Best of Friends Friends of the Durham Library Newsletter
Spring 2010
Above: Construction of Southwest Library. Right: South Regional Library.
New Regional Libraries Set to Open This Summer
M
uch to the excitement of community members and staff alike, two regional libraries will open this summer.
The newly renovated Southwest Regional is scheduled to open on May 24, and South Regional (which is located at S. Alston Avenue and NC 54) is scheduled to open in June or July. The library will kick off the new regionals with a fourhour Grand Open House at each location. Southwest Regional will open with 15,000 additional square feet, a dedicated space for teens, a sizable AV collection, many more computers and more parking spaces. The new meeting room will seat 100 people, and there will be a vending area so library customers can get coffee or snacks. The renovation preserves some of the best features of the original building, while adding glass-walled spaces and skylights that allow for beautiful views outdoors and much more light inside. Southwest Regional, like all the new libraries, will incorporate continued on page 3
Why Regionals and Not Branches? Do you know the difference between a branch and a regional library? Unlike banks, which use the term “branch” interchangeably with the word “location,” in the library world a branch is a specific kind of facility. Branches are usually smaller and have limited services. A branch library system depends on the existence of a central library where many more items are housed and more services are offered. Regionals, on the other hand, have almost all of the same services as the main or central library, and they have a sizable collection. Our regional library system means that members of our community will have access to greatly enhanced library services, right in their own neighborhood.
Goodridge Named Volunteer of the Year
J
ane Goodridge, Friends of the Durham Library volunteer and long-time library supporter, has received statewide recognition for her volunteer work at the Durham County Library. At Jane Goodridge accepts her Volunteer of the Year a fall ceremony in award. Salisbury, the Friends of North Carolina Public Libraries named Goodridge “Volunteer of the Year” in recognition of her leadership and service. Goodridge has served as president and treasurer of the Board of Directors of the Friends group, as well as co-chair of the popular book sales which earn over $70,000 annually to support the programs of the Durham County Library.
one day a week all year long sorting, categorizing and pricing books for the sales. “It is a privilege for me to work with such a dedicated group of volunteers,” said Goodridge, “and an honor to accept this award as a tribute to them.” Book sale proceeds have doubled since Goodridge and cochair Carol Ann Walters took over ten years ago. The team recently introduced satellite book sales, the year-round minibooksales at five library locations plus American Tobacco Campus that are gaining in popularity with Durhamites. “The Friends satellite sales are perfect for people who love a bargain,” says Goodridge, “and we keep them stocked with books in gift-giving condition.” Shoppers can browse the satellite sales during library hours. For more information visit www.durhamcountylibrary.org. Durham’s Board of County Commissioners recognized and commended Goodridge for her dedication and hard work at its January 11, 2010 meeting, attended by library staff, volunteer book sorters and Friends Board members.
The winning nomination included testimonials from the group of 20 volunteers who work with Goodridge at least Join these folks at the next book sale! Volunteer to help. Mark your calendar for the Spring Book Sale on April 9-11. Volunteering for a 2-hour shift as a book sale cashier is a terrific way to get involved with the Friends and the community. If you would like to be added to our list of volunteer cashiers for the next book sale, send an email to Gerry Larson (Geraldine.Larson@dpsnc.net) or Martha Scotford (scotford@ncsu.edu).
Coming soon! Friends of the Durham Library tote bags for sale, just $10 Zippered, sturdy tote carries 15 books and more.
Best of Friends Spring 2010
continued from the cover New Regional Libraries
High Society Want to join a select group of intellectually curious and cultured library customers? If so, we invite you to sign up to be part of the Durham Library Foundation Humanities Society. We launched the Society in January to say “thank you” to the many people who attend multiple humanities programs at Durham County Library.
