Mitra Ebadolahi makes giving back to the library a priority

Mitra Ebadolahi said she grew up in libraries. Her mother worked in Orange County libraries when Mitra’s family immigrated to the United States in 1983. ​“Weekly Story & Crafts Hours for children, summer reading challenges, and the Friends of the Library Shop were central in my formative years,” Mitra said. As a child, she said she quickly recognized the library as a welcoming place. As an adult, Mitra has grown to see the library also as ​“a place that exemplifies equity. It is an organization that prioritizes just and fair access to resources for all community members.”

These are a few of the reasons Mitra chose to support the Library Foundation as a monthly Sustaining Donor. ​“I think a lot of Library patrons don’t realize how much sustained monthly giving helps our Library system,” Mitra noted. ​“And I think a lot of people think you have to have a lot of money to donate every month — but that is not true! Even if all you can afford is $5 or $10 a month, pledging to do so every month provides an enormous benefit to the Library.”

“Libraries are some of my favorite places on earth. They have held space for me to learn, to grow, to study, to share, to question, and to contribute,” said Mitra. ​“The Library shaped me into the person I am today.”

Though now settled in San Diego, Mitra has lived in many cities as an adult. ​“I never feel like I really ​‘live’ in a place until I get my public library card. It’s an essential step in making a new city feel like home.”

Mitra said she has been thinking a lot lately about the value of Library electronic resources and virtual services. ​“I hope that access to ebooks, online programs, and other eResources have helped lessen the heartache of this time for some of us. And I am proud to do my small part in contributing to our Library so that it can continue to build its repositories so that more and more San Diegans can access these materials over time.”