Westlake Library hosts an Open House

By Lori Porter Acorn Staff Writer

SHARING THE FUN OF READING--Westlake Village City Councilwoman Susan McSweeney reads "Sylvester and the Magic Pebble" to youngsters at the Westlake Village City Library Open House.

The Westlake Village Library hosted an Open House last week, providing food, entertainment and education for the community.

The Westlake Village Foundation provided free coffee and smoothies for guests through the Loca Mocha Mobile Espresso Bar in Oxnard which parked its café on wheels inside the courtyard of Westlake City Hall. Baja Fresh catered taquitos, chips and salsa for hungry kids, moms and dads.

Children lined the fountains in the courtyard like birds on a wire, munching away on dinner while their parents visited with friends.

While some remained outside to eat, others were encouraged to browse through the library while being serenaded by Flutissimo, a flute choir of Ventura County. Flutists Bethany Bemis, Lori Carta and Kathi Sternberg delighted the crowd. Local author Kris Neri, who’s written two award-winning mystery novels, signed books.

At 7 p.m., youngsters gathered into the children’s corner to listen to Westlake Village City Councilwoman Susan McSweeney read "Sylvester and the Magic Pebble."

The Westlake Village Library includes a Young Adult Resource Center open to the public that assists students with homework via the Internet through a live chat room with an instructor from Tutor.com.

Meghan Schneider from Tutor.com gave parents and students demonstrations on computer programs.

Once a student logs onto tutor.com, they’re matched with an instructor who answers questions and also can write out problems on a sort of white board that appears on the computer screen. It’s just like having your very own private tutor.

Savvy Pletcher, a 10-year-old home-schooled student who was trying out tutor.com said, "This program is cool. I definitely would like to use this program at home."

Schneider’s demonstration included instruction on how to download the software to students for their own computers. Tutor.com has been provided through a grant from the California State Library, a grant that runs through September.

The operating hours for the Westlake Village Library are: Tuesdays and Wednesdays 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Thursdays and Fridays 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The facility is closed Sundays and Mondays.