t. I just happen to have a Kindle so I read books on my Kindle.”

(Irene Hightower, photographer)

“I haven’t really been into the library a lot in the past but recently I got interested in it. It’s pretty accessible and I like it. I would normally use it for entertainment and personal reading.”

(Michael Ramirez)

“I do, not as often as I used to, but I do mostly for printing, things like that. I take my kids to read at the library but not so much borrowing these days. We’re in a digital age now.” (Darolyn Turner)

“I absolutely use the public library and not just for books. My public library has a seed bank as well, so I never have to buy seeds if I want to grow my own herbs or produce, so that’s pretty awesome. They also have ukuleles, you can check out too. So, I love books, but I also love all the other things that come with a public library.” (Ellen Olack, food access program manager)

“No I don’t, but I always think I should.”

(Lorraine Lombardo, retired police officer)

“I used to use it especially when I was in college but I didn’t go there very frequently since the pandemic. I know they have also been struggling and trying to get the community back. So I still have my library card and keep it active just to keep supporting them.”

(Elaine Moreno)

“Yes. Richmond Public Library. That’s where I usually come, and I also borrow some books. And right now, they encourage us to do it online. They said it’s a lot more convenient, but it makes it more difficult for me because I’m old-fashioned and I like physical books.” (Selena Thammasen)

“Well it’s right there, so it’s very close and it’s convenient. And we like supporting the library.” (Roy Baker, pictured with son, Raffa)

“I don’t use it anymore even though I know going to the library is always better than Google. I’m not really in school and everything can be accessed online so I find it easier to just go online.” 

(Jackie Gama, Richmond Farmers Market vendor)

“I do lately. Quite a lot actually — after many years of almost not at all — because it’s really a quiet place where I can work on my computer and get things done. And not have the distractions of a coffee house.”

(Chris Gibney, caregiver)

We asked people in Richmond: Would you consider moving?