In Print - Friends of the Venice Public Library

In Print
Newsletter of The Friends of The Venice Public Library, Inc.
Library Funding Saved!
You Made A Difference!
My deepest thanks to all of you who wrote,
emailed, or phoned our state representatives
this spring regarding library funding. To
those of you who stopped outside the library
Lisa Backer
to take a flyer, voiced your support of
FOVL President
libraries, and to those who got involved . . .
you made a difference. State funding was
restored to 21 million for the upcoming year. Sarasota
County Libraries use the state aid for the materials budget,
allowing Venice Library and all other county libraries to
purchase new books, DVDs, CDs, and other items.
I encourage those who did contact our representatives to do
so one more time -- to thank them. The legislators were
under tremendous pressure to cut funding, but they also
realized the importance of libraries. An easy way to thank
them is to go to capwiz.com/ala/fl/home. This will allow you
to send an email to all those involved.
We have had a very busy spring, including our Friends
Annual Volunteer Luncheon and the Annual Meeting, and
now we look forward to a summer full of activities. Be sure
to check us out!
Have a fun and safe Summer!
Summer
2010
Inside this issue:
President
1
Programs
4
Nancy Meyers
5
ILL
5
Youth
6
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Prime Time Comes To Venice
Venice Library gets nationally Recognized Program
PRIME TIME, a unique six-to-eight-week humanities-based program of reading, discussion, and storytelling at public
libraries and other venues, emphasizes the importance of families reading together to discuss significant cultural and
ethical themes. Created in 1991 by the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, the family literacy program seeks to
engage parents and their children in an intergenerational discussion of humanity-based topics, such as determination,
greed, honesty and courage.
Over 12 families came to Venice Library after closing every Wednesday for six weeks for an evening of food, storytelling
and meaningful discussion.
Venice Youth staff, Jo Lize and Pam Johnson, worked with the coordinator for the six-week program, North Port Youth
Librarian Janet Hansen. Hansen, discussion leader Charla Bennaji, and storyteller Windell Campbell underwent
training in Louisiana to prepare for the Prime Time Family Reading Time at Venice Public Library. Along with the
Venice Public Library, the trio has participated in Prime Time Family Reading Time at North Port Public Library and
North Sarasota Public Library.
After a sit-down dinner courtesy of local sponsors, the families gathered around Campbell, who, with a few props and a
captivating voice, recounted the selected story for each evening. Following Campbell, Charla Bennaji engaged the
families in questions and discussion based on the story. Children and adults both gave their opinions on topics such as
fairness, greed, sharing and risk taking. The parents may have come here thinking this was just for the kids, but the
program is designed to get the parents and kids discussing their own opinions about the story. It involves the whole
family in reading activities and encourages discussing topics they may not otherwise talk about.
At the end of each session, each family is given three picture books to take home and read to get ready for the following
weeks storytelling and discussion. Titles, including "Where the Wild Things Are" and "Ira Sleeps Over" highlight
various themes encountered in everyday life, such as courage and coping.
The Prime Time program is offered free to the families, and it was made possible by a grant from the Gulf Coast
Community Foundation of Venice and funding from the Florida Humanities Council, Sarasota County Libraries and the
Friends of the Venice Library, among other organizations. The program aims to instill reading and an exchange of ideas
that will continue long after the program ends.
Charla Bennaji discussion leader,
storyteller Windell Campbell and
Janet Hansen project coordinator.
CORRESPONDENT PHOTO /
SHELLY OLATOYAN
Over 12 Venice area families
participated in the Prime Time event.
Venice Youth Librarian Jo Lize, project
coordinator Janet Hansen and Venice
Youth staff Pam Johnson did a
fabulous job running the Prime Time
program.
Welcome Flo Bennett!
In April we had our Annual Meeting of our Board of Directors. Sadly, Barb Kost had to
leave us. We thank Barb for all she contributed to the board. We’d also like to welcome
Flo Bennett, who is taking over Barb’s unexpired term. Welcome Flo! Below is a
message from Flo.
