The Scoop - Wissahickon Valley Public Library

The Scoop
Spring-Summer 2016
CELEBRATION OF THE
BOOK BENEFIT
WVPL invites you to ourCelebration of the Book
Library Benefit on Sunday
April 3, 2016 at 11:00 AM. It
will be held at The Lucky
Well, 111 E. Butler Ave., in
Ambler. We are hosting a
Silent Auction Baskets
Sunday brunch and a book
appraisal. You may pick up an invitation at either library. Books
will be appraised by Guy Bush and Eugene Okamoto. The most
exciting part is the silent auction. Bidding began on over 82
items at the Main Library & ends at 12:15 PM on April 3.
WVPL thanks all our donors, including: Act II Playhouse, Ambler
Flower Shop, American Helicopter Museum, Art Dept. Studio,
Battleship New Jersey, Blue Bell Pizza, Born to Run, Breakthru
Beverages, Bridget’s Steakhouse, Broad Axe Tavern, Caroline
Frank, Cathie McCauley, Centre Square Fire Company, Chickie’s
Daughter, The Children’s Clothing Patch, Cotswold Home, Vince
DiFrancesco, Denise Matteer, Denny Whalen & Bill Blakeslee,
Doug Leard, East Cuisine, Eastern State Penitentiary, Edible Arrangements, Electric Factory, El Limon, El Serape, Fireside Bar &
Grille, Five Points Gulf, Fran Tomlinson, BB Chapter WVPL
Friends, From the Boot, Gerald & Eun Liebling, Golden Sea Restaurant, Grace Nails Spa, Green Tea Nails, Guppy’s Good Times
Restaurant, Guy Bush, Harry’s Blue Bell Taproom, Il Giardino,
Izzie’s Deli, Jackets n’ Things, Jim & Lois McMullen, Jolie Salon &
Day Spa, Karen Kieser, State Rep. Kate Harper, Keswick Theatre,
Learning Express, Lee’s Hoagie House, Los Primos Vasquez,
Maguire’s Market, Michael’s Italian Restaurant, Mi Lah Vegetarian Restaurant, Morris Arboretum, Mutter Museum, No Bare
Walls Framing Studio, Michaelle Fleisher, Nancy Davis, Nancy
Mayor, National Liberty Museum, Paperback Trader, Pat Grotzinger, PA Academy of Fine Arts, Penn Museum, Philadelphia
Flyers, Philadelphia Phillies, Phil’s Tavern, Pho Thai Nam, P. J.
Whelihan’s Pub, Radice Restaurant, Salon Charisma, Salon
Esperanza, Saffron Indian Kitchen, Saxby’s Coffee, Simeone
Auto Museum, Spring House Tavern, Susan Gustafson, Sweet
Briar Café, Temple University,
Thai Orchid , The Fresh Market, The Little Gym of Springhouse, The Lucky Well, The
Stoogeum, The Wine Merchant, Trader Joe’s, Valley
Green Flowers & Gifts, Village
Pharmacy, Whitpain Tavern &
Whitpain Police Department.
Silent Auction Quilts
Author Daniel James Brown
AUTHOR VISITS AFTER NATIONAL LIBRARY WEEK
See bestselling author Daniel James Brown on Tuesday
April 19 at 1:30 PM at Ursinus College’s Bomberger Auditorium in Collegeville or at 7 PM at Montgomery County
Community College’s (MCCC) Science Center Theater in
Blue Bell. His two appearances are the culmination of
the first ever One Book, One County community-wide
event hosted by Montgomery County Libraries. A book
sale and a signing follow both events.
The featured book, The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans
and their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Olympics is a
New York Times Bestselling Book. Book discussions and
related complementary events will take place at libraries
around Montgomery County. For further information,
visit: http://www.montcolibraries.org. Copies of the
book are available at all Montgomery County Libraries.
Tickets are $10 each. Find them on brownpapertickets.com or purchase them in person at Montgomery
County-Norristown Public Library. Thank you to the Arcadia Foundation for sponsoring and MCCC and Ursinus
College for hosting.
