In Print

In Print
The Newsletter of the Friends of the
Venice Public Library, Inc.
April - May 2009 Newsletter
National Library Week
April 12-18, 2009
National Library Week is a time to celebrate the contributions of libraries, librarians, and library
workers in schools, campuses, and communities nationwide - and the perfect time to discover how
worlds connect @ your library.
First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is a national observance sponsored by the
American Library Association (ALA) and libraries across the country each April. It is a time to
celebrate the contributions of our nation's libraries and librarians and to promote library use and
support. All types of libraries - school, public, academic and special - participate.
Free Library Expo
On Wednesday, April 15th from 11:00-2:00 P.M.
Come and learn about all the things that you can do
at the library. Meet our staff, register for door prizes
from local businesses, and even have a little snack!
The Venice Public Library is celebrating National Library Week by scheduling a wealth of events
including a Library Information Expo, a troupe of Balinese dancers plus an author visit by Jean
Hiatt Harlow, author of Star in the Storm about Newfoundland Labrador dogs. These are just a
few of the many events and programs scheduled for this week. Read inside this issue for more
details.
This is National Library Week, so visit your library today – in person or online.
Bring your curiosity, imagination and creativity, and see how worlds connect @ your library.
National Library Week Special Events
You’re Invited to Tea with Author, Joan Hiatt Harlow
Thursday, April 16th from 3:30 – 4:30pm. Tea Time with Local Guest
Author, Joan Hiatt Harlow.
Joan is the author of Star in the Storm about Newfoundland Labrador
dogs. She will have a short
presentation about these magnificent
animals and the land where they originate. Anyone who has read any of
her books will enjoy meeting Ms. Harlow in person!
Joan Hiatt Harlow is an internationally known writer of children’s books.
Her acclaimed books, magazines stories, and articles have appeared in major children's publications throughout North America, Europe, New Zealand, and Australia.
Harlow's first novel, Star in the Storm, features Sirius, a large black dog with a white star on his chest who lives
with Maggie's family in 1912 Newfoundland. Harlow's descriptive prose clearly evokes images of the Newfoundland coast and life in 1912, and she carefully incorporates folklore of the region into her story.
Star in the Storm won the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals' Henry Bergh Companion Animals Award, as well as a Disney Adventures book award and the Michigan Reading Association Readers' Choice
Award.
Special thanks to the businesses who contributed
a prize for our National Library Week raffles:
Sharky’s On the Pier
Treasures In Time
Dairy Queen Grill & Chill
Mel’s Diner
Bogey’s
Captain Eddie’s
British Open Pub
Rendezvous Café
Perkin’s
Whole Foods
Panera Bread
Be sure to thank these local businesses for being
Library Lovers!
Tuesday, April 14 from 2:30pm to 6:30pm.
Recycle Your Old
T-shirt Craft
Join us in the Youth Department as we give new life to old
T-shirts. Bring in a T-shirt and get ready to get creative with
beads, paint, and transfers.
Dancers of Bali
Saturday, April 18, 10:30-11:30 a.m. and 2:30-3:30 p.m. Balinese Dancing.
This colorful cultural event will delight all ages. The dances depict folklore of the
culture and some include
audience participation. The dancers explain various
symbols in the dance. The recorded music that accompanies them is exotic, as are the dances and the dancers. We are fortunate to have this extraordinary event as
the culmination of National Library Week!
Jim Orville
Presents
Kit Kittredge
Win a bowl of
bookworms!
Thursday, April 16th from 12:00 - 2:00
Join us for Kit Kittredge: An American Girl starring Abigail Breslin.
A young girl named Kit Kittredge, based on the
American Girl doll collection, is
determined to do herself proud and become a
newspaper reporter.
This is a great film for all ages.
April / May 2009
Visit the Friends of the Library
Book Store during National Library
Week to take a guess at how many
worms are in our big bowl of bookworms. The winner gets the whole
big bowl of gummy worms.
The winner will be announced on
Monday, April 20th.