I am pleased to be a board member of the Friends of the Venice Library
and I hope to serve you well. When I first moved to Venice I went
immediately to our library and have been involved ever since. I have
been a volunteer at the Reference Desk for about ten years and enjoy it
immensely. While living in Connecticut I was a Children's' Librarian at
the Trumbull Public Library.
Flo Bennett
Summer 2010
3
Adult Programs
Dear Friends,
Mid summer is the traditional time for our wonderful Youth department to swing into
action with their events. However, our summer film festival on Thursdays, and video
history lectures on Fridays offer adult programs for your pleasure during the hot days.
Roland Marcotte The foreign language groups will meet at their regular times, and most of the non-library
sponsored clubs are still meeting, along with the University of Florida extension service
on Thursdays. We’re also going offer one author appearance in June to see if we can get
a reasonable number of attendees (and because I really like this lady). Come and spend some time cooling
off in your favorite neighborhood library with the following adult programs.
Author Appearance: Janet Smith Warfield
June 8, 2-4pm: Janet Smith Warfield will give a presentation, including a slide show, about the ideas in her
Amazon-bestselling book Shift: Change Your Words, Change Your World. “Through thought-provoking
questions, stories, illustrations and poetry, Shift draws out new ways of thinking about old challenges.” says
Word Sculptures Publishing . Janet lives in Venice and her book has been translated into several languages;
it is set for distribution in Europe. She’s making an appearance at VPL before she goes on an extended book
tour. Refreshments will be provided by The Friends, of course.
Summer Film Festival with Jim Orville:
Opera, Ballet and Broadway in the Afternoon
In June and July our Thursday films will all have showtimes of 1:00 pm:
June 3: La Bohème (1993) with Cheryl Baker, David Hobson and Opera Australia
June 10: Carmen on Ice (1990) Bizet’s Carmen performed by championship skaters;
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964) with Catherine Deneuve and Nino Castelnuovo
June 17: Swan Lake (2005) with Gillian Murphy, Angel Corella, and the American Ballet
Theater
June 24: Mazeppa (1996) Tchaikovsky’s opera performed by the Kirov Orchestra, Opera Chorus, and Ballet
July: A Tribute to Andrew Lloyd-Webber
July 1: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (2000) with Donny Osmand and Joan Collins,
and featuring several musical genres
July 8: Cats (1998) one of the longest running musicals in Broadway history
July 15: Evita (1996) with Antonio Banderas, Jonathan Pryce, and Madonna as Eva Perón,
July 22: The Phantom of the Opera (2004) with Emmy Rossum and Gerard Butler
July 29: With a Song in My Heart (1952) The story of Jane Froman is back by popular demand with Susan
Hayward and Rory Calhoun
Teaching Company Video Lectures on Friday Afternoons at 2:00 pm:
Continuing the tradition started four (five?) years ago, we will be showing three Teaching Company video
lecture series during the summer and fall every Friday that the library is open. From May 7 through July
23, we will screen the 36-part lecture series A History of Russia: From Peter the Great to Gorbachev, taught
by Mark Steinberg, Professor of History at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. From July 30
through October 15, we will look at From Yao to Mao: 5000 Years of Chinese History and taught by Kenneth
J. Hammond, history professor at New Mexico State University. The October 22 through December 17
series will be decided by our audience in early October.
We Will Miss You,
Nancy
With deep sadness I must report that our
reference librarian, Nancy J. Meyers, passed
away May 3, 2010. Nancy lived in Venice
since 1979 and graduated from Venice High
School. She received her Bachelor’s degree
in pure mathematics from Florida Southern
College, and her Masters in Library Science
from Florida State University in Tallahassee.
She was a reference librarian at Venice
Public Library since 2004.
Nancy was a member of the American
Library Association and the Venice Area
Chamber of Commerce, where she served on
the Education Committee and on the
committee that each year nominated the
Business of the Year. She loved to read
non-fiction books, especially biographies.