Images of South Regional Library, still under construction.
green building practices and will be a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified building. South Regional is being built on the same prototype as the East and North Regionals, with a few important additions. The library is located on the old Lowe’s Grove school site, an area rich with history. It is also the site of the first credit union in North Carolina. South Regional will also serve the Parkwood community, as that branch closes and its staff moves to the new library. To honor the history of these communities, South will have a timeline in the floor of the lobby, a “walk through time” that highlights important events of these diverse and vibrant communities. There will be sixfoot panels in the walls that tell the story of the site in more detail and display space for a collection of artifacts relevant to the history of Lowe’s Grove and Parkwood. Thanks to a grant from the Durham Library Foundation made possible with a gift from the C.M. Herndon Foundation, South will also be the first library to feature outdoor artwork.
To become a member, complete a short form the next time you attend a humanities program. You will receive a card and membership number. Each time you attend a humanities program, a staff person or volunteer will punch your card. Society members who attend six programs in a calendar year are entitled to special events, invitation-only receptions and other benefits. We are even speeding up the process so that if you attend just three humanities events by May, you will be invited to an off-site reception in a great downtown location. Please mark your calendar for one of the many humanities programs at the library and, while you’re there, join the nearly 150 members (and counting!) of the Durham Library Foundation Humanities Society.
The construction of these last two regionals means the county has nearly completed its plan to have a regional library within five miles of almost every Durham County resident. The final step of the plan will be the renovation of the Main Library beginning in 2013. The opening of these two beautiful libraries will make this a great summer for Durham County Library and for the community. More information about the grand openings is forthcoming. Please join us for the celebration! Friends of the Durham Library Newsletter
Friends Increase Grants to Libraries
T
he Friends of the Durham Library Board selected seven library projects for funding with proceeds from successful book sales. President Aviva Starr guided deliberations at the November 2009 Board meeting and made the announcement. “The Friends discussed all of the staff proposals for the fall funding cycle. We wish we could provide for all of the library’s needs especially in this tight budget year. We originally planned to fund $20,000 of requests this fall. With the success of the satellite book sales, we were able to increase our funding to just over $25,000.” Library staff submitted 16 funding requests. From these, the Board selected seven high impact projects that will improve services in the library, in the community and behind-the-scenes. Full-Rescue AEDs (automated external defibrillators) purchased with a Friends grant were installed at Main and Stanford L. Warren libraries, as a first step toward furnishing AEDs for all library locations. These AEDs give step-by-step instructions and feedback so that any library staff or customer can provide CPR until paramedics arrive. The American Heart Association states that “Effective bystander CPR, provided immediately after cardiac arrest, can double a victim’s chance of survival.” The Friends have also purchased a laptop computer for the OASIS program, which takes library materials to homebound individuals and older adults. The laptop is especially needed to check library materials in and out at the busiest stops, such as the retirement communities of Croasdaile Farms and Forest At Duke. In 2010, Main Library’s 50 public computers are accessing the Internet faster and more reliably because of an upgraded firewall purchased with a Friends grant. The new equipment benefits the 2,000 Main Library customers who use the computers each week by removing a bottleneck that has constricted traffic over the library’s 8M fiber optic connection. Internet speeds for East Regional Library customers will also improve as a result of this purchase, because the equipment being removed from Main will be reused at East. Stanford L. Warren Library received a grant to frame and display 25 historical photographs for the Hayti Memory Project. Other Friends grants purchased children’s books for the library’s bookmobile, furniture for Main Library’s teen reading area and, on the first floor of Main Library, a snack and beverage vending area and permanent Friends retail space. The Friends of the Durham Library was formed to address the short-term needs of the library for advocacy, funding Best of Friends Spring 2010
and volunteer support. Some projects funded by the Friends are very noticeable to library customers: flat screen displays that tell you what’s going on, the brightly decorated Computers at the Main Library are accessing the Internet Discovery more quickly, thanks to a grant from the Friends Mobile that takes books and storytimes to preschool children, the Season’s Readings booklet of recommendations, Durham Reads Together and Summer Reading Club, to name a few recent projects. Other benefits are behind-the-scenes. Last year, for example, the Friends chose to launch a Staff Scholarship Program, providing $2,500 each to two library employees who are pursuing degrees. They also sponsored a celebration to recognize all the library’s 150 volunteers, the first such event in recent memory. “All the projects selected by the Friends for funding are designed and suggested by library staff with the full endorsement of the library’s leadership,” said library director Skip Auld. “This process helps us learn about pressing needs that are beyond the library’s budget and allows us to address them quickly. Durham County Library is fortunate that the Friends provide this invaluable source of immediate and flexible funding.” The proposal process will be repeated this Spring and the Friends expect to make a new round of grants in May.
