FRIENDS of the New Braunfels Public Library, Inc
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FRIENDS of the New Braunfels Public Library, Inc. Issue One 2014 December 14—Christmas Lunch Over sixty Friends of the Library attended the Christmas Potluck lunch after the December 14th meeting at the Christ Presbyterian Church. The church provided lovely Christmas decorations for the meeting area, and the Christmas cheer continued as members moved to the dining area. Arlene Buhl, Hospitality Chair, and her committee members Beverly Denney, Donna Thornton, and Patti Humer dressed up the dining room. Sherri Koerth and Sally Kent decorated the tables where members comfortably enjoyed the meal. Gretchen Pruett talked about her memories of the library of her childhood, and the tall shelves stacked to the ceiling with books, and how it imprinted on her for life. She said she imagined most of the audience had the same imprinted memories as she did. She continued to remind everyone that it was time to consider the imprint the libraries of the 21st century are making on the young families and children who make up so much of the library’s daily attendance, and how the Friends are helping to make those memories. From the Ameri- can Girl Tea Parties to the stuffed animal sleepovers, the author and entertainer appearances, the Thousand Books Before Kindergarten program, all of these are memories in the making. Sandy Slattery gave a heart-warming history of her involvement with the Friends, including her amazing recovery from a stroke, and then Vicky Hocker, swore her in for another two year term as Second Vice Presi- dent/Book Store Manager Reverend David Wendel, Ruthie’s husband, again this year gave a moving blessing with a literary/library context, a perfect close to the meeting and opening to the Christmas lunch. Page 2 Christmas Lunch Continued Donna Laux welcomes and signs in FOL mem- bers. Beautiful display of Christmas books for sale. Donna Thornton renews her membership with Sue Dean, 1st Vice President for membership, and FOL member Barbara Northcutt. Lora Lee Brunelle stands by our new poster to encourage volunteering. Dave Dean resting his new knee while Mary Helen Phillips sells Friends’ cookbooks and coffee mugs. Page 3 Christmas Lunch Continued Dave Dean, Treasurer, received a check for $450 from Marvin Giambernardi, Citizen’s Police Academy repre- sentative, from their September parking lot fund raiser during the Comal County Fair. Vicky Hocker installed Sandy Slattery in her second two-year term as Second Vice Presi- dent. Ed Slocombe at play ... and Fred Willard at work. FOL members John Davis, ,Jeanine Watrous and Ann Slocombe enjoying the fellowship. Page 4 From the Desk of Library Director, Gretchen Pruett Library Director Gretchen Pruett’s news release outlining some wonderful additions to the already awesome New Braunfels Public Library, Inc., is welcome news for the many library patrons who use digital content . Below is a summary of the three great new digital resources available starting in February as "Love My Library Month" begins. Zinio is an online distribution service for digital magazines, accessible to patrons through the li- brary’s website. Using Zinio, patrons may download popular magazines to their computer or smart device, without holds, checkout periods or limitations on quantities. Once patrons log-in and set up an account, they may select magazines of their choosing, and receive notification when the next issue is released. The library will offer twenty one magazines initially through Zinio, though the number of magazines the library offers in digital format is expected to grow over time. Freegal Music is a downloadable collection of 7 million songs, including music by artists in the catalog of Sony Entertainment. Once patrons logon to their library account, they may download 3 songs per week with no DRM (digital rights management) restrictions, and no software to down- load. They also will be allotted 3 hours of digital music streaming per day and will be allowed to create their own music playlists. Downloaded music files do not expire and are compatible with pcs, Macs, iPods, iPads, smartphones and other MP3-compatible devices. Freegal Movies is a streaming video service with movies in a variety of genres. As with Freegal Music, patrons access Freegal Movies by logging on to their library account, and may view 3 movies per week. There are thousands of feature films to choose from, in a variety of genres, as well as episodes of television programs. At present most movies available through Freegal Mov- ies are not new releases, but a year or two out of the theaters, though this is expected to change in time. New content is added each month. Gretchen commented: “Online music, magazines and movies are the kinds of content people seek on their own― now they can get it at no cost through us. This is an area of growth for us, and we’re trying hard to anticipate the community’s needs and trying to be on the cutting edge, as well. We