Monday, March 23, 2009
Saturday, August 30, 2008
One Maryland, One Book
Have you read Ron Suskind's book A Hope in the Unseen? It is a great (true) story of a boy growing up in Southeast DC with few resources but big dreams. A reporter chronicles his struggles through high school and the first year at an ivy league college. Quite enlightening for those of us growing up middle class in America. The book was chosen as the first selection for "One Maryland, One Book" and is being discussed all over our state for the next couple of months. You can find out more about the book and how it is being used as a jumping off point for discussions of race, economic policies, public education, and more. Check out this site: http://www.mdhc.org/programs/one-maryland-one-book/
Monday, April 14, 2008
Libraries and New Americans: The Indispensable Link
Enjoy this great article by Neal Peirce - a great commentary on libraries in general and how we feel specifically about the Germantown Library.
For Release Sunday, April 13, 2008
© 2008 Washington Post Writers Group
LIBRARIES AND NEW AMERICANS: THE INDISPENSABLE LINK
By Neal Peirce
What do immigrants and libraries have to do with each other? As our politicians wrangle over official immigration policies, can public libraries in our cities, neighborhoods and towns help assimilate the 32.5 million foreign-born already here?
Librarians and their allies argue "yes" -- that America's libraries are successfully carrying out their historic tradition of turning immigrants into productive citizens.
English as a Second Language (ESL) classes are bring taught. Special sessions on American culture are being conducted. Materials in languages ranging from Russian to Hindi are being made available. Librarians find themselves providing counsel on computer use, Internet access, even on-line job leads.
In immigrant-heavy Washington, D.C. suburbs, many public libraries have recast themselves as welcome centers. Some checkout desks have signs in Korean, Chinese, Spanish and Vietnamese. A recent immigrant from the Dominican Republic said: "I come to the library almost every day. And two days a week I follow the conversation classes. We have the opportunity not only to improve our English but to get new friends from all over the world."
The idea of libraries as social gathering places is hardly new. Andrew Carnegie, the steel magnate who built 2,500 free public libraries around the world in response to the immigrant flows and broad social gaps of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, intended they'd be places to attract young people. Robert McNulty, a library advocate and president of Partners for Livable Communities, reminds us Carnegie actually built gymnasiums, boxing rings and swimming pools into some of his libraries -- hoping that once there, the youth would "be exposed to books and learn to read."
Our public libraries, argues library expert Plummer Alston Jones, "have remained a sovereign alchemist turning the base metal of immigrant potentialities into the gold of American realities."
But they're more than that. They help get children into reading habits. They can provide authoritative information, book- or Internet-based, that's more comprehensive and often more reliable than a normal free Google search. And they can be a fulcrum of renewal in cities and neighborhoods.
McNulty told me over a decade ago that "the next hot idea as a downtown anchor will be the fun library." It turns out he was right. Close to 20 cities have constructed elegant new multi-use central libraries -- among them Seattle, Salt Lake City, Indianapolis, San Francisco, Phoenix and San Jose. Soaring and original exterior designs, brilliantly-lit public halls and intimate spaces, conference centers, connected theaters and teen centers -- all are part of the new mix.
As Project for Public Spaces reports, "If the old model of the library was the inward-focused 'reading room,' the new one is more like a community 'front porch.'" An element in the new liveliness of downtown Charlotte, N.C., for example, has been the combined ImaginOn children's library and theater, a joint project of the Children's Theater of Charlotte and the Public Library of Charlotte-Mecklenburg County. "Some people come to the library and find the theater; some people come to the theater and find the library," says Beth Murray, librarian at the ImaginOn.
The new champion of citywide library excellence may be Chicago, which has progressed from its landmark Harold Washington Library Center, opened in 1991, to the building or renovation of 52 neighborhood libraries. Many replace nondescript storefronts and run-down buildings that were more blight than strong points of their neighborhoods.
Major credit for the revival goes to Mayor Richard M. Daley and Mary Dempsey, the visionary manager/librarian he appointed library commissioner in 1994. Based on the library's first-ever strategic blueprint and a professional development plan for the system's 1,300 employees, Dempsey was able to persuade the city council to approve $170 million in bond issues to upgrade the neighborhood branches.
"I've purchased and knocked down more liquor stores, more no-tell motels, more really crummy and dilapidated, burned-out buildings in neighborhood after neighborhood and replaced them with libraries than I'd ever thought I'd do in my life," Dempsey told an annual meeting of the American Library Association.
A big recognition for Dempsey's efforts came in 2006 when she received a Governing Magazine award as one of the 10 most outstanding U.S. Public Officials of the Year.
"The Library is the People's University, a place where people from all over the world can educate themselves, interact with their neighbors," says Dempsey. That's why, she adds, for "more than 100 years, immigrants have seen the libraries of Chicago and other cities as an indispensable "welcoming institution."
For American success stories, that's hard to top.