Karlene Fyffe Named RIF Ambassador
K
arlene Fyffe, the library’s youth services administrator, has been named the 2010 Reading Is Fundamental Ambassador for the state of North Carolina.
found heading out in the Discovery Mobile, which was purchased to help make high-quality books and regular storytimes available to children in local family childcare homes. Karlene’s passion for helping to empower children through books and education is evident in her work with early literacy programs and in her commitment to RIF. She especially enjoys the RIF book giveaways that accompany the library’s Summer Reading Club.
The RIF Ambassadors initiative, sponsored by Macy’s, empowers local leaders to expand Reading Is Fundamental’s reach by engaging neighboring programs and volunteers in a selection of activities. By receiving this honor, Karlene is being recognized for the invaluable role she plays in advancing RIF’s mission. As one of 50 ambassadors, Karlene will receive technical assistance and materials to support activities of her choice. She will also receive $500 for her RIF program and $100 toward expenses. In addition to her duties with RIF, Karlene manages one of the library’s most popular early literacy programs, “Get Set, Get Ready, Let’s Read!” Thanks to a Friends of the Durham Library grant, she can often be
“Each year I look forward to the looks on the faces of the young children as they excitedly search through dozens of colorful books until they find that perfect one,” she said. “The children feel such pride knowing that the book they choose is theirs to keep. “One year, a young girl finally found the book she wanted, but her mom wanted her to choose a different title. ‘Why, mommy, why?’ asked the little girl on the verge of tears. ‘Because we have that one at home,’ responded Mom. The little girl held her book close to her chest, looked up at her mom with precious tear-filled eyes and shouted, ‘But this is mine!’ Mom simply said, ‘Okay.’ As I watched that scene play out I thought to myself, ‘Priceless… this is why I do what I do.’”
The Library Family Board of Trustees Al Roberts, Chair Elsa Woods, Vice-Chair Tatia Ash Joe Hewitt Allan Lang Dorothy Reid Michael Schoenfeld Joyce Sykes Beck Tench
Friends of the Durham Library Aviva Shira Starr, President Ann Wilder, Vice President Victoria Hertz, Secretary Mary Auen, Treasurer Bobbie Walters-Brown, Past President Betty Danielson Roslyn (Roz) Grace Janet W. Hessling Tara Lake Gerry Larson Jeff Laufenberg A. Wendell Musser, M.D. Rob Rabb Martha Scotford Andre Vann Angela Zoltners
Durham Library Foundation Ann W. Craver, President Steve Pike, Vice President Bessie Carrington, Treasurer Placide Barada, Secretary Willis P. Whichard, Founding President Bonnie Cox Frances Dyer Phil Hutchings W.K. Joklik Lois Oliver Al Roberts, Trustees Liaison William Self Robert S. Timmins Elizabeth Townsend Angela Zoltners, Friends Representative Skip Auld, Library Director
Best of Friends is published in support of Durham County Library, with primary expenses for printing and distribution paid by the Friends of the Durham Library. The newsletter is produced by the library’s Marketing & Development Division.
