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Cards, flowers and balloons celebrating her 40 years of community dedication surrounded Ilene Gavenman, BCL Children & Youth Librarian at a surprise party held last week. |
Ilene Gavenman: BCL Children & Youth Librarian celebrates 40 years on the job
February 17, 2017
By Peggy Kelly
Santa Paula News
For many, 40 years can be considered a lifetime but for Ilene Gavenman, Blanchard Community Library Children & Youth Librarian, 40 years is a milestone.
Gavenman’s 40 years with BCL was celebrated last week with a special — and surprise — party featuring administration, board directors, children she had read to in the library now bringing in their own children and others.
It was only fitting that a special presentation, Christopher Yates in Ringmaster, Rusty B Runs Away to Join the Circus was the program bringing many children and their families, all whom cheered when it was announced Gavenman’s anniversary was being celebrated and everyone was getting a piece of cake.
“Ilene has been with the library through thick and thin,” said Board Member Nancy Nasalroad. “Mostly thick,” she added with a laugh.
A mountain of flowers and cards were piling up on Gavenman’s desk with a show of balloons rising above, all marking her anniversary at the library.
Board President Laura Phillips said Gavenman “Doesn’t know how much we appreciate her. She helped us through the tough times and now she’s flourishing again. Everybody loves Ilene and we’re very lucky to have her.”
Before the program, part of the library’s regular special events, began, Library Director Ned Branch told the crowd “I have a very special announcement to make. We know Ilene is a special, special lady and today is her40th anniversary at Blanchard Community Library!”
Amid the cheers and applause, Branch said “She has been an inspiration to all of us and in celebration there’s cake for everybody!”
Each of the three sheet cakes noted “Ilene Gavenman, in appreciation of your devotion to the children of Santa Paula.”
“Thank you very much,” said Gavenman to the crowd. “You are what kept me here. My joy is working with you and I hope you keep coming to the library!”
“I’m blown away, just amazed,” she said later.
“With Ilene,” said Branch, “it’s all about the kids…”
Carol Hardison, a longtime BCL supporter and volunteer agreed.
“Her enthusiasm and eagerness to provide high quality programming for the children and teens made the library a place where people were eager to gather. Her welcoming personality beckoned us all into that circle.”
Gavenman has been a creature of libraries since a girl in Santa Ana on weekly visits with her mother
“It was so wonderful to be able to go to the library and choose books to bring home and read, and I always came home with a big stack,” to read in the car, sitting in the backyard tree in our backyard, “under the covers with a flashlight when it was supposed to be lights out.”
While in high school Gavenman enjoyed a semester of work experience in the children’s room before she was hired to work “And,” she noted, “I continued working there during the summer after I went away to UCLA. It still surprises me to think that I started as a page in the children’s room and now I am running the children’s department!”
Gavenman is “very proud” of the Teen Scene program, which she started in 1998 following a meeting by Los Angeles youth services librarians who explained programs they were offering for teens.
“Teen Scene aims to connect teens ages 12 and up with the library by offering a variety of ‘books, food, friends, games, prizes, and fun.’ We have different themes throughout the year and always highlight various aspects of the collection in hopes of familiarizing teens with the variety of materials that the library has to offer.”
And, “It’s wonderful to have former Teen Scene members stop by and say hi. Many have gone on to college, and a few are married now and have families of their own!” who had been a part of the local program that was nationally recognized by the American Library Association in 2001 for Excellence in After School Programming for Young Adults.
When Gavenman first walked through the doors of BCL she was a relatively new Ventura County resident with a six-month old child.
“Elizabeth Blake was the director when I was hired; she ran a tight ship,” Gavenman noted with a laugh. “I worked with [Children’s Librarian] Maureen Spencer for 22 years until she retired — she still is a very wonderful, dear friend. She was such a mentor to me. She taught us to be warm and welcoming to the patrons, said it was like welcoming to them to your home. I was much more introverted then.”
Gavenman blossomed and became more extroverted: “It’s the joy of working with the patrons and the families of Santa Paula that’s been the treat to me, to see the children grow up and return with their own children. I practically jump up and down when they come in with their children.”
Gavenman and her husband Howard have three children, daughter Rachel McKnett, sons Jeff and Jason and four grandchildren.
“I had the two boys while I worked here, I worked on crutches when I dislocated my knee. My license plate says RDABOOK, Read A Book.”
And, she noted, “It’s been a wonderful journey and I do think the library is the most wonderful place in the whole wide world. Connecting the children and adults too with the books makes me happy, sharing books,” while forging friendships.
Programs are a key: “When we can have families come out and enjoy a nice cultural experience,” including grandparents, “it really makes me happy. We have things lined up for six months now and we’ll keep going with that.”
Books and reading remain the priority.
“The love of books continues into the rest of their lives…it’s so cool to see the kids come in that are excited about books,” and match them to the reading material they enjoy most.
And receiving accolades for doing what she loves for as long as she has was just the icing on the cake for Gavenman.
“It was so nice, I’ve been soaring. I haven’t stopped thinking about it,” not an easy feat when you’re surrounded by flowers, cards and balloons.
“It was so very touching that Ned did all that, so nice that the whole board came out, so nice of everybody to make such a to do about it.
“The library,” Gavenman added, “is a really great, vibrant place. We have a wonderful dedicated team that is so happy to hopefully be an important part of the community.”
