I walked the dog earlier than usual this morning, and he was in the mood to go down Lakeshore Avenue which I usually don't do with him because of the number of people on the sidewalks. We were out so early that hardly anyone else was there, and I let him go for it. I could walk and think without having to keep someone from stepping on him or having to keep him from marking something where someone was enjoying a sidewalk cafe experience.
City living offers so much, but I miss having 80 acres on which to walk and being able to think without worrying about traffic. Early morning walking is about as close to a quiet creative thinking experience as it will get here in the Bay Area.
KQED radio had a feature on Panera Bread Restaurants over the weekend, and I have noticed one of these in Hayward near the Southland Shopping Mall, but didn't know much about it. I am attracted to good quality breads, and had already made a mental note to check them out.
What I learned from KQED over the weekend fascinates me. This chain was started by Ronald Shaich a few years ago, and now operate some 1,500 cafes in a partly non-profit mode where people pay what they can. Some customers, the majority pay about 60% of the suggested retail value, while another segment pays about 20% more than the going rate, and then another segment averages about 20%. Some people pay nothing.
The restaurants are located where demographics suggest that that a lot of people can support retail pricing or more, and might be willing to donate more. Occasionally, someone pays $500 for their sandwich. I'm not sure what charities the restaurant supports, but the owner has a long history of food pantry support before starting the chain.
The chain offers catering, and I believe they have meetings rooms.
http://catering1.panerabread.com/Home.aspx
Panera Bread in Alameda is located at 2249 South Shore Center Drive. Phone: 510 749-9810 Fax: 510 749-9811
This morning's walk got me to thinking about how nice it would be to offer sabbaticals to a broader portion of society, and to us library staffers in particular, who are not eligible for many of teacher study grant programs. I believe school districts benefit from our interests and knowledge in a lot of disciplines and arts, but that our knowledge goes unrecognized and largely unsupported. How wonderful it would be to have little mini-grants that gave a little financial support to intellectual pursuits, not necessarily library skills but something that goes to our recognition as capable and valuable assets to the district.
Could we offer some services and trainings through Friends of the Oakland School Public School Libraries with a suggested donation and let people pay what they can or want?
We might offer a variety of workshops or opportunities to various audiences of teachers, students, parents, and the general public that might feature preparing children to be good readers (Mem Fox), teaching technology to a variety of audiences, day camps for kids during the summer, book events, and covering of book jackets for a suggested donation price.
A mini-sabbatical program might include some sort of brief template proposal application process, with awardees checking in to demonstrate that something is being done, and a requirement for sharing what they gained with other library staff, educators, or the non-profit.
I think such opportunities would encourage potentially good staff who are interested in reading, writing, the arts, and other study areas to see that Oakland Unified School District is a good place to work and find reward for mental pursuits.
I do have to go try Panera Bread now.
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