Message to the Community from Luren
E. Dickinson:
Explore,
Experiment, Read! is this year’s Summer Reading Program theme. Registration
begins June 8 and we will kick things off with our annual Ice Cream Social at
the Bertram Woods Branch from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Friday, June 12. There will be
games for children, a book sale for the older crowd, and free popcorn, punch,
and ice cream for all.
Adults have the opportunity to join
in a summer reading program and win weekly prize drawings, too. Read a book,
listen to an audiobook or Playaway, attend a library-sponsored book discussion,
program or movie and share their reactions with others. Do you know what your
reading properties are? Be sure to check out the library’s Periodic
Table of Reading posted at both libraries.
Our teen
programs will be boosted again this year through a MyCom grant. We will share a $19,000 grant with other
members of the South Shaker Neighborhood Council. About one third of these
funds will help us expand our Teen Center hours throughout the week and on
Saturdays. We will also add a variety
of programs on art, science, music and cooking for teens and ‘tweens. Our
partner groups include Shaker Heights Youth Center, which will conduct an
enrichment program for students in grades K-4 who are struggling academically;
First Baptist Church, which will hold a six-week career exploration and
development program for teens; and Shaker Prevention Coalition, which will
continue its SHARP (Student Health Advocates Reaching Peers) training and
create a Junior SHARP program for middle school students.
We are proud to announce that
Susan Scheps, Youth Services Manager and a library employee since 1982, was
presented with the 2009 Carolyn Grossman Award by the Heights Parent Center.
This annual award honors
an individual who demonstrates an extraordinary commitment to strengthening
families and preparing young children for success in school and in life. Susan
was honored at the Center’s gala event, “A Night under the Stars,” held
on May 29 at the Great Lakes Science Center.
Adult programs continue throughout the summer, including
evening Knit Nights at Bertram Woods Branch on June 11 and July 9, and
Wednesday afternoon Wii gaming programs for seniors on June 10 and 24. In
addition, we will host two historical programs at the Main Library. “Down the Garden Path: Lake View Cemetery’s
Horticulture” features Dave Gressley, OSU graduate and horticulturalist, who
will speak about the history of landscape cemeteries at 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 2.
Kent State University Professor Charles P. Graves, Jr., author of The
Genealogy of Cities will speak about urban design and historic city plans
at 7 p.m. June 16.
We are moving forward in implementing our strategic plan. We have placed orders for twenty new lounge chairs for the Main Library, which are due to arrive later this summer. We have finalized the Preconstruction & Joint Use Agreement with the Shaker Schools for the Library Renovation & Redesign Project, and we have extended our Lease Agreement with the City of Shaker Heights through August 29, 2033. The School Board is scheduled to approve the contract with library architect, Duane Van Dyke, at its June 16 meeting. Upon approval, we will begin to develop a master plan and to move ahead with second
floor renovations at the Main Library, and to complete other work as the budget allows.
Luren E. Dickinson, Director
Dickinson@shakerlibrary.org