Annual Meeting of Friends of the Eager Free Public Library

Annual Meeting of Friends of the Eager Free Public Library

The FEFPL Constitution specifies that the group hold an annual meeting within four months of the end of each fiscal year.  Our fiscal year ends on June 30th of each year.

This year our annual meeting will occur on Friday, Octoer 22nd at about 7 PM at the Eager Free Public Library.  Though the library will be closed to the public, Friends may enter the building through the First St. entrance.  The meeting is expected to conclude by 8 pm.

All current members of the FEFPL also receive this notice by mail in the Fall 2010 newsletter, which will be posted on or about October 1, 2010.

Any member of the public who wishes to join the Friends of the Eager Free Public Library is also welcome to come to this annual meeting.  Membership forms will be available.

Celebration Time.... Come On!

Celebration Time.... Come On!

Join us to Celebrate National Friends of Libraries Week with your Friends.

In Evansville, Mayor (and Friend) Sandy Decker will proclaim October 17-23, 2010 as Friends of EFPL Week.  

We'll honor a long-time Friend as our first-ever Friend of the Year.

Congratulate and thank this Friend for long-time service to EFPL.

Enjoy light snacks, beverages, & some cool jazz in the background. Meet new Friends.  Check out physical improvements the Friends have made to the library.  Try out the new language-learning program, Mango!  See the new DVD/computer projector in operation. 

Then, attend the Friends’ Annual Meeting, which will take place as the celebration winds down.  The event will conclude around 8 PM.

Great YouTube Video!

Great YouTube Video!

I suggest we all appreciate our library staff a lot more.  With the specter of tight(er) budgets for the next several years, and increasing library usage, they are doing more and more in a time of fewer resources.

Check out this video for a light-hearted but powerful take on the situation at libraries all around the US.

Mango, Mango, Mango!

Mango, Mango, Mango!

Where does the money raised from the Ice Cream Socials and Used Book Sales at the Eager Free Public Library go?    Most recently, the Friends of the Library purchased one year's access to Mango Languages, an online language-learning system now available to all EFPL library-card holders.  Mango works at the library on its public-access computers and on your home computer.  English speakers can use the program to learn 22 different languages --   for countries around the world.  Native speakers of 13 world languages can learn English as a Second Language.   

Mango provides two levels, Basic and Complete, with lessons ranging in length from 15 minutes to as long as an hour.  Each lesson begins and ends with a spoken conversation (with text on the computer screen) that includes all the vocabulary to be learned throughout the lesson, then breaking down each piece of the conversation individually until the knowledge is adequately reinforced.  Users hear native speakers conducting the conversation; you can repeat each segment as many times as you wish; you can record your own voice and compare your pronunciation with a native speaker.  There are timed memory challenges to adapt phrases and words already learned to new uses.  Repetition is the name of the game. You learn at your own pace. Advanced lessons build on knowledge gained from previous lessons.

Mango is suitable for students from about 6th grade upwards to adults. To access Mango from outside the library or this Blog, use your web browser to go to the Eager Free Public Library's website at: 

http://www.als.lib.wi.us/EFPL/

Then click on the Mango logo in the middle of the page.  If you have questions about the Mango language-learning system, contact the staff of the Eager Free Public Library.

Too Long a Hiatus

Too Long a Hiatus

I'm sorry to say that this blog has been dormant for over three months.  During that time, the Friends have been very active.  Our Ice Cream Social on July 2nd was very successful.  We raised a lot of money for the Library through both the ice cream/cake sales and the charity auction.  Our Summer Used Book Sale, which took place during Evansville's city-wide garage sale on August 7th, was well-attended.  We had to extend the sale hours, because so many people were still shopping at the epected 1 PM closing time.   Lots of used books found new homes, and more money was raised to support the library.. 

We're now beginning planning for our Friends' Annual Meeting and Party, which will take place in about 2 months, on October 22nd.  Details will follow, as will more information about and pictures of the summer's events.

Program Ideas?

Program Ideas?

The Friends' Board is always interested in new ideas for educational programs that may be put on at the Eager Free Public Library.

