San Diego Central Library Research Trip Review (by Karen Yarger)

On Wednesday, April 23^rd, a small band of CVGS adventurers, led by John Finch and Karen Yarger, began their trip to the downtown San Diego Central Library. All were armed with info sheets on the library and tips for riding the trolley and doing research in the ninth floor’s genealogy collection.

We met at our usual spot on the second floor of the parking structure on Third Avenue. It’s a good thing we carpooled because the first challenge was finding parking spaces at one of the trolley stations. All of the Chula Vista station lots were under construction, a problem which hopefully will be remedied by the time you read this. Buying a senior trolley ticket ($1.25 one way) was a new experience for some, but with laughter and eagerness we boarded the Blue Line trolley, got off at the Park & Market stop, and walked about two blocks to the library. Did you notice that the windows are shaped like open books?

Karen gave a brief tour of the lobby and first floor and the wonderful Sanford Children’s Library, with its 16’ Dr. Seuss murals. It offers everything from displays of vintage favorites like The Wizard of Oz to the newest kid-friendly iPads and computers, and over 56,000 volumes in several languages.

A quick note of the copy stations on the 2^nd, 4^th and 8^th floors, and off we headed to the ninth floor with its domed-shaded terrace and sweeping views. SDGS’s Chris Christensen met us and gave a personalized tour of the Hervey Rare Book Room with its centuries-old books, manuscripts and art. Steps away, he gave us a tour of the genealogy collection (that’s why we came!) and showed us the computers with access to Ancestry.com. Then he turned to helping some of our members with their research.

There’s never enough time to do research, is there? 

 Before we left at 3pm, we learned of a $3 parking lot across the street (not on Padre game days; it’s the Tailgate lot) and vowed to return soon. Now that we know our way around this fabulous resource, we can spend all our time in the stacks. It’s a great way to spend the day!