Hero
We heard reports of seismic activity emanating from the Marin City Library, but it wasn’t an earthquake; the preeminent Library Journal had recognized branch manager and senior librarian Diana Lopez as an industry mover and shaker.
Lopez plays an important leadership role in Marin City, the county’s most racially diverse and economically challenged community. “I love our community,” she told the Library Journal. “But there are a lot of equity gaps. My branch works hard to close those gaps—especially when it comes to serving our youth.”
The Marin City branch had kept fewer operational hours than others until 2015, when Lopez successfully led the drive to make it the first location to stay open seven days a week.
She champions science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics (known by the acronym STEAM).
“I’m really into promoting STEAM programs, especially for girls and minorities,” she said. “It’s really important to me that kids in this community know they can be engineers, architects and designers.”
The Library Journal credits Lopez with “enhancing basic services, providing opportunities for local teens to develop their technology skills, and offering specialized support for grade schoolers.”
That makes Diana Lopez a hero in our book. We congratulate her on the prestigious award.
Zero
A resident of unincorporated Novato called the Marin County Sheriff to report that he chased a man and woman carrying backpacks from his neighbor’s house.
A deputy located the hooligans and discovered the man had warrants for his arrest. So he was arrested, and his gal pal got thrown in the pokey, too.
The man’s backpack contained an Apple iPad and four laptops, all bearing Novato Unified School District property stickers. Only the most dishonorable zeroes steal from students.
.Hero & Zero