Right now, there seems to be an increasing local interest in the American Civil War.  The 150th anniversary of the start of that war will be upon us soon.  (South Carolina seceded from the Union in December 1860, and rebel forces fired on the US Fort Sumter in Charleston harbor in April 1861 shortly after Lincoln's inauguration.)  Any local amateur historians who would be interested in sharing some of their knowledge of the war, and especially Wisconsin's (and Evansville's!) role in it, are invited to contact the Friends to discuss the possibility of making a presentation at the library in the next year or so.  We're indebted to Friend Jennifer Ehle for suggesting this possibility to us.

Other ideas for programs are always welcome too.  Please let us know what kinds of programs you might like to either present or attend at your local public library.  Thanks!

New Secretary

New Secretary

Sonja Heiser, our Secretary for the past year or so, has found another direction for her life, and there's no space for the Friends in the immediate future.  We on the Board all wish her well.  She's been an asset to the Friends.

Following a suggestion from Friend John Willoughby,  we invited another Friend, Audrey Shomos, to take over the Secretary's responsibilities.  Audrey graciously accepted, and we are sure that she will be a great replacement for Sonja.

If you see Audrey out and about, please thank her for accepting this new responsibility.

Spring Cleaning Blitz -- blitzed!!

Spring Cleaning Blitz -- blitzed!!

Fifteen volunteers gathered at the library this gloomy and cool Saturday afternoon to wash windows, dust book bins and just about everything else, clean the kitchen, scrub floors and steps at the side entrance.  So many hands made light work; we finished all the tasks set for us within two and a half hours.  We all felt good about the results at the end.  The building, upstairs and down and the entrances,  is a whole lot shinier and sanitary-er too.

Next time you're in the building, look around for dust, or little remnants of tape on the walls, etc.  If you find any, email the Friends and let us know where we need to give more attention.

Ice Cream Social 2010

Ice Cream Social 2010

The Friends' Board Meeting tonight was pretty straightforward.  The major item of new business was to begin to think about the Ice Cream Social for this coming July 4th weekend.  It will be held on Friday July 2nd this year, to kick off the festivities that Evansville Community Partnership has planned for the entire weekend.  If you have any ideas on how to make the ICS even even better than it's been in the past, please get in touch with Fred Juergens at 882-2489.

We'll be having live entertainment and a charity auction, in addition to serving up gobs of ice-cream and cake.  Lots more news and details will come as the plans come together.

School Forest Exhibit at Library

School Forest Exhibit at Library

Nancy Kress has installed a very informative exhibit at our library concerning the Grove Campus School Forest Trail.  It's in the east front window of the library.

A major part of School Forest is on Fair Street and there's a trail that includes Wind Prairie and land on the exterior of Levi Leonard Elementary, Theodore Robinson Intermediate, and the fence line that's to the east of the high school.  The project's part of the big building project that started in 2002 with the new high school.  The Forest itself is a work in progress. So far over 1400 native Wisconsin trees and shrub have been planted.

Next time you come to Eager Free, check out the exhibit..

 

Gardening

Gardening

Among the many enhancements that the Friends bring to the library are the plantings that greet patrons when they come up the sidewalk to the building.  

  

It's a wonderful sign of spring when these bulbs on the west side of the building bloom. The care of these and other plantings are due to Friends' volunteer efforts on the library's behalf, for the pleasure of all those who use the library.

When you come to the library, ask one of the staff which of the Friends take on this beautification task, and then find a way to pass on your thanks for their work.

Shelves

Shelves

Here's what the new shelves for the used-book area in the basement look like.  Soon they'll be full of donated books, videos, cd's, etc., and hopefully you'll be making some additions to your home library.

"Spring Cleaning" Tradition revived

"Spring Cleaning" Tradition revived

Our first Spring Cleaning Blitz in "quite a few" years will occur on Saturday April 24, 2010, from 1 PM until 4 PM or earlier. We'll do the "extras" that the library's regular cleaning crew just doesn't have time to do.  In order to complete the tasks Kathi Kemp has planned, we need at least 15 volunteers who can wield dust-cloths, push vacuum cleaners & brooms, spray Windex, etc.  Many hands make light work! 

Please check with all members of your family and volunteer to dust tops of bookshelves, sweep out the furnace room, clean the basement windows inside and out, etc, etc, etc.  (Kathi has a bunch of et cetera's!) Be assured that there will be no heavy work or lifting.  

Once you've committed to help make your library spic & span, please email us at libraryfriends@charter.net to let us know that you're coming and how many other helpers you can bring along.   We want to hear from you.  

