Jose Aponte named county library director

By: GIG CONAUGHTON - Staff Writer | Tuesday, March 1, 2005 11:53 PM PST ∞

SAN DIEGO ---- A popular North County Latino leader who left two years ago is "coming home" to take over as the county's new library director, county officials announced Tuesday.

Jose Aponte, who served as the city of Oceanside's library director from 1996 to 2000 and deputy city manager from 2000 to 2002, left North County to become director of the Pikes Peak Library District in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Aponte is also a member of the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science and was appointed to the Laura Bush Foundation for America's Libraries in 2002.

From his Colorado offices Tuesday, Aponte, 54, said that although he moved away, he never sold his house in Oceanside, and was excited about "coming home."

"It's a homecoming. This community gave me so much," he said. "I can't wait to roll up my sleeves and get to work."

Aponte will earn $125,000 a year as the director of the county's 32 branch libraries and two mobile libraries.

County officials said Aponte was selected from a field of 12 applicants, eight of whom were interviewed. He is scheduled to take over, beginning March 28, as the permanent replacement for the former library director, Marilyn Crouch, who retired in December.

Aponte said he is excited about joining the county because it had done a remarkable job in tough economic times, and had actually increased its library budget "about twofold" in the last decade.

"I see it as a system going in the right direction," he said.

Aponte said libraries are "more relevant" than ever in today's world, even though people are plopping themselves in front of televisions and computers more, and reading books less.

"Libraries are central to the fabric of communities," he said.

Aponte was a tireless leader in the Latino community in the Oceanside area when he worked there.

As deputy city manager, he helped organize councils to represent low-income areas such as the city's Eastside, Crown Heights and mobile-home communities.

As library director, he expanded library hours, began literacy and cultural programs, and helped finish the city's branch library at Mission Avenue and El Camino Real.

When he had personal time, Aponte helped students at Oceanside High School create a Latino club, and worked with North County Latino leaders to form El Grupo Sin Nombre, a networking, leadership and advocacy group.

"The synergy that he brought there was amazing," Adrienne Hakes, a board member for the Oceanside Unified School District and Oceanside Public Library, said Tuesday. "I'm just excited that he's coming back."

Hakes said Aponte was a key figure in helping to form partnerships throughout the Oceanside area to improve both the city and library system.

Aponte said he plans to be just as active in North County's community group scene when he returns.

He said being part of the community would make him a better county librarian ---- a notion he picked up from Mahatma Gandhi.

"To be a good public servant, you have to know the public," Aponte said. "Gandhi said we as public servants are there to serve the citizens, not to come down from the mountaintop with tablets, with all the answers."

Aponte said he reads between six to 10 hours every day, rarely watches television, and runs marathons. He was known for riding his bike to work every day in Oceanside and his passions have always been literature, literacy, community service, the environment and "living a healthy, holistic lifestyle."

Aponte grew up in New York, went to Bard College and eventually acted and wrote plays off-Broadway for a couple of years.

But Aponte said his first love was always libraries, and it was not long before he moved on to the University of Arizona to get his graduate degree in library science.

He said one of his first jobs was in a library, earning 25 cents for reading stories to other children.

"When I was a little kid, my mom was a librarian, and my sister and I would take the bus there after school," he said. "I was about 8 years old and I would say, 'Mom, I'm bored.' And she said, 'you see that little girl over there, I'll give you 25 cents for every story you read to her.' In those days, 5 cents was a Hershey Bar. That's when I learned the value of literacy."

Aponte's wife, Cynthia, is a muralist and graphic artist. His two college-age sons still live in Southern California.

Staff writer Louise Cannon contributed to this story. Contact staff writer Gig Conaughton at (760) 739-6696 or gconaughton@nctimes.com.

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