Manager ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... Gina Rozier Graphic Designer . .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. Hitoko Burke Grant Writer and Friends Liaison...........................................................................................................................................................................................Anastasia Bush Webmaster....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... Jill Wagy Adult Programing and Humanities Coordinator.................................................................................................................................................................................................. Marian Fragola Development Officer........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... Alice Sharpe
Friends of the Durham Library Newsletter
Humanities Programs at Durham County Library
Brought to you with support from the Durham Library Foundation. All programs are free and open to the public. MARCH A Celebration of Billie Holiday Sunday, March 21; 3 p.m. Main Library, 300 N. Roxboro St. In honor of Women’s History Month, New York Times best-selling author Carole Boston Weatherford will read from her book Becoming Billie Holiday, accompanied by students from NCCU’s Department of Music, who will sing songs made famous by “Lady Day.”
An Evening with Marilyn Nelson Monday, April 19; 7 p.m. Main Library, 300 N. Roxboro St. In celebration of National Poetry Month, join us as we welcome awardwinning poet Marilyn Nelson. Ms. Nelson is the former Poet Laureate of the State of Connecticut and the author of A Wreath for Emmett Till and Carver: A Life in Poems (a Coretta Scott King Honor Book). Ms. Nelson will read from her work and answer questions about the writing process. Co-presented with NCCU’s James E. Shepard Library.
APRIL What’s All That Jazz About? – A Jazz Appreciation Workshop Tuesday, April 13; 7 p.m. Stanford L. Warren Library, 1201 Fayetteville St. In celebration of Jazz Appreciation Month, jazz saxophonist and composer Shenole Latimer will teach you how to listen to and appreciate music from the jazz idiom. No prior knowledge of jazz is needed. Award-winning New York saxophonist Shenole Latimer, who performs in venues up and down the East Coast, draws inspiration from artists like Michael Brecker, Branford Marsalis and Dexter Gordon.
Wicked: A Book Discussion led by Award-Winning Author John Kessel Wednesday, April 14; 7 p.m. Location: The Regulator Bookshop, 720 Ninth St. In recognition of the blockbuster musical WICKED coming to DPAC, join us for a discussion of the best-selling novel on which the show is based: Gregory Maguire’s Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. NCSU professor and award-winning science fiction and fantasy author John Kessel will lead a discussion about Wicked, as well as L. Frank Baum’s original Oz series. Free and open to the public. Co-presented with The Regulator Bookshop.
The Women Who Ran the Schools: Durham County’s Rural Black Schools, 1915-1930, and the Jeanes Teachers Sunday, April 18; 3 p.m. Main Library, 300 N. Roxboro St. Jeanes teachers – African Americans, usually women, paid in part by grants from the Jeanes Fund – were specifically charged with improving vocational and industrial education. This talk brings to life Durham County’s Jeanes teachers, particularly Mrs. Carrie T. Jordan, who was responsible for holding the first county-wide commencement for black schools and was a key player in bringing Rosenwald Foundation funds to Durham County to build schools for African-American students. The history of Durham County’s African-American schools during the years 1900-1930 will also be featured.
Book Discussion: Let’s Talk About It Join us for Let’s Talk About It: the African-American Experience. Scholars from North Carolina Central University will lead book discussions on five seminal works.
The Color Purple Saturday, March 20; 2 p.m. Stanford L. Warren Library, 1201 Fayetteville St. Today’s discussion will feature Alice Walker’s The Color Purple, led by Mrs. Regina Alston.
Invisible Man Saturday, April 10; 2 p.m. Stanford L. Warren Library, 1201 Fayetteville St. Today’s discussion will feature Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man led by Dr. Janice Dargan.
Your Blues Ain’t Like Mine Saturday, April 24; 2 p.m. Stanford L. Warren Library, 1201 Fayetteville St. Today’s discussion will feature Bebe Moore Campbell’s Your Blues Ain’t Like Mine led by Dr. Wendy Rountree.
Poetry for Everyone In celebration of National Poetry Month, community leaders will read their favorite poems.