Thanks to all of you in advance, for being a Friend of the Library!

Electronic Newsletters are well-accepted

Electronic Newsletters are well-accepted

Last week I noted that, in addition to the paper newsletters the Friends send to all their members, we are sending the same newsletter as an email attachment, to all Friends who have supplied us with their email address.

At least half of those who received the email have indicated that they'd just as soon receive future newsletters only in this electronic form, thus saving the Friends the money it costs to print and mail the newsletter.  The savings will be applied to providing the Library with more support for its programs, activities, and acquisitions.

The Friends' Board thanks all those who will get their future newsletters over the internet.  The newsletter is also posted on our webpage at;

 http://www.als.lib.wi.us/EFPL/Friends%20documents/Spr10NewsletterFEFPL.pdf

Spring 2010 Newsletter being mailed.

Spring 2010 Newsletter being mailed.

The Friends' Spring 2010 newsletter (we publish one every six months) is in the hands of US Post Office.   The printed copies came from the printer last Friday, the mailing labels were printed yesterday and applied, along with first-class postage.  Your board did the affixing, and now they're all in the P.O.'s hands.

All paid-up members will be getting theirs in a few days. All members who have given us their email addresses will also receive a copy of the newsletter in their email inbox, as a .pdf file.

We'd like to have all persons interested in the Eager Free Public Library, whether members of the Friends or not,  to please send us their email address.  We'll be happy to include your email address in the list of those getting Friends' information by email.  It doesn't cost a thing to put a few more names on our email distribution list.

If our effort to send email newsletters is well-received, we may phase out sending paper copies of the newsletter.  Those who aren't connected to the internet in some fashion can still receive their paper copies as long as they're paid-up members, but we'd like to save on printing and postage costs.  Email allows us to do this.

All newsletters and meeting minutes will also be available on our web-page at:
http://www.als.lib.wi.us/EFPL/Friends.htm

And, of course, you can be even more up-to-date just by reading this blog.  Thanks for doing so.

Bookshelves IN!

Bookshelves IN!

Today Harlin Miller and I finished the last two of the five new bookshelves that we're building for the downstairs hallway at the library.  They're to be installed on Monday when the Library opens after the weekend.  Then we'll have plenty of space for all our used books to go back on display.   Just shelving all the books in some reasonable order will take a while, but soon you'll be able to come to the library and buy used books again.

Check out our constantly changing selection of books, videos, etc., both for adults and kids.

And if you have books/videos around your place that are just taking up space, consider donating them to the Friends of the Library.  You'll get a tax deduction, because we're a non-profit organization, and we can put your donations up for sale to raise money for library programs and services. Just bring your donations to the library and put them in the big blue donation box in the basement hallway.  Thanks!

Stuff that's coming up soon

Stuff that's coming up soon

1.  Third Quarter Finals: High School Study Night is Wednesday, March 24, 8 pm to 11 pm.

2.  Spring newsletter will be mailed on April 1st to all paid-up members.  Members who have email addresses in our database will also get an electronic version.

3.  Spring Family Game Night is April 14th: 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm.  Yes we know it's the night  before taxes are due, but you've got yours done by now, don't you?  Bring your kids and play board games.

4.  Library Spring Cleaning Blitz.  Volunteers are needed to do Spring cleaning on Saturday April 24th, from 1 PM until about 4PM.  The more volunteers, the quicker we get done!  We're hoping to have about 15 people dusting, cleaning windows, spot-cleaning carpets, and other tasks.

If you want more information about any of these events or if you want to volunteer for the cleaning blitz, please email us at libraryfriends@charter.net.

Friends' Board Meeting

Friends' Board Meeting

The Friends' Executive Committee (that's its formal title, but we call it the "Board") meets on the third Tuesday of each month (except December) at 6 pm in the library.  All meetings are open to all Friends.  You're welcome to join us, if you like, to see what's going on.  If you have a particular item or issue you'd like to discuss, please contact us to have the item put on the next meeting's agenda.

The next Board meeting is tomorrow night, March 16th.

In addition to the monthly Board Meetings, there is an annual meeting held in October.  This meeting is also open to all Friends.  The President makes an annual report to the membership, proposed changes to the constitution and by-laws are discussed and voted on, election officers is held, and general discussions of the activities of the Friends come about.