3
Recent Happenings at Venice library
20th anniversary Walter Farley
Landmark
On Saturday, January 31st the Friends and library staff
hosted the 20th Anniversary of the Walter Farley
Literary Landmark. Library Director Sarabeth Kalajian
and former director Nancy Pike took a walk down
memory lane with the Farley family and guests, talking
about how the landmark came about. Rosemary
Farley, sons Steven and Tim all shared memories of
their father. Film historian Jim Orville hosted a special
showing of the movie The Black Stallion, which is
celebrating its 30th anniversary. Youth Librarian Jo
Lize promoted the Farley read-a-thon.
Sharing memories of Walter
Farley were his sons Steven
and Tim, Nancy Pike, former
executive of the Sarasota
County Libraries, widow
Rosemary Farley, center, and
Sarabeth Kalajian, current
director.
Ask a Librarian Day celebrated at libraries across Florida
Librarians all over Florida celebrated Ask a Librarian Day on Friday, Feb. 20, 2009! They
donned “ask me about askalibrarian.org” tshirts and talked about what a valuable and
user-friendly service Ask a Librarian is.
Nancy Meyers and Cathy Zimmerman
Ruth Toms and Pam Johnson
Have you tried Ask a Librarian? Don't know about Ask a Librarian?
Here's the info you need to know:
1. If you need help when you’re not in our library, visit askalibrarian.org (or find the link on our library’s website:
http://suncat.co.sarasota.fl.us/Libraries/Venice).
2. Ask a Librarian is a web site where you may submit your questions to a real live librarian!
3. Ask a Librarian is open Sunday through Thursday 10:00 a.m. until midnight, and on Friday and Saturday10:00
a.m. until 5:00 p.m.
4. You can use Ask a Librarian for free.
5. If Ask a Librarian isn’t open, you can email your question to us, and we’ll get back to you within 24 hours.
Library Funding Update
Unfortunately, the Florida State Legislature has cut state funding to
libraries by 23%. This of course is not good news, in these
economic times. What, you are asking, does this mean for Sarasota
County Public Libraries? It means your support and membership are
more important than ever!
As an example, the 2009 budget for Venice Library has “$0” for programming costs. The Venice Friends will be funding the cost of all library programming for Venice Library this year. We will also be called
upon to supplement the book budget and help provide the library with
other needed materials and equipment.
Stimulus Package could benefit Libraries
The $787-billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act signed by
President Obama February 17 includes several economic-stimulus provisions that could directly benefit libraries. American Library Association (ALA)* Washington Office Executive Director, Emily Sheketoff cited
librarians’ roles in shaping the legislation: after an amendment was
introduced in the Senate that would have stripped the broadband funding for libraries, an alert from ALA generated over 1,200 phone calls in
three hours, helping convince legislators to retain the provision.
For more detailed information visit:
http://www.ilovelibraries.ala.org/news
Support the Venice Friends While You Shop
The next time you make a purchase from Amazon.com
the Friends will receive a percentage of the sale (up to
15%). This is a great way to earn money for the library.
It is a free service; the only requirement is that in order
for the Friends to benefit you MUST enter through the
Friends website.
Did You Know?
How many books were checked
out at Venice Library last year?
421,582 items were checked out.
That translates into every item in
the library being checked out 4
times.
Do you know how many people
entered Sarasota County Public
Libraries?
2,598,467 people came to our
county libraries
Do you need a
program for your
local organization?
Why not try the Venice
Readers Theatre
group? This is a group
of volunteers who
perform locally for all
types of organizations.
Programs can be
tailored to your group’s
interests.
How it works:
Go to www.venicefriends.org
Click on the Amazon logo. This will take you to the
Amazon site where you can proceed with your purchase.
You will not see a message that tells you that the
donation is occurring, but we have tested the process
and know it works.
April / May 2009
Page 5
Another Successful Season!
