Celebrities to Help Raise Library Funds

Former President Ronald Reagan and Judge Joseph A. Wapner have joined an effort by Moorpark residents and Supervisor Vicky Howard to raise money to expand the city’s overtaxed library.

While Ventura County has allocated $260,000 and the city of Moorpark has promised an additional $65,000 for the expansion, boosters say they are still $65,000 to $80,000 short of funds.

Both Reagan and Wapner have recorded commercials asking for donations; they will air during a library telethon from 6 to 10 p.m. Tuesday on a local cable access station.

Other celebrities have donated time and memorabilia for the event. Actor Larry Hagman, who lives in the Sulphur Mountain area east of Ojai, came up with an autographed script from the television show “Dallas,” comedian Bob Hope donated an autographed copy of his biography, and actors Tom Selleck of Hidden Valley and Peter Strauss of Ojai have pitched in with autographed pictures.

Actor Stephen Furst, who lives in Moorpark and has performed in such television shows as “St. Elsewhere” and “Babylon Five,” will serve as emcee for the first portion of the telethon.

“We’re avid users of the library,” Furst said.

“But it’s so small that we’ve had to go to Thousand Oaks or Simi to get material. Moorpark needs a bigger library.”

Librarian Mary Crockford said the small library, built when Moorpark had less than 10,000 residents, is not big enough to serve the more than 26,000 people who live in the city now.

“We’re using every bit of shelf space, and there’s little room for anything else,” she said.

The money will be used to add to the structure and construction of a parking lot, she said.

The live broadcast will include a variety of local performers, including dancers and a number of children’s singing groups. The telethon will air on Moorpark’s cable access station, Channel 10.