SHERWOOD OAKS NEWSLETTER 100 Norman Drive, Cranberry Twp., PA 16066 Summer 2015 “For the residents, by the residents” Vol. XVI No. 6 Photo by Ken Hareza And it’s “bearly” Spring... Story on page 16 "ROLL OUT THOSE LAZY, HAZY, Periodically (no pun intended) Betty, assist- CRAZY DAYS OF SUMMER ..." ed by Ed Vidt, sorts books. If a book has not been signed out in five years, it might wind Yes, in summer, agendas are less muscu- up on the Free/Do Not Return cart. Mind lar, clocks less insistent. There is time to you, "One of a Kind" books achieve emeri- read! An old magazine, a new detective tus status and remain on the shelves. story, a classic from high school days. This issue of THE ACORN features the Sher- Between a book's coming and going, many wood Oaks Library: the people, the sys- workers tend to its care and well-being. At tems and the workings behind the book least two dozen residents donate time and stacks, magazine racks, comfortable chairs work. The Library Committee, chaired by and that free book cart out in the hall. In Jane Mallory, is a SORA Committee. Its off- other words, we will go behind the scenes. shoot is the Book Selection Committee. Some volunteers do double duty: they serve Two books walked into a library... But how on a Committee and work in the library. did they get there? Some were selected Betty Polley and Louise Hackett are the and purchased by the Book Selection Librarians, Flora Farinelli, Library Aide. Committee. (Our SORA dollars at Each performs specific, professional tasks. work...see Tom Fararo's article elsewhere Remember Dewey Decimal numbers? The in this issue.) Some were donated by resi- book which lists them is called SEARS dents and their families. Some of those, — LIST. But, not to worry, this information is foundlings, — arrive in boxes on the library also available electronically, on a world-wide doorstep. However, inquiring prior to a book list. There is money in the SORA budget so delivery is much easier all around. Librarian that we can "plug in." It will take awhile. Betty Polley can tell you which of your books the SO Library can use. Come into Every day except Sunday, someone records the Library and ask for a donation sign-out slips, returns books to the shelves, form. Betty is also willing to make house "redds up" magazines. Someone sticks calls! If you are culling book collections, orange dots to the spines of new books, make a date with Betty and she will come blue ones to large-print volumes. You read to your place to help in the sorting process. the list of new books in THE ACORN. Bob She will also provide information about Hines compiles that... More volunteer tasks places to donate other, leftover books. than meet the eye! And how do books leave? Daily. People As John Lorenz says, "Books help sustain sign them out (for three weeks with renewal us." So let's say thanks to Library Commit- options). On Wednesday, May 13, 33 books tees and Volunteers. And, as the entire staff were signed out! If you are late in returning reminds us: "Be sure to sign out your book." or renewing a book, a volunteer (who rbb else?) will remind you. The Coletta McKenry Library, the largest library of any retirement community in the Pittsburgh area, lists 6,100 hard cover books in the card catalog. That number does not include 1,600 paperbacks...or journals and magazines. 2 rooms. It was like a step into the 21st century without going through the 20th. Because the books and staff were moved into the building before furniture arrived, students sprawled on floors all over the building. With no chairs, each floor looked more like a day at the beach than a proper library. Betty Polley had the task of setting up the li- brary for Seneca Valley’s new senior high school. With a small budget of $50,000, she had to scout sales across western Pennsylva- Sherwood Oaks residents who worked as nia and Ohio to get a proper collection. Happi- librarians have achieved many remarkable ly, she was able to pull a good many books things… from the old library which had been for grades 9-12, to form a base for the new grades 11-12 Beverly Schacht was head of the reference building. With Betty Polley as head librarian for library in Butler when they received the first Sherwood Oaks, each of these former librari- grant in Pennsylvania to connect two libraries ans has been consulted and put to good use by computer. They linked Butler and Zelienople for the running of our great Library. public libraries in the 70s. At the reference Peggy Meister desk, one memorable query was “How many dimples are on a golf