InfoBytes

Newsletter of the Friends of the
West Caldwell Public Library

Volume 5, Issue 3     Fall 2003

 

Are We There Yet?  Well Almost!

How many of us with small children have heard that question, and how many of us have given basically the same answer. It’s been a long journey since the ground breaking on July 31, 2002 but even to the casual observer, we have made great progress in the renovation and expansion of our library and we really are “almost there”.

We had hoped to see the addition and renovation completed by now but there were delays in delivery of some of the millwork and shelving. Those delays are being resolved in October so that by early November we expect all basic library functions to be restored with the opening to patrons of the main book stacks, reference study area and magazine reading area.

Some additional work remains to complete the new Local History Room and Study Room as well as the media center in the new Community Meeting Room. We expect those areas to be finished in the near future.

There no doubt will be some time needed to optimize the operation of our newly configured library. However, we very soon will be able to enjoy the “Great” library we all have been working so hard to achieve.

Notice of Election to Friends Board

All members of this organization are entitled and encouraged to participate in the work of the Friends and to hold office.  All officers shall be elected to office for a term of one year, such election to take place at the Annual Meeting on Monday, November 10 at 7:30 pm in the Library’s Community Meeting Room.

The following slate of officers has been proposed for the year 2004.

President - Ron Day
Vice-President  - Mark Cohen
Recording Secretary  -
Corresponding Secretary - Alice Gibson
Treasurer - Lila Rubin

From the President

About this time last year our Annual Meeting was held up on the hill in the Julia Potwin Civic Center.  Happily, we are home from the hill and will meet in the Library’s new Community Meeting Room on Monday, November 10 at 7:30 pm.  Following a brief business meeting and Election of Officers, Dr. Clifford Kreismer, Lecturer, Storyteller, and Raconteur will give a talk on “O. Henry: The Surprise Ending”. He will tell O. Henry’s stories in his own words but stay true to the author’s “twist” of plot. He will also include some pertinent details about his life and his method of writing.

I have had the enjoyable privilege of hearing Dr. Kreismer speak and am happy that he is able to be with us on this occasion.  Light refreshments will be served.  The program is free and open to the public. 

In other news, we have leftover shirts from our “Children’s Mural” T-shirt Fund raiser. We will offer them again for sale once the full size mural is reinstalled in the Children’s Library. 

Thank-you’s are due to volunteers who have been helping to “read” our shelves.  The hardest part has been telling our eager patrons that we’re still not ready for browsing.

This is the last “message” from this President.  I will, of course, stay active on the Board as Past President and look forward to a busy time next year.

- Polly Payne

Friends Executive Board - 2003

 President                                                       PolIy Payne
Vice President                                                    Ron Day
Treasurer                                                          Lila Rubin
Recording Secretary                                     Gina Biglin
Corresponding Secretary             Mary Lynn Ventola
Member-at-Large                                 Laverne Nelson
Member-at-Large                                       Mark Cohen
Member-at-Large                             Robin Katz Cudrin
Immediate Past President                     Linda Garfinkel
Library Director                                      April L. Judge
Committee Chairmen
   Hospitality                                                    Olga Reiher
Books-to-Go                                          Rozz Rusinow

Special Library Collections 

The library owns 55,566 items which includes materials in a wide variety of formats. General categories include Adult Nonfiction, Adult Fiction, Adult Media, Adult Periodicals and Juvenile Materials. In order to make the materials more easily accessible to all patrons, the collection is broken down into smaller collections. These smaller collections are generally comprised of like materials.

Besides all the regular small collections such as the New Fiction and New Picture Book sections, the library houses many special collections. These include:

Large Print Collection - Titles in this small collection duplicate and supplement those already in the collection. This section is intended primarily to serve patrons with vision impairments. The library subscribes to a rotating collection of large print materials both fiction and non-fiction. These books which expand the large print titles owned by the library are received by the library quarterly giving patrons a larger selection on a more frequent basis.

Young Adult Collection - This relatively new collection consists of fiction and non­fiction titles of interest to young adults in grades 6-12. All materials for this segment of the population are labeled with a yellow and red YA sticker. The paperback and hardback fiction, magazines, books on tape and books on CD are all housed in an enhanced, larger YA area. The nonfiction titles and biographies are interfiled with the adult non-fiction collection giving teens a broader range of information books to select from.

Biographies - Over the past years, many patrons have requested that the biographies be shelved together in one separate area. This will make browsing easier especially for those patrons that love to read books in this genre. It will also help students more easily find biographical information to fulfill their assignments. Biographies in this library have Dewey decimal numbers corresponding to the subject area in which the person excelled. Therefore, books about Thomas Edison (621.3092) are grouped together in the number for inventors, Jackie Robinson (797.357092) are in the baseball number and Bruce Springsteen (784.092) are in the music section.

Board Books - The library has a collection of books just for babies. These books are made of thick cardboard so babies can experience turning pages and not tear them. They are sturdy and can take much wear. Books in this collection include simple concept books, books with bright, colorful pictures and very limited text. These books are housed in a very colorful wooden bin in the Children’s Library.

Local History and Genealogy Room

One of the new features in the renovated library is the Local History and Genealogy Room. Although the library has always had local history and genealogy information available, this room will be set up to make better use of the material and provide limited access storage for one-of-kind type materials. The room will be equipped with an Internet access computer, a scanner and a printer.

Working with members of the West Caldwell Historical Society, the library plans to greatly expand its “vertical files” of photographs and news clippings. The long-term goal is to have most of this format stored in electronic media (CD-ROM’s) that can be easily copied without the potential of damaging the original documents. 