Her parents, Charles and Jill Meyers live in
Venice. Her brother, Christopher lives in
Valdosta, Georgia; one sister, Caren Rom,
lives in Englewood, and her other sister,
Julie Meyers, lives in Venice. Nancy also
had several nieces and a nephew. Her
brother, Carl, predeceased her.
A memorial service was held on Monday
May10, at the Unitarian Universalist
Congregation of Venice. In lieu of flowers,
her family requests that donations be made
to Friends of the Venice Library or the
Suncoast Humane Society in Englewood.
The staff of the Venice Library will miss
Nancy greatly, as will the many patrons she
assisted over the years.
Ann Hall
Summer 2010
You Got a Book from Where?
By Pam Burch, ILL
The Sarasota County Library System (SCLS) borrows and
lends library materials from and to libraries all over the
world - including Europe (e.g., the Czech Republic, France,
Great Britain, Switzerland), Asia, Australia, and South
America. The system all of the libraries use is called
“Interlibrary Loan” (ILL).
Some of the more unusual items requested by Sarasota
County Library card holders have been rare musical scores
and sound recordings; law books and novels printed in the
1700s; film canisters of original documentaries and films
from Hollywood that have never been recopied or remastered.
On average, more than 52,000 items per year are borrowed
by Sarasota County Library users. Lending organizations
include other public libraries, specialized institutions and
repositories throughout Florida, the U.S. and the world.
Lending partners include the Canadian Archives to the north
and the Mexican Museum group to the south. Library users
have borrowed materials in Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese,
Swahili, Yiddish and Arabic.
For a student’s school project, a real dinosaur bone from a
museum in Utah was borrowed. The local Daughters of the
American Revolution requested the loan of a Revolutionary
War bullet from a museum for a research presentation.
There may be no limit to what you might ask for in ILL - just
try it, request it - and find out! Interlibrary Loan truly offers
a world of resources for you to discover at your Local Public
Library.
Interlibrary Loan (ILL) is a service provided by the Sarasota
County Libraries that allows our patrons to request
materials not owned by the Library System from libraries
outside our county System. All types of libraries from
around the world participate in this shared effort to provide
access to information. We cannot guarantee obtaining the
item you request. Most materials are received between two
to eight weeks from date of request.
Page 5
Youth and Young Adult Summer Highlights
Splash into Summer Reading
Jo Lize
This summer the Venice Youth Department invites you to “Splash” into the library for an exciting
summer for preschool and school age children. Programs will include guest speakers, art workshops, storytellers and more. Sarasota County Libraries will be participating in the Collaborative
Summer Reading Program in which libraries across the county will be using the “Make a SplashREAD!” and “Make Waves @ Your Library themes. Youth schedules are available in the library or
online at sclibs.net.
Why Summer Reading is Important
Experts agree that children who read during the summer while school is not in session gain
valuable reading skills. According to studies, those who do not stay mentally active during the
summer risk losing what they learned during the previous school year.
The goal of the summer reading program is to create lifelong readers and library users.
Library summer reading programs provide children with the opportunity to explore the wealth
of information and resources available to them. Library programs help to expand young
readers’ knowledge of the world while enhancing literacy skills.
SUMMER READING KICK-OFF
SATURDAY, JUNE 5, 11:00-2:00 P.M.
Pick up your reading log, have your face painted, play games with the MOMMY MAGAZINE
staff, do a craft, and have a snack.
ALL AGES!
TURTLE TALK
THURSDAY, JUNE 10, 10:30 A.M. Join the Coastal Wildlife staff before the library’s Turtle
Walk on Monday, June 14, at 6:30 A.M. at Caspersen Beach. Kids, teens, and adults are all
invited to attend both events!
Join Us for a Lullaby Concert
from the Sarasota County Library website, sclibs.net
The Sarasota County library system’s very popular Lullaby Concert Series will return in 2010 thanks to a grant
from The Community Foundation of Sarasota County’s Sarahart T. Loeb and Jack W. Loeb Endowment Fund for
Family Literacy Outreach.