WVPL special events:
March 31, 2 PM-Skype Chat with Susan Bachrach, author of The
Nazi Olympics: Berlin 1936, BB & Ambler
April 6, 10 AM-Book Discussion,
Blue Bell
April 12, 7 PM-Rowing History &
Discussion with Nick of Vesper
Boat Club, Ambler
April 21, 7 PM-The Star Spangled Songbook: Music of the
1930s, Blue Bell
S P R I NG - S U MME R 2 0 1 6
PAGE 2
THANK YOU DONORS
TOP TEN PRINT NON-FICTION BOOKS
1.
Spark Joy: an Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and
Tidying up, by Marie Kondō.
2. The Road to Little Dribbling: Adventures of an American in Britain,
by Bill Bryson.
3. When Breath Becomes Air, by Paul Kalanithi.
4. Presence: Bringing your Boldest Self to your Biggest Challenges,
by Amy Joy Casselberry Cuddy.
5. Boys in the Trees: a Memoir, by Carly Simon.
6. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying up: the Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing, by Marie Kondō.
7. How to Make your Money Last: the Indispensable Retirement
Guide, by Jane Bryant Quinn.
8. A Backpack, a Bear, and Eight Crates of Vodka: a Memoir, by Lev
Golinkin.
9. Gratitude, by Oliver Sacks.
10. Made in India: Recipes from an Indian Family Kitchen, by Meera
Sodha.
WVPL would like to thank everyone who
has already donated to the WVPL
through the Annual Appeal and the Fall
Newsletter. Thank you so much for your
support.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHOW
YOUR SUPPORT…
Mail your Donation in the enclosed envelope.
Donate Online. Go to www.wvpl.org and click on Donate.
Sign up for Company Matching Donations. We receive matching
donations from General Electric, Exxon Mobil, Merck, Citizens
Bank, Johnson & Johnson, Penn Virginia Corporation, The Pfizer
Foundation, PJM Interconnection, The Quaker Chemical Foundation, Vanguard, Oracle, Wells Fargo, United Health Group, and
GlaxoSmithKline.
Donate to the Albright Endowment Fund. Send a note that you
FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY NEWS
are contributing to the Endowment.
The Blue Bell Chapter of the Friends donated $13,000 to the
Make a Memorial Donation. Honor a relative or friend.
library after their Feb. AV Sale. WVPL is purchasing directional
Join the Friends of the Library. Pick up an application or go to
signage $3,000, chairs for the new conference room $2,000, a
www.wvpl.org, and click on Friends.
new podium $2,000, software support $1,286, staff chairs
VOLUNTEERS, DID YOU KNOW…
$1,250, slat wall book displayers $1,200, a garbage can $800, a
Some companies, like Exxon Mobile will match your volunteer
coding robot $614, a receiver $500, and a button maker $350.
hours with a cash donation, even after you are retired. If you
The Ambler Chapter of the Friends held a lovely welcome recepare a volunteer, please ask your employer or former employer if tion for Lois Shupp, Ambler’s new Branch Manager in February.
they will match your volunteer hours with a donation to the library.
BOOKS ON TAP: BOOK CLUB IN A BAR
Books on Tap brings readers together over a favorite pint or
glass of wine. Join us at Gypsy Blu, 34 E. Butler Ave. in Ambler.
Our selection for our March 29 meeting is All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. Want to make friends, socialize, and
read something new together? Contact Debbie Slavutsky, Outreach Coordinator at 215-643-1320 ext.14. (Ages 21+ welcome)
WVPL
Annual Report
2014
2015
Educational Events
1,158
1,277
Event Attendance
21,544
22,672
6,868
7,214
Library Visits
180,509
174,900
Print Circulation
349,907
335,260
Electronic Circulation
18,033
21,116
Desktop Computer Uses
11,281
10,024
Wi-Fi Sessions
3,046
3,236
Database Uses
2,425,773
4,431,583
Questions Answered
Ambler Friends: Dave Morgan, President; Lianne Decker, Secretary; Rakhee
Lala; Lois Shupp, Branch Manager; Sally Martin; Bill Lion, Treasurer
To join either Friends of the Library group, go to www.wvpl.org,
click on Friends, and click on Friends Membership Application.
LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT
The Library played ‘Cupid’ in the month of February with a
“Blind Date With a Book.” Going out on a blind date is like
opening up a new book. You never know what kind of experience you’re going to have. Patrons were ‘matched’ with a
wrapped book based only
the first line of the text. Did
you fall in love? Patrons at
Blue Bell who returned their
“Rate Your Date” forms were
entered into a raffle for a gift
card to From the Boot in
Blue Bell. Our winner was
Mary Stinger.
Blind Date Display
S P R I NG - S U MME R 2 0 1 6
PAGE 3
AMBLER BRANCH GETS
NEW MANAGER
Lois Shupp is a graduate of
Lebanon Valley College where
she studied Digital Communications & Studio Arts. She received her MLS from Pitt in
2011. Before becoming the Ambler Branch Manager, Lois
Lois Shupp
worked as the director of the
Spring City Library in Chester County. She knew she wanted to be
a librarian after working in the library during her undergraduate
studies.
Lois spends her free time collecting records, reading comics, and
haunting thrift stores. She enjoys art, especially modern art, pop
art, and the fauvist movement. She also recently started Orb
Weaver Press where she is helping friends put out music, poetry,
and writing. She enjoys photography, knitting & crocheting, cooking, and of course reading. She usually has at least 3 books going
at one time.
10 QUESTIONS WITH LOIS:
1. What should every person try at least once in their life? Visiting a new country and checking out the library there.
2. What brings you the greatest joy? Getting to spend time with
my friends, family and pets. Also General Tso’s tofu.
3. What is on your bookshelf? Many things I haven’t read, including comics, a book about Twin Peaks, Inherent Vice by
Thomas Pynchon, and shelves of Nancy Drew books, which I
collect.
4. What are the last three items you purchased? I bought several dresses, a coat, and a Lego Star Wars clock at a thrift
store.
5. Who are your heroes? My grandmother, who I was named
after, and Princess Leia.
6. Who is on the guest list for your ideal dinner party? Marc Maron, Terry Gross, Wes Anderson, Amy Poehler, Aziz Ansari,
and the cast of Arrested Development.
7. What is your greatest indulgence? My record collection. I
spend more money on it than I should.
8. What quote do you live by? “Embrace the meteor.”
9. What is one thing people would be surprised to know about
you? I take boxing & kickboxing classes at a UFC gym!
10. What is the secret to being a good librarian? Being part detective, part bartender, part encyclopedia, part event planner,
and part comedian.
COMICS UNRAVELED
Comics Unraveled is a book discussion for people who love comics
and graphic novels, and people who want to try something new.
Whether you've been collecting comics since the 60’s or have just
read your first graphic novel, this is the book club for you. Our
group is small, but steadily growing and we want you to be part of
it. Join us for discussion on the first Tuesday of the month at 7 PM
at the Ambler Library. For more information or to find out what
we are reading, contact Lois Shupp at 215-646-1072 ext. 38.
VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT
Every Tuesday, Mary Harper arrives
at the WVPL with a twinkle in her eye
and a smile on her face. Mary helps
by finding items that patrons have
placed on request, putting books &
CDs in order & feeding the library's
three pet turtles. Mary's positive attitude is contagious with all those she
Mary Harper
meets, and she is always ready to join
in a friendly conversation with patrons and staff.
Mary grew up in Lafayette Hill, but now lives in Lower
Gwynedd. She is the youngest in a family of five girls and
one boy and remembers her childhood as lots of fun with
such a big family. Some of her favorite activities include
watching movies, going out to eat, going to the beach, shopping with her sisters, and of course, reading the fiction and
mystery books she checks out from the library.
BUILD AT WVPL’S BLOCK PARTIES
WVPL recently won a grant to
implement Block Parties for
children and their caregivers.
Block Parties offer an opportunity for children to express
themselves, from constructing
simple designs to designing
feats of engineering.