ball?” Ruth Fondi spent three years earning her Library Science degree at night school. Her helpful husband handled the seven kids, ages 2-12, each night she had classes. Her proud- est achievement was teaching Library Science at Marywood College. Louise Hackett had intended to teach high school English and Social Studies. When a li- brarian retired at her school, she was offered Photos by Joe Asin the position with the proviso that she earn her I call John Lorenz "The Father of Us All" and Library Science degree while doing the job. that is OK by the retired librarians who live at She did and her proudest achievement was to Sherwood Oaks. From 1966-1976 he was have two of her student volunteers become Deputy Director of the Library of Congress. school librarians. Work on a global automated book cataloging system was begun under his aegis. But what Gussie Dimmick’s most memorable time was might be easier to envision are Bookmobiles. moving the books and equipment to Pitt’s Hill- They hit the road when John was Head of man Library in 1968. Prior to this they operated Library Services of the US Office of Education. out of three floors and the basement in the The Office and the American Library Associa- Cathedral of Learning. The empty floors of the tion (of which John was an active member) Hillman Library looked as big as football fields. borrowed the idea from the US Department of The building itself was beautiful and seemed to Agriculture as a way to enhance rural life. float on its base. Gussie found the new library When John says "Books help sustain us," he full of amenities she’d never seen before - not only knows what he is talking about, he offices for faculty, student study carrels, group knows the work it takes to bring books and study rooms, audio-visual rooms and computer people together. rbb 3 A BOOK SELECTION COMMITTEE hazardous; it became trapped in pack ANNOUNCEMENT ice. In the next two years, the 32-man crew was faced with the loss of their ship As most residents probably know, a and a march across the ice to safety committee selects new books for our which involved meager supplies and the library. The current members are: Helen constant dangers of polar bears, snow Haberlein, Mary (Gussie) Dimmick, blindness and storms. Hampton Sides, Beverly Sanker, George Mallory, Kath- who also wrote Ghost Soldiers, has leen Schartner and Tom Fararo (Chair). written an exciting, carefully researched tale of an amazing adventure. Highly Some books selected are by well-known recommended. and popular authors, but others are Mary (Gussie) Dimmick not. Of the latter, it sometimes happens that word-of-mouth is sufficient to encour- Euphoria age readers. In other cases, the book Lily King 2014 (Fiction) languishes in the stacks with only one, or even no, reader, — despite very posi- Named one the "ten best of the year" by tive media reviews as well as the commit- the New York Times, Time and other tee's judgment that the book also would review sources, this absorbing short be of interest to residents. To enhance novel is based upon an episode in the the visibility of some of these books, THE life of Margaret Mead, the famous cultur- ACORN will begin to publish recommen- al anthropologist. Her fictional counter- dations in the form of mini-reviews of part is a young woman who is already such books. Some of these will be by famous when she arrives in New Guinea Ed Vidt, as usual, and others will be by in the early 1930s to begin a new study a member of the Committee (see below). of a tribal culture. She is accompanied by two other anthropologists, one her Tom Fararo unpredictable and often nasty husband. The other, an insecure young British In the Kingdom of the Ice: The Grand man filled with doubts about his capacity and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS for field work, deeply admires her meth- Jeannette ods and soon becomes drawn to her ro- Hampton Sides 2014 (Nonfiction) mantically. The story draws the reader into the intense emotional and intellectu- There was a time when the polar regions al lives of the three protagonists, closely were considered to be nearly as inacces- mirroring the real events with one major sible as the moon. Nevertheless, brave and surprising exception at the end of adventurers set forth, as did the crew of the story. Told with vivid attention to how the USS Jeannette. Sponsored by James these Westerners adapt to the torrid jun- Gordon Bennett (who sent Stanley to gle environment, the story is one that Africa to find Livingstone), the expedition you will not soon forget.