Hilde Lu – 1982-2006

Hilde Lu – 1982-2006

My years at LBPL were divided between the Alamitos Branch and the Main Library.

I worked as a children’s librarian at the Alamitos Branch and as an adult librarian in the Arts and Music Department, and later at the Reference Desk at Main.

I always enjoyed interacting with our patrons – young and old – and colleagues.

When I started at Alamitos, I tried to reach out to schools and youth groups in the neighborhood. I contacted Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, who then came to the library on a regular basis.

Upstairs area of Alamitos used for Children’s programs.

The upstairs staff room with kitchen lent itself to a special program with the girl scouts: recreating Marcia Brown’s Stone Soup.

The girls had fun taking turns reading the book aloud while the soup, started with just well-scrubbed stones and gradually added more ingredients, simmered. To our delight it turned into a tasty vegetable soup that we all enjoyed. Even the branch head pronounced it surprisingly delicious.

Break time get together – Claudine Burnett, Joane Hugh, Kim Russell

Thinking about our Saturday morning get-togethers before the Main Library opened still fills me with a warm feeling. This was a time when the librarians from all departments got together to bond, exchange library and personal news, thus creating a camaraderie that set the tone not only for the day, but also for our working environment in general.