In addition, the library will increase its holdings of local history and genealogy books. We have been offered a rather extensive collection of these types of materials from the estate of a local resident. The donation will be made through the West Caldwell Historical Society and we are currently negotiating the conditions if any that may apply to this collection. There are many hundreds of books in this collection and it is expected that some type of recognition plaque will be placed on the door of the Local History Room.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of the new features in the Children’s Library is the Young Readers’ Desk. This serves as the focal point for the many activities and services available for both our children and young adult patrons. Above, Laura Flandera, Senior Children’s Librarian (left), and Jillian Ploch, Children’s Library Assistant pose amid the many announcements and brochures describing the fall activities available to the youth of West Caldwell. 

Greetings from the Library Director

As the splendid colors of autumn leaves brighten up October days, the library’s renovation and expansion project is rapidly coming to an end. We are awaiting final delivery of several items and recently finished putting all the materials on the shelves. Many volunteers including members of the Friends helped put the books in order. We appreciate all their help in finishing this project in such a timely manner. Thanks to everyone for taking the time to get the library ready for our re­opening. A date for the official Grand Opening Dedication Ceremony has not yet been set. But once the event has been scheduled publicity will be available.

Starting next year, the library will offer is an increased number of programs for adults. These special events will be held in the new Community Meeting Room donated by Olga and Robert L. Reiher. Some of the possible program ideas that are under discussion include a film-book discussion group, author signings, music, storytelling, and gardening. If you have any ideas for types of programs that you would like to see presented, are an expert on a topic and would be willing to give a presentation on it, or know someone knowledgeable in an area of special interest and would be willing to share their expertise with members of the community, please stop by the Reference Desk and give the information to one of the librarians.

Summer was a busy time for the Youth Services Department. Due to the construction, programs were held off site at the Civic Center and 176 children participated in the first Statewide Summer Reading Program, “Read and Grow @ your library”. In September, letters and lists of participants were sent to the Principals of the elementary schools asking them to recognize their students who were club members. Over the next year, the Youth Services department will brainstorm ways to increase attendance next summer for “Discover New Trails @ your library”.

Our Read It! A Friendly Book Discussion Group is always looking for new members. The group meets once a month on the second Tuesday night at 7:30 pm to discuss a wide variety of books from the classics such as Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen to contemporary titles like Ha Jin’s Waiting. Books are provided by the library. The discussions are informal and lively, participation by members is encouraged and suggestions for future books to read are readily accepted. I lead each month’s discussion and invite you and your friends to attend our next meeting. For further information on dates and book titles to be discussed, please visit the Reference Desk.

Wishing everyone a Happy Halloween, a Thanksgiving filled with friends and family and a joyous December.

- April Judge

The BCCLS—BERY 

Every January beginning in 1922, the Newbery Award Committee of the Association for Library Services to Children, a division of the American Library Association, selects the most distinguished contribution to literature published for children during the previous year. The author must be a US citizen. The award is named for John Newbery, the first English publisher of books for children.

For the first time, the BCCLS Youth Services Committee is planning a Mock Newbery Award program. The participants will read the following nine nominated titles which all received starred reviews in professional reviewing journals. They will then meet in late November to discuss the pros and cons of each book and then cast their votes.

For lovers of children’s literature, read these titles and let Library Director, April Judge, know which one is your selection for the BCCLS-BERY! It will be interesting to see if you and the BCCLS participants are on target with the Newbery Award Committee or not!

Sahara Special by Esme Raji Codell

Granny Torreii Makes Soup by Sharon Creech

The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo

The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau

Owen’s Ocean by Kevin Henkes

Keeper of the Night by Kimberly Willis Holt

The Canning Season by PoIly Horvath

Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli

Sword of the Rightful King by Jane Yolen
 

The renovation and expansion of the Children’s Library has been complete for several months. Currently the library is providing full services to our most precious patrons. Above, young readers try out the new tables in the bow window area with the help of Senior Children’s Librarian, Holly Belli.

 

 

   

Read It!
A Friendly Book Discussion Group

The meetings are held at the library and start promptly at 7:30 pm.

Tuesday, Nov. 11      Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

Tuesday, Dec. 9               Atonement by Ian McEwan   

POOH’s Corner

A Children’s Literature

Book Discussion Group

For Adults

Join us for lively, interesting and stimulating

conversations about children’s books.

Copies of the books are available at the

Young Reader’s Desk

Thursday, November 6 at 7:30 PM
Pictures of Hollis Woods
By Patricia Reilly Giff

Thursday, December 4 at 7:30 PM
Bridge to Terabitchia
By Katherine Paterson

Ready for a Really Big Book Sale?

Have you been saving your old books to donate to the West Caldwell Public Library Book Sale? If so, you join many others who have been saving their books for many months waiting for the library renovation to be completed.

The time will soon be here to get rid of those books. The Library is planning a big book sale in early January. Because this is the first book sale in many months, we expect a very large quantity of books for the sale.

Donations will be accepted starting on Friday, December 12 at 9 am and from then on during regular business hours. The library will not accept magazines, National Geographics, Reader’s Digest Condensed books, old encyclopedias, musty smelling or mildewed items, or toys (we are not a garage sale!).

The Friends of the Library will again be asked to help setup and staff the book sale that will take place in the Library’s new Community Meeting Room.

As in the past, there will be a Friends preview night on Friday, January 3 from 5:30 to 8:00 pm when Friends of the Library will be able to buy books before the sale is open to the general public.