Since 2002, live musicians playing classical music in a child-friendly library setting have serenaded hundreds of
babies, toddlers and young children along with their parents and grandparents. The three musical concerts for
children are free and will be held:
• Saturday, Aug. 28 at Venice Public Library, 300 S. Nokomis Avenue, Venice
• Saturday, Sept. 11 at North Port Public Library, 13800 S. Tamiami Trail, North Port
• Saturday, Sept. 25 at Fruitville Public Library, 100 Coburn Road, Sarasota
The Lullaby Concert Series is a component of the Born to Read program which encourages parents to read daily
to their children, tell them stories, play music, and sing songs. All the activities provide the stimulation essential
for healthy, active brain development, and can improve children’s school readiness, literacy, and language skills.
For more information, contact the Venice Youth Department at 861-1348 and ask about the Lullaby Concert
Series.
JOHN STORM’S REPTILE FUN
July 13, 10:30 A.M.
John Storms will fascinate you with a live giant python, turtles and other exotic
reptiles from around the world. All ages.
Christmas in July
Wednesdays 1:00-3:00pm
All Materials Provided by The Friends of the Venice Public Library
All ages welcome, but young children must be accompanied by an adult
Get a jump start on the holidays – create some uniquely Florida
crafts using paper, rubber stamps, wooden cut outs and shells.
July 7th
July 14th
July 21st
1:00-3:00pm
1:00-3:00pm
1:00-3:00pm
Paper Cards
Florida Ornaments
Papermaking
Use paper, stamps, and punches
to create colorful holiday cards
Cover wooden alligators, flamingos, and dolphins with shells,
color, or decoupage
Make a bookmark or piece of
paper
Theo Summer Crafts 2010
Wednesdays 1:00-3:00
For Teens and Tweens Only
All Materials Provided by
The Friends of the Venice Public Library
and Theo Rockwell
To honor and remember Theo Rockwell, former Youth
Librarian, we will be creating art from materials donated by
Theo. Before her death in March of this year, Theo sent
cartons of books, beads and craft materials to the library.
Join us this summer and create some Theo Art/Crafts.
June 9th
1:00-3:00pm
duct tape
Create a small portfolio using cardboard and
duct tape
June 16th
1:00-3:00pm
Recycle
Stamp/color a patch from recycled material
Or Cover/decorate an old pin
June 23rd
1:00-3:00pm
Beading
Make a simple friendship bracelet with beads
and hemp
June 30th
1:00-3:00pm
Goth JuJu Dolls
Create a Goth doll using scrap fabric, beads,
shells and pipe cleaners. Add a pin to the
back for a fun Goth pin.
Summer 2010
Page 7
NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
MANASOTA FL
PERMIT NO. 838
Friends of the Venice Public Library, Inc.
300 Nokomis Avenue South
Venice FL 34285
Phone: (941) 484-1983
Web: www.venicefriends.org
Email: [email protected]
Thank You Venice Main Street! Thank You Venice Main Street for Celebrating National Library Week with us! We got lots of comments and donations thanks to our message displayed on Venice Ave. Yes there is a BookStore at the Library
Amazingly, many people in town have never heard about the
Friends BookStore. For many years the Friends held an annual
book sale in the meeting room. Volunteers stored books in their
homes all year long for the Friends and then they would help set
up for the Big Sale.
The Friends lobbied for a permanent space to sell used books in
the library. We knew that by selling books all year round in a
dedicated shop we would make a much better profit than by
having just one sale a year. Our wish came true in 1993 after a
library expansion finally enabled the BookStore to open.
The BookStore has continued since that time to support the
Friends in their joint efforts with the library to provide the best
possible library service to our community.
We invite our community members to join us in this endeavor:

Bring your used magazines, books, DVDs, and CDs to the
library. If you have too many to bring in give us a call and a
volunteer will come pick them up.

Become a member of the Friends. . . memberships start at
$10.

Volunteer.

Come in and buy a great book or two to read this summer.
Our Prices Can’t Be Beat!