Meet James DiAmbrosio Ferguson | President North Park FOL

We had the good fortune of connecting with James DiAmbrosio Ferguson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi James DiAmbrosio, what is the most important factor behind your success?
Our success comes from staying close to the core mission of enhancing our North Park Library and ensuring it can fulfill its literary, educational, technological, community, and cultural purposes. Our community is our inspiration! We make sure our meetings are fun and accessible, and the results have been wonderful. Greater revenue raised and more volunteers, which has allowed us to expand our fundraising and advocacy efforts.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
One thing that certainly sets us apart is our engagement with new members; we offer a bi-monthly Dinner with Friends. This gives our new members an opportunity to find ways to contribute, whether that is discovering volunteer roles that suit them or bringing their new ideas. We are invigorated by our new members!

I am personally most proud of “Book Bags” for children. This idea was conceived by a former board member of ours; inspired by her own experience of searching for children’s books by topic, Therese had the idea that we could have multiple books of the same topic checked out as one item. What started as just a few topics (Potty Training, Healthy Eating, Shapes…) has grown to more than 20 different book bags, continuously being circulated!

Growing our Friends of the Library group has been a slow and steady process. The North Park branch had an inactive Friends group for years before this latest iteration. Always putting the library and our community first has been our secret power. This simple principle has allowed us to attract people truly invested in the value of libraries.

The best lesson I’ve learned: Trust those who may know differently. I have benefitted greatly from the different experiences, perspectives, and ideas of those around me.

I would want people to know what a treasure their local library is. Libraries are vibrant and integral neighborhood resources. North Park branch has tremendous programming for children and engaging activities for adults. Come visit us!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Balboa Park is always first on my list for visitors! The Natural History Museum is my personal favorite, but the Zoo and Botanical Building are priorities also. After we’ve explored Balboa Park to our hearts’ content, my favorite hike is the La Jolla Coast Walk. I have a secret parking spot off Torrey Pines Rd, and my hike starts there, moves along Coast Blvd until you get to Olivetas and circle back. It is a gorgeous way to spend a day! As far as food, any visitor has to have a taco shop experience, and I would recommend El Paisa in Barrio Logan. I have 3 favorite sandwich shops that all pair well with a picnic: Fatboys Deli in North Park, Big Front Door in University Heights, and Mona Lisa in Little Italy. For shopping, I would bring any visitor to Hillcrest. We could stop by a number of thrift, record, book, and clothing stores. Depending on how the events calendar is looking, I would definitely see some live music. I’m a fan of The Bellyup, House of Blues, and The Observatory.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’d like to dedicate this shoutout to Bill Sannwald, former branch manager of the North Park Library, who first recruited me to join the Friends Of the Library (FOL) Board. Also, Zar Shain, the current branch manager. A FOL’s best friend should be their branch manager! And Zar has been a great friend to us. All the Youth Services Librarians who have served this branch during my tenure. The children’s programming is the powerhouse of our calendar. All my fellow board members. We are very fortunate to have an incredible diversity of perspectives on our board. My partner Ginelle. She is my sounding board and has contributed countless ideas. Lastly, North Park librarian Jules Wertis. Jules has served our branch for over 30 years and is invaluable to our board and our branch.

Website: https://sites.google.com/view/friendsnppl/home

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/friendsofnplibrarysd/?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA%3D%3D

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/northparklibrary

Image Credits
Friends of the North Park Library Volunteers