New "Used-Book" Shelves

New "Used-Book" Shelves

Well, they're coming along, but slowly.  One of the five is complete and installed in the basement hallway, to the right of the double doors leading to the meeting room.  There will be four more lined up against the wall opposite the History Room.  Each set of shelves has three fixed and as many as six adjustable shelves. When the project is complete, it will increase our used-book storage capacity by 40% or so.

We're recycling the old 2 x 4 shelves by putting that unit inside the furnace room for extra storage.  And for many of the adjustable shelves, we're using boards and L-brackets that were found when cleaning out the former coal bin inside the furnace room.

The construction of the four remaining units is progressing.  All the uprights are done, and one of the four sets of horizontal fixed shelves is ready.  What remains is to cut the other three sets to length,  glue up all four frames, put the backs on, stain and varnish them, haul them to the library and fasten them to the wall.  It's been a slow process, but the end is in sight.

Sound Off!

Sound Off!

Recently the Friends purchased a computer/dvd projector for the Eager Free Public Library.  The projector can be used for illustrating programs that various speakers present at the library.  The reason for the purchase was our noticing that two recent speakers had to borrow or bring their own projectors to the library: Barb Dorsey when she illustrated her talk about her trip to Mongolia, and Ruth Ann Montgomery, who showed off her extensive work at digitizing images of historic Evansville.

Almost immediately the Friends recognized another possible use for this projector: showing movies.  All that was lacking was a decent sound system that could reproduce the audio in the basement meeting room, at an appropriate volume for the room's size. 

Fortunately Sandy Konkel's son (you know Sandy for her great work in both the Children's Room and the upstairs circulation desk)  her son Joe works at the Evansville Radio Shack.  He was able to recommend a good system for us and purchase it using his employee discount.  Thanks to his kindness, our library now has the capability to show DVD movies and even do streaming video (with sound!) from the internet. 

I'm sure it's only a matter of time before we see new library programs using this new technology.

Membership

Membership

I've been vexed for quite a while by the large number of names in our Friends' database whose annual memberships have expired.  We've been sending them Friends' newsletters twice a year nonetheless, and requesting in the newsletter that they renew their memberships -- to little avail.

Since our spring 2010 newsletter is coming up, and it costs us about 85 cents to print, address and stamp each one, our Board decided to try a new tack.  We sent out postcards (about 32 cents each) to all expired members last week,  requesting that they renew by Mar 15,  or we wouldn't send out a newsletter to them until they did.

The results so far have been very good.  We got some renewals, with membership-donations well in excess of the cost of sending the postcards.  And equally important, those who ignore the request to renew will not get the expensive newsletters, saving us that cost every six months.  As a result more of our funds will be available to support the library.

We'll purge our membership list of expired members as well.  The Friends' group will still have almost 200 members in the Evansville area, a smaller but more committed group of volunteers supporting the Eager Free Public Library.

Flaunt it!

Flaunt it!

We just got our shipment of Eager Free Public Library tote bags.  Emblazoned with the classic EFPL window logo and perfect for carrying all the books, magazines, DVDs, and books on CD you'll find at Your Library!  Get yours at the circulation desk for only $5.  


"Sew Many Threads", a local business just across the street from the library, made these up especially for the Friends.  Proceeds from their sale will go to support our library.  Hopefully, they'll sell out soon, but we can get more.

   

March Activities at the EFPL

March Activities at the EFPL

From Kathi, our Library Director:

Wednesday Storytimes:  Bring your preschoolers to a delightful early learning activity at the Library.  We will be reading a Caldecott award winning book at each of the storytimes in March.  One is even from 1949!  It's fun to see how the illustrations and writing have changed over the years. Wednesdays at 10:00.

Friday Preschool Crafts:  Fridays at 10 a.m.  Great at developing creativity and hand-eye coordination!  Registration is not required.


Eager Free regularly offers FREE one-on-one computer classes.  Need to brush up your computer skills?  Learn new programs like Excel, Word, Power Point?  Look for a job on-line?  Build a resume?  You can learn all these apps and more!  Scheduled classes:  March 3rd and March 24th.  Just call 882-2260 to reserve your one-hour slot.