Block building is not just about
Tegan Conner-Cole
play. When children build with
blocks, research shows they are developing skills: socialemotional (cooperation, self-confidence, initiative); social
studies; physical development (eye-hand coordination);
mathematic; science; language arts (vocabulary, storytelling); and art (patterns, symmetry). Interested? Check
www.wvpl.org for block party dates.
EVENING W/ARTISTS SERIES GAINS MOMENTUM
Support for local visual artists musicians has been the focus
of a new monthly series of programs at Blue Bell. An Evening of Artists began in November with seven local artists
showcasing their work in sculpture, painting, jewelry design,
and photography. In this interactive forum each artist spoke
about their creative process and attendees had an opportunity for questions. Artwork was available for purchase. In
January the series expanded to include local musicians.
Then in February six women artists shared their work in
painting, jewelry design, and weaving. Positively received,
the series will continue alternating music and art every
other month. Thanks
to all who have supported the series. We
look forward to highlighting more diverse
artistic talent.
Painter Marie Bender
Non Profit Org
U.S. Postage
PAID
Ft. Washington, PA
Permit # 51
650 Skippack Pike-Main Library
Blue Bell, PA 19422-1710
Occupant or
EDUCATIONAL EVENTS @ MAIN LIBRARY, BLUE BELL
EDUCATIONAL EVENTS @ AMBLER BRANCH
Mondays & Fridays @ 10:30 AM & Wednesdays @ 4:30 PM
Miss Michelle’s Guitar Story Time
Mondays: Knitting 10 AM; Yoga 1:30 PM; Tai Chi Adv. 3 PM;
1st Monday@6:30 PM Movies with Meaning:Cinema Paridiso
1st & 3rd Mondays @ 1 PM Ambler Beading Group
Tuesdays @ 10:30 AM & Thursdays @ 4:30 PM:
Miss Michelle’s Guitar Story Time
Tuesdays @ 4:30 PM: Set up appointments for Middle &
High School Math & Science Tutoring, Contact Ambler Branch
1st Tuesday of the month @ 7 PM Comics Unraveled Comic Book and Graphic Novel Group (ages 16+)
Last Tuesday @ 7 PM Coloring for Adults
Every Other Wednesday @ 3 PM Coloring for Adults
Fridays @ 10:30 AM Yarn Café
Tea and Scones @ 6:30 PM, Program 7 PM
Tues April 5 Spring Garden Prep
Tues April 12 Rowing: History & Demands
Tues April 19 History of Ambler Thru the Eyes of Newt Howard
Tues April 26 Paying Off Debt
Tues Apr 5 @ 10:30 AM Mindfulness for Kids
Thurs April 14 @ 1:30 PM Ambler Book Group
The Children Act by Ian McEwan
Thurs Apr 14 @ 7 PM Al Grout Juggling and Magic Show
Thurs May 5 @ 7 PM Marc the Magnificent Magic Show
Tai Chi Beg. 4 PM; Socrates Café 7 PM
Tuesday Matinees @ 2 PM
April 5, Steve Jobs; April 12, Spotlight; April 19, Concussion;
April 26, ELECTION DAY-No movie
Wednesdays: Knitting 10 AM; Mahjong 1 PM; Chess 7 PM
Thursdays @ 10:15 AM Baby Story Time; 11:15 AM Toddler
Story Time
Fridays 2 PM Chair Yoga
Mondays Apr 4 & 18 2-4 PM APPRISE Medicare Counseling
Tues April 5 @ 6:30 PM Pajama Concert (Age 3-8)
Thurs April 7 @ 6 PM Empowered Parenting
Wed April 13 @ 7 PM Mindfulness Workshop (Fee)
Thurs April 14 @ 1:30 PM Opera @ Lower Gwynedd Twp.
Sat April 16 @ 10 AM Book Trail @ Penn Ambler Park
Sat April 16 @ 2 PM Mystery Book Group: Through A Glass
Darkly by Donna Leon
Wed April 20 1-4 PM Tech Q & A
Thurs April 21 @ 7 PM Music of the ‘30s with Dave DeLuca
Wed April 27 @ 12:30 PM Stock Market Smarts for Women
Science in the Summer Registration starts in May, both lib.
Summer Reading Club Registration starts in June, both lib.