PICO RIVERA >> Beverly Walker is affectionately known as the citys pillar of literacy for her tireless promotion of reading in the community.

She is a founding member and the president of the Friends of the Pico Rivera Libraries,and she runs its bookstore.

I cant say enough about Beverly and the work she does on behalf of this community, said Administrative Analyst Ray Chavez. Shes the catalyst for just about anything to do with literacy in Pico Rivera.

Her volunteerism began when she and her husband, John, a former planning director, moved to Pico Rivera in 1978.

We were both regular library patrons, Walker said.

She started volunteering at the Rivera Library in the mid-1980s, and then in 1995, she and several residents and city personnel banned together to form a Friends of the Pico Rivera Libraries. There are two county libraries in the city.

Eleven years ago, the Friends and city officials launched a bookstore, where Walker, 73, volunteers about 11 hours a week.

And she is an advocate about the relevance of community libraries even in todays age of Kindle, iPads and the Internet.

Libraries are still a great resource for information, as well as a gathering place for the community, Walker said.

And, she pointed out, the libraries have computers for everyone to use.

So, they provide todays high-tech devices, with a great selection of books, magazines, CDs and DVDs, Walker said.

In addition to her literacy efforts, she is a long-standing member of the League of Women voters, which she joined even before she moved to Pico Rivera.

I was a member in Daly City, near San Francisco, and just thought Id keep it going when we moved here, Walker said.

She wants the voting public to be up-to-date on candidates and election issues.

We do what we can to provide information so that once people get in the voting booths, they know who and what they are voting for, Walker explained.

She is also a member of the Rio Hondo Symphony Guild and a board member for Shelters Right Hand, a part of the Womens and Childrens Crisis Shelter in Whittier.