The Antemeridians book discussion group is reading "The Thirteenth Tale" by Diane Setterfield.  Everyone who has read the books is welcome to join the group on Tuesday, March 16th at 10:30 a.m. for a lively discussion and fabulous treats.  Books are available in many formats; call the Library or go online to reserve your copy.

New Membership Chair

New Membership Chair

Jim Cunningham, a longtime Evansville resident, has agreed to join the Friends' Board as membership chair.  

Jim and his wife Rose have several children who have been or are now being educated in the Evansville school system.  He is a professional cabinetmaker who does high-end custom work for clients in the area.  He also has participated in the exterior renovation of several commercial buildings on Main Street.

Jim is also a talented amateur musician.  He plays bass trombone in both classical and jazz styles with groups in Madison.

We welcomed Jim to his first board meeting last Tuesday evening.

Board Member turn-over leads to donations.

Board Member turn-over leads to donations.

When Friends' Board members leave their positions, the Friends donate books for the library's permanent collection in their honor.  We have been a bit tardy in keeping this tradition, but are now up to date.  A special bookplate is placed on the flyleaf of each donated book, indicating the honoree.  Unless the honoree specifies a particular title, the Library Director selects a suitable book which will complement the library's collection.

Chris Eager resigned his position as President of the Friends in November 2008, after many years leading the organization.  He has requested that a "classic adventure book" be purchased in his name.  Kathi Kemp will be selecting the specific book-title soon; she's thinking along the lines of Robert Louis Stevenson.

Michelle Buehl completed her term as Treasurer in November 2008.  Kathi selected a book age-suitable for Michelle's children: "Shapes".

Molly Hicks served for a while as Volunteer Coordinator, but resigned prior to her term's expiration.     She requested "Blind Side: Evolution of a Game" by Michael Lewis.

Gwen Brunner, who took over for Molly as Volunteer Coordinator in early 2009, completed her term in November 2009.  "Her" book is a children's book: "Vicky the Vet".

Josh Tregoning, the Friends Membership Chair, recently received greatly expanded responsibilities in his job.  So, regrettably, he had to resign his position with the Friends in mid-term.  "His" book is "The Great Wildlife Search".

We wish to thank these Friends for their service to the organization.  While we will miss their valuable contributions to the Friends' activities,  the new Board members who have taken their places are adding new viewpoints and ideas of their own to our deliberations and decisions about how to support the Eager Free Public Library.

Thanks again to Chris, Michelle, Molly, Gwen, and Josh.

All five of these books will soon be available for checkout at the library.

Paint Job Done

Paint Job Done

This morning Kim Miller, Loren Pfaff and I painted most of the lower hallway in the EFPL, where the used book-sale books are displayed.  It's now a happier shade of yellow, as requested by Kathi Kemp, the Library Director.

Thanks are due to Carol Endres for donating the paint, mixing it to the right color, and lending the dropcloths to keep the carpet protected.

Three people were enough; more would have just gotten in the way in that confined space.  It took a bit over 2.5 hours from arrival to leaving.  Masking the woodwork and cleaning the rollers etc took as much time as actually putting on the paint.

Now we're ready for the new bookshelves to go up -- hopefully they will be finished in two weeks.

Shelves

Shelves

A Friends' goal is to make the area in the library's basement where we display and sell used books more attractive and accessible.  (So we'll sell more books and have more money to support library programs and services!)

Volunteers removed the old shelves after the Winter Book Sale and will build new adjustable shelves for the refurbished area.

While cleaning out the store-room (see previous posts) we found almost 4 dozen shelf boards that had been removed from other areas of the library.  Some of these may be original shelves from when the library was built in 1908.  We can recycle these and use them in the new construction.  We also found shelf-supports that fit into holes in the new vertical pieces of the shelving unit and fit the old boards.  Other materials have also been donated.

With all this free material and volunteers doing the construction, we will not spend nearly as much money on the new shelving as we previously anticipated.   More money to actually support the library as a result.

Yea!

Friends Buy Books for the Library

Friends Buy Books for the Library

It's easy to overlook how much the Friends do for our library in Evansville.  As is the case in most small towns in Wisconsin, times are tight and so is our city's budget.

To alleviate a possible EFPL budget deficit at the end of 2009, the Friends donated $991.85 to the library to pay for new books that had been ordered from two major vendors.

A Little History....

A Little History....