are very pleased to be the first library in Central Texas to offer digital music streaming.” Page 5 Where does our $$$$ go? Atomic Training: the library’s excellent Monthly Gardening Series: online resource for learning computer skills. It provides patrons with online video-based courses on Microsoft, Apple and Adobe soft- Wed., Feb. 26, 3 pm ware programs, social media, as well as online Backyard Beekeeping workshops teaching how to use iPad, Kindle, with Ron Schmidt smartphones and tablets. No registration required. Ageless Pilates 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten: Par- Pilates class meets every Friday from 10:30-11:30 a.m. ents sign up their children from birth to age 5, in the Large Meeting Room. receive a book bag, instructions, and a reading Pilates is a movement therapy that uses a method of log. This encourages reading readiness and life physical exercise to strengthen and build control of -long readers! muscles, especially those used for posture. Awareness of breathing and precise control of movements are Integral components of Pilates. This class offers an excellent means to increasing core strength. Author Visits: Concerts : Rain Gardens: Waterwise Landscaping with Vincent Debrock Westside Community Center ellen cherry in concert Wednesday, April 2, 3 pm Tuesday, March 18, 7 pm FOL Members: Your efforts are appreciated! Knitting in Public: Wednesday night 7-9 Lobby The Book Sale Keeps on Giving Twenty-five people Houston Warrior attended the and Family Sup- first night. port Center FOL pro- were among the vides begin- non-profits who ning sup- picked up some plies and unsold books instructions. and magazines after the 2013 Page 6 Early Memoirs of Libraries Jeanine Watrous: I grew up in a family that loved books. My dad bought an Encyclopedia Britannica for my younger brothers and me. Before that, I thought only libraries had them. I learned how to spell "encyclopedia" on the Mickey Mouse Club show when Jiminy Cricket spelled it in a song. I still hum that song when I spell it. I only lived in 2 houses growing up. The first house was in Berkley, Michigan, and we stayed there until I was 12 .The city had a library downtown we could walk to. I remember walking to that library for summer reading club. Attached is one certificate from 1958 that I still have. I was given books for presents from family and friends. I still have some of them. I started a library in my basement (yes ,Michigan has them) for the neighborhood kids. I put little papers in a pocket I made in the back of my book, so they could sign their name and I’d put it in a green metal card file. As an adult, I was a first grade teacher for 30 years (used some of those books) and then a Children’s Librarian for 8 years at Pasadena (Texas) Public Library, Fairmont Branch. I did not get my Masters in Library Science, but oth- ers on the staff had it and that counted for the state. I loved my job and I even got to order books! I was like a kid in a candy shop. Watch your children’s interest at a young age, and you might get a hint of what is to become part of their career. John L. Creswell, PhD: As a boy growing up on a small farm in southeast Iowa in the 1950s, I fondly remember spending many Saturday afternoons in the Wapello Public Library. My imagination transported me around the world, as I read Rudyard Kipling's "The Jungle Book" and many other adventure novels for the first time. It opened my eyes to a larger world, beyond home and family. Throughout my long life, public libraries have helped me grow and expand my perception of the world and universe. From The Herald-Zeitung, January 25: “To acquire the habit of reading is to construct for yourself a refuge from almost all the miseries of life.” W. Somerset Maugham Page 7 Letter from the Co-Presidents As the new year progresses, it seems like a good time to reflect on the reason the Friends of the Library exist. The history of the founding of the Friends more than 25 years ago (look for this story in the next newsletter) emphasizes the major changes both organizations have undergone. The “new” Library building is now at capacity, and the FOL numbers more than 250 members. More than sixty thousand dollars a year is raised by volunteers. The Mission Statement of the New Braunfels Public Library is “to provide the community with equal access to physical and virtual environments that support and encourage lifelong learning and enrichment.” The Friends’ Mission Statement is “to promote knowledge of the functions, resources, services, and needs of the New Braunfels Public Library and to foster closer relations between the library and the citizens of New Braunfels and surrounding areas.” Gretchen Pruett, our Library Director, describes what the Friends provide as “ enrichment, the icing on the cake, the wow factor.” You can see the library’s web page with this list of programs, as well as a nice “thank you” to us, if you click on Research and Learning, and then on Classes and Pro- grams on the library’s main web page.