Hello Friends,
We are on the verge of wrapping up another packed season of adult programs. We
started off slowly in September and gained speed until we were putting on events almost
Roland Marcotte
every day in January, February and March. For example, we produced 123 adult programs
in January and February with attendance respectively of 2,168 and 2,655 for a total of 4,823. March should bring
in similar numbers. A major portion of those programs was sponsored in one way or another by the Friends, if not
paying for performers’ fees (Sonny and Perley, Peggy Martin), then by purchasing the films shown (Thursday Film
Festival, Friday Genius Belt musicals) or refreshments served (Great Decisions, Booked for Lunch). So once again:
Thank you all for your support!
But we’re not quite done yet. Our vibrant Baila Miller will have one last show in April in her successful
architecture series. We have already agreed to bring her back next year to do a series on photographers. Also, it
appears that Jim Orville doesn’t want to take vacations anymore. He has films planned from April through August
and will jump right into the 14th Annual Film Festival in September.
We’ll also fill up the week of April 13-19, National Library Week, with programs sponsored by the Friends
that spotlight the many reasons that public libraries (and especially VPL) are an integral part of the community.
We thank you for making the season so successful and hope you have a wonderful summer. Check those monthly
calendars to see what Thursday movies we’re showing and if there are any last minute additions. You just never
know what program I might get talked into having!
Jim’s Gems on Thursdays
Film historian Jim Orville presents classic movies on Thursday evenings through May. In April, he presents
three films based on the books of Ruth Rendell and finishes the month with two Alfred Hitchcock classics.
On April 2 at 5:00 p.m. Colin Firth stars as a murder suspect in Master of the Moor (1995).
On April 9 at 5:00 p.m. Alice Fielding may be the next target for a murderer in Vanity Dies Hard (1995).
On April 16 at 6:00 p.m. a suburban divorcee is courted by a neighbor who is the prime suspect in his wife’s
murder in The Secret House of Death (1996).
On April 23 at 5:30 p.m. Alfred Hitchcock’s Academy Award winner for best picture of 1940, Rebecca, stars Joan
Fontaine and Laurence Olivier. Ingrid Bergman and Gregory Peck star in Spellbound (1945).
2008-2009
Genealogically Speaking
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
We hope everyone is enjoying our busy
Michael Gibson
season here at Venice Library.
PRESIDENT
Lisa Backer
We have had quite a number of ancestor hunters in our
genealogy section so far this year.
TREASURER
Melanie Odom
The genealogy section also greets a new volunteer for Monday afternoons. She’s not a new library
volunteer, but is new to volunteering in genealogy. She
is Judy Lindauer, daughter of our good friend Peggy, who passed away last
summer.
Sharon Betterton
Welcome Judy!
VICE PRESIDENT
Robert Wilder
SECRETARY
New additions to the collection:
Sally Bludeau
Patricia Boruff
The Berkshire Sourcebook
Sally Downey
Published by the Junior League of Berkshire County
Barbara Kost
Pittsfield, Massachusetts
Greg Luberecki
From Kathleen Opperman
Rosee McFarlane
Jane Morgan
West Stockbridge Massachusetts 1774-1974: The History of
Snowden Mowry
an Indian Settlement Queensborough or QUA-PAU-KUK
Ruth Packing
By Edna Bailey Garnett
Lynn Thierry
Williams High School Alumni Association
History and Directory 1872-1968
Friends of the
Venice Public Library, Inc.
300 Nokomis Avenue South
Venice FL 34285
(941) 484-1983
www.venicefriends.org
admin@venicefriends.org
From Williams High School Alumni Association
Estill County Kentucky Roots
By Phyllis Brown
From Phyllis Brown (Genealogy Volunteer)
My Grandmother Hubbard’s Cupboard
This newsletter is published five times
yearly for members of the Friends of the
Venice Public Library, Inc. Please write,
call or email if you have any questions
regarding your subscription.