For those who aren't Evansville, WI residents, here's why our public library is called "Eager Free Public Library".

Over 100 years ago,  Mr. Almeron Eager, a successful Evansville businessman and state legislator, donated $10,000 in his will (he died in 1902) to fund a public library building in his home-town.  His bequest specified that two conditions be honored:

     a. the library was to be named "Eager Free Public Library", and

     b. a statue of Mr. Eager was to be created and placed in the library building.

Both conditions were fulfilled, and the building was completed in 1908.
 
In 2008, the library celebrated its 100th anniversary.  Many of Almeron's descendants attended the celebration, most of whom still live in Evansville and the surrounding area.  Pictured below is Almeron Eager's statue, and flanking him are two of his great-great granddaughters, dressed in costumes of the period when the library was founded.

A detailed history of the Eager Free Public Library is available at http://evansvillehistory.net/EagerPL.html

Success!

Success!

Wow! The Friends' first Winter Used Book Sale was more successful than we expected.  We raised more than $650 from sales and welcoming new members of the Friends.  

And it was just fun to see so many adults and families coming in to the library and leaving with bags of cheap books, magazines, videos, cd's, etc.  We had buyers from Edgerton, Madison, Janesville and McFarland, as well as Evansville.

Thanks to all the Friends' volunteers who worked so hard to prepare for and clean up after the sale.  

If you've been reading the blog, you know that the Friends just installed some new lighting in a basement storage room.  After the sale, we cleaned out that room of old stuff (some was just deemed to be junk) and used the space to store our boxed-up unsold books until our summer sale in August.  Of course, we'll have more stock by then from new donations.

High School Study Nights

High School Study Nights

Last Thursday and Friday were semester final exams for Evansville High School.  For the last several years, the Friends have been offering Study Nights at the Eager Free Public Library just before exam time.  We hold the library open from 8 pm to 11 pm on Wednesday and Thursday nights, only for high school students who want a safe, quiet place to study for their finals.  We have chaperones and healthy snacks available for the kids, as well as all the resources of the library at their disposal for reference.  


Attendance has been growing as the word gets out.  We hope we're contributing to the students' academic by offering this program.  

Lights ON!

Lights ON!

There's a store-room in the basement of EFPL, inside the boiler room. Most library patrons don't even know it's there.   It's hard to see what's in the store-room, because there is no light, except what comes in through its door from the dim ceiling light in the boiler room. And that's pretty dim.  Some old files are stored in there, and some junque (IMHO)  So it's not very useful.

We all know that the library is cramped for space, and so the Friends decided to make this store-room more accessible.  The Friends paid an electrician to install a bright switched fluorescent ceiling fixture and two electrical outlets in the store-room.  The work was completed this week.

Now it will be much easier for the library staff to see to sort through the room's contents and decide what to keep, what to discard, and how to use the room in the future.

This is another example of your membership fees and the money we make from our Ice Cream Social, Book Sales, and Pig Receipts, being used to support your library.  Thanks for all your generosity!

Winter Used Book Sale

Winter Used Book Sale

Volunteers have been working hard to get ready for the Friends' first-ever Winter Used Book Sale.  It will be held on Saturday January 23, from 8 am to 1pm.  Cider and cookies available.

Being a member of the Friends has its privileges!  Members can attend a special PREVIEW sale on Friday Jan 22nd from 4:30 to 7:30 pm.  Get first crack at the books, enjoy snacks, companionship and cool jazz.  If you'd like to join the Friends to come to the Preview, you can do so at the door.  Memberships range from $5 annual individual to $100 lifetime.

Best Recent Books -- Lists

Best Recent Books -- Lists

This time of year you can find all kinds of "Best Books of 2009" lists on the web.  I have looked at a few, with the intent of seeing if the books listed were actually available to EFPL patrons.  It turns out that not many are in the EFPL collection itself, BUT, and this is an important "but" in times when library budgets are under strain, every book I checked was somewhere in the Arrowhead Library System, with most being at the two largest libraries in Janesville and Beloit, as you might expect.

So if you want to read any "Best Book" on one of the lists, use the EFPL website to get into RockCat, the online catalog of all the books in ALS, where you can request that a copy be sent to EFPL.  You'll be notified when it arrives.

IMHO, RockCat is a wonderful, innovative service for EFPL patrons.  Use it.