Monday, April 12; 7 p.m. Parkwood Branch, 5122 Revere Road Sunday, April 25; 3:15 p.m. Please note location: Parker and Otis, 112 South Duke Street Light refreshments will be served; to order menu items or drinks from Parker and Otis’ menu, please arrive prior to 3 p.m.
Monday, April 26; 7 p.m. East Regional Library, 211 Lick Creek Lane Featuring special guest Piedmont Laureate Zelda Lockhart.
For more information, call 560-0268 or visit www.durhamcountylibrary.org Best of Friends Spring 2010
Spring Book Sale — Friends of the Durham Library Find great bargains at the Friends Spring Book Sale April 9-11. Thousands of books are categorized for easy shopping: fiction, nonfiction books, audiobooks, CDs and DVDs. Prices start at 50 cents for paperbacks and $1 for hardbacks. Shop early for the best selection of specially priced books in gift-giving condition and support Durham County Library with your purchases. Schedule: Friday, Apr. 9, 4 p.m. - 7 p.m. Friends members only—join at the door! Saturday, Apr. 10, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Everyone welcome. Sunday, Apr. 11, 2 p.m. - 5 p.m. $7 Bag Sale Location: Main Library, 300 N. Roxboro St., Durham, NC 27701. For info call 560-0100. Can’t make it to the Spring Book Sale? Check out year-round mini-booksales at American Tobacco Campus, 334 Blackwell St., Durham East Regional Library, 211 Lick Creek Ln., Durham Main Library, 300 N. Roxboro St., Durham North Regional Library, 221 Milton Rd., Durham Parkwood Branch, 5122 Revere Rd., Durham Stanford L. Warren Branch, 1201 Fayetteville St., Durham Your donations of books, CDs and DVDs are welcome at any library location.
How to donate books: The Friends of the Durham Library welcomes donations of books, audiobooks, CDs and DVDs, except for: encyclopedias, magazines, cassettes and condensed books. You may take your donation to any Durham County Library location during regular hours. Please bring large donations (more than one box) to the Main Library garage on Tuesday morning between 9 and noon, when the Friends of the Durham Library are present and can help unload. For more info, visit: http://www.durhamcountylibrary.org/friends.php.
For more info call 560-0190 or visit www.durhamcountylibrary.org/friends.php
Friends of the Durham Library Newsletter
Friends of the Durham Library Membership:
Become a member of the Friends of the Durham Library or renew your membership:
Name Phone Address City
E-Mail Zip
Type of Membership: Memberships expire in one year (except Life memberships) q Family $25 q Adult $15
Please make your check payable and mail to Friends of the Durham Library, PO Box 3809, Durham, NC 27702. Questions: Anastasia Bush (919-560-0190 or abush@durhamcountync.gov).
q Senior (over 65) $10 q Sustaining $50 q Youth (18 and younger) $5 q Patron $100
q Life $300 q Additional gift of
Financial information about this organization and a copy of its license are available from the State Solicitation Licensing Branch at 1-888-830-4989. The license is not an endorsement by the State.
Donations of $25 or more to the Foundation include membership in the Friends of the Durham Library.
To Make a Donation to the Durham Library Foundation:
Yes, a stonger library makes a stonger Durham. Here’s my contribution! q $30 q $50 q $75 q $150 q $250 q Other
Name
Phone Address City
Please make your check payable and mail to Durham Library Foundation, PO Box 3809, Durham, NC 27702. Questions, bequests & other planned giving needs: Alice Sharpe (919-560-0193 or asharpe@durhamcountync.gov).
Donate online any time at www.durhamlibraryfoundation.org
(as you would like to see your name listed in our Annual Report) E-Mail Zip
Nonprofit org. U.S. Postage PAID Durham, NC Permit No. 312
P.O. Box 3809 Durham, NC 27702
www.durhamcountylibrary.org