Message to the community from Luren E. Dickinson:

Budgetary issues continue to be the focus of the library as we enter this fall season and look for opportunities to serve the public in the most cost-effective ways possible. Though some Ohio libraries have been forced to eliminate their Sunday operations due to state cuts, we know how important a limited number of weekend hours can be to our customers and feel fortunate that we have the resources to open on Sundays beginning October 4.

With occasional holiday closings, we plan to continue our Sunday schedule through the month of April 2010. Unfortunately, in order to conserve funds we will have to continue closing on two furlough days (Friday, November 27; Thursday, December 31) during the remainder of 2009, in addition to the Saturday and Sunday following Thanksgiving. Likewise, we have scheduled furlough days in 2010 for Friday, April 2 (Good Friday); Thursday, September 9 (Rosh Hashanah); Friday, November 26; and Friday, December 31; in addition to closing the weekends of Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Because many of us are struggling with the shaky economy, the library has put together a slate of programs this month to assist, educate, entertain, and inform. On Thursday, October 1, from 7 - 8:30 p.m. at the Main Library, we will be hosting “How to Conduct an Effective Job Search” with Jim Grant, the author of Get the Job (and Compensation) You Want. . .It’s All About the Process. On Saturday, October 3, from 2 - 3:30 p.m. at the Main Library, we have an outstanding children’s program, “Meet American Girl Doll Addy.”

As usual we will have our “Wii for Seniors” sessions, scheduled for Wednesday, October 7, from 1 - 3:30 p.m. at the Main Library, and again on Wednesday, October 21, from 1 - 3:30 p.m. at the Main Library. If you are looking for something more relaxed, try attending the seventh class in our “Shaker 101” series on Tuesday, October 6, from 7 - 8:30 p.m. at the Bertram Woods Branch as Local History Librarian Meghan Hays explores the topic of deed restrictions in the early years of Shaker Heights.

If you are looking for some inexpensive entertainment, don’t forget that October is the month for the Friends of Shaker Library’s Fall Book Sale. It begins with a “Friends Members Only” sale from 4 - 8 p.m. on Thursday, October 15, on the second floor of the Main Library. The book sale will continue from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. on Friday, October 16, and Saturday, October 17, as well as from 1 - 3 p.m. on Sunday, October 18. Some books sell for as little as 50 cents and most are only $1. On Sunday, you can buy a bag of paperbacks for $3 and hardbacks for $5. This time we also have remaindered library furniture and equipment that will be available for sale.

Last, but not least, Northeast Ohio’s longest running poetry series, “Poetry Back in the Woods,” will feature “An Autumn Evening with Maj Ragain & Tim Joyce” on Thursday, October 29, from 7 - 8:30 p.m. at the Bertram Woods Branch.

Luren E. Dickinson, Director

Dickinson@shakerlibrary.org