April / May 2009
By Richard E. Coulter
Anonymous gift
Page 7
A Word From Our Library Manager
Spring has sprung, so they say, but April apparently forgot to bring showers! With each passing year we seem to deal with more and more water
restrictions. In order to avoid some of the headaches that go along with
plants and their need for water, try planting Florida native plants or more
draught-tolerant plants. The Venice Library has a
wonderful selection
of planting guides in our Florida section. Just ask any librarian and he or
she can point you in the right direction.
Ann Hall
Library Manager
As a matter of fact, come to the library in April and learn about all the things that you can see, learn and do at the
library. There will be a Library Expo to highlight the library. There you can meet with our staff,
register for
door prizes, and even have a little snack. It will be a welcome change from the dreaded “April 15 – Tax Day.” One
of the highlights of this library is its Friends group. Without their constant support, we would not be able to offer
the programs or activities that we do. So a great big “Thank You” goes out to all who support their local Friends of
the Library groups.
Join us for our celebration of National Library Week. See you there!
Overheard at the Reference Desk
Hours of Operation
The latest innovation in our library system is the recent
implementation of a “Floating Collection.” No, we are not filling up books and
other materials with helium and turning them loose;
although that
would be kind of fun (just kidding, shelvers).
FOL BOOKSTORE
484-1983
Monday
Floating, in the library sense of the word, is allowing materials to
“float” and then land wherever they are returned. For example, if you
check something out at the Jacaranda Library and return it to the Venice
Library, instead of its being transported via courier back to the Jacaranda
Library, the item stays at the Venice Library, and vice versa. The same
thing applies to the whole library system. This project was launched (so to
speak) to cut down on the number of items moving around the library system so that our courier could use a smaller and more fuel-efficient truck to
carry out his duties, and also to reduce the workload on our shrinking
number of library staff members who handle hundreds of items a day that
are distributed throughout the library system. The catalog indicates that
these items are on the shelf in the library where they are returned, even
though they may have started out somewhere else.
You can still request items from other libraries in the county system, no matter which one they belong to, and they will be delivered to the
library of your choice.
12:00pm - 5:00pm
Tuesday - Saturday
9:00am - 5:00pm
_________________________________________________________
VENICE PUBLIC LIBRARY
861-1330
Monday
12:00pm - 8:00pm
Tuesday & Thursday
9:00am - 8:00pm
So if you are wondering why you see items from the Selby, Gulf
Gate, North Port, or any other Sarasota County Library on the shelves in
Venice, that is the reason. We are seeing a lot of very interesting DVDs,
books, audio books and music on our shelves these days.
Feel free to try
something new and check out one of those items.
Wednesday, Friday & Saturday
9:00am - 5:00pm
Page 8
Youth and Young Adult Events
Tuesday, April 14, 10:00-10:30 a.m.
Preschool Storytime Sustainability Special Early Childhood
Specialist, Lynn Grimes will tell the story of STUFF. Children ages 3-5
years will make 'Garbage Pizza'. Each child will receive a tree sapling
from the County.
Jo Lize
Tuesday, April 14, 3:30-4:30 p.m.
Read to Dogs Therapy Dogs and their trainers from the Suncoast Humane
Society listen to children read. A craft is available to the children while they
wait for their turn with the dogs. This is a family event.
Wednesday, April 15, 10:00-10:30 a.m.
Tot Time for babies through age 3. We Love Our Earth theme Children play with toys and do an
easy craft, then sing, do rhythmic movement, and have some story fun.
Friday, April 17, 3:30-4:30 p.m.
Tea Time with Local Guest Author, Joan Hiatt Harlow. Joan is the author of Star in the Storm
about Newfoundland Labrador dogs. She will have a short presentation about these magnificent
animals and the land where they originate. Anyone who has read any of her books will enjoy meeting Ms. Harlow in person!
Saturday, April 18, 10:30-11:30 a.m. and 2:30-3:30 p.m.
Balinese Dancing. This colorful cultural event will delight all ages. The family that
will perform are former Venice residents. They have recently been training in Hawaii and in Bali where they now reside. Come experience the wonders of Bali!
No Registration is required for these events. Call the Youth Department for details
(861-1348).
April / May 2009
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