For Release Sunday, April 13, 2008
© 2008 Washington Post Writers Group
LIBRARIES AND NEW AMERICANS: THE INDISPENSABLE LINK
By Neal Peirce
What do immigrants and libraries have to do with each other? As our politicians wrangle over official immigration policies, can public libraries in our cities, neighborhoods and towns help assimilate the 32.5 million foreign-born already here?
Librarians and their allies argue "yes" -- that America's libraries are successfully carrying out their historic tradition of turning immigrants into productive citizens.
English as a Second Language (ESL) classes are bring taught. Special sessions on American culture are being conducted. Materials in languages ranging from Russian to Hindi are being made available. Librarians find themselves providing counsel on computer use, Internet access, even on-line job leads.
In immigrant-heavy Washington, D.C. suburbs, many public libraries have recast themselves as welcome centers. Some checkout desks have signs in Korean, Chinese, Spanish and Vietnamese. A recent immigrant from the Dominican Republic said: "I come to the library almost every day. And two days a week I follow the conversation classes. We have the opportunity not only to improve our English but to get new friends from all over the world."
The idea of libraries as social gathering places is hardly new. Andrew Carnegie, the steel magnate who built 2,500 free public libraries around the world in response to the immigrant flows and broad social gaps of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, intended they'd be places to attract young people. Robert McNulty, a library advocate and president of Partners for Livable Communities, reminds us Carnegie actually built gymnasiums, boxing rings and swimming pools into some of his libraries -- hoping that once there, the youth would "be exposed to books and learn to read."
Our public libraries, argues library expert Plummer Alston Jones, "have remained a sovereign alchemist turning the base metal of immigrant potentialities into the gold of American realities."
But they're more than that. They help get children into reading habits. They can provide authoritative information, book- or Internet-based, that's more comprehensive and often more reliable than a normal free Google search. And they can be a fulcrum of renewal in cities and neighborhoods.
McNulty told me over a decade ago that "the next hot idea as a downtown anchor will be the fun library." It turns out he was right. Close to 20 cities have constructed elegant new multi-use central libraries -- among them Seattle, Salt Lake City, Indianapolis, San Francisco, Phoenix and San Jose. Soaring and original exterior designs, brilliantly-lit public halls and intimate spaces, conference centers, connected theaters and teen centers -- all are part of the new mix.
As Project for Public Spaces reports, "If the old model of the library was the inward-focused 'reading room,' the new one is more like a community 'front porch.'" An element in the new liveliness of downtown Charlotte, N.C., for example, has been the combined ImaginOn children's library and theater, a joint project of the Children's Theater of Charlotte and the Public Library of Charlotte-Mecklenburg County. "Some people come to the library and find the theater; some people come to the theater and find the library," says Beth Murray, librarian at the ImaginOn.
The new champion of citywide library excellence may be Chicago, which has progressed from its landmark Harold Washington Library Center, opened in 1991, to the building or renovation of 52 neighborhood libraries. Many replace nondescript storefronts and run-down buildings that were more blight than strong points of their neighborhoods.
Major credit for the revival goes to Mayor Richard M. Daley and Mary Dempsey, the visionary manager/librarian he appointed library commissioner in 1994. Based on the library's first-ever strategic blueprint and a professional development plan for the system's 1,300 employees, Dempsey was able to persuade the city council to approve $170 million in bond issues to upgrade the neighborhood branches.
"I've purchased and knocked down more liquor stores, more no-tell motels, more really crummy and dilapidated, burned-out buildings in neighborhood after neighborhood and replaced them with libraries than I'd ever thought I'd do in my life," Dempsey told an annual meeting of the American Library Association.
A big recognition for Dempsey's efforts came in 2006 when she received a Governing Magazine award as one of the 10 most outstanding U.S. Public Officials of the Year.
"The Library is the People's University, a place where people from all over the world can educate themselves, interact with their neighbors," says Dempsey. That's why, she adds, for "more than 100 years, immigrants have seen the libraries of Chicago and other cities as an indispensable "welcoming institution."
For American success stories, that's hard to top.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Spring Author Series
Have you heard about the Spring Author Series at the Germantown Library? You still have time to catch the next two programs:
April 16: Discover the Mystery of Writing with Marcia Talley and Friends
LOCATION
Montgomery College
Germantown Campus
20200 Observation Dr.
Germantown, MD
Library Reference Room
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
7:00 - 9:00 PM
Marcia Talley will help us celebrate National Library Week with a panel of mystery writers. Fond of mysteries or ever considered penning your own whodunit? Join us for the inside scoop on mystery writing. An award-winning panel of mystery authors will share expert writing tips and techniques. The panel includes Marcia Talley, Dan Stashower, Donna Andrews, and Ellen Crosby.
May 21: Pleasurable Kingdom: Animals and the Nature of Feeling Good
LOCATION
Germantown Library
19840 Century Blvd
Germantown, MD
Ground Floor Meeting Room
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
7:00 - 9:00 PM
When birds take a dip in the water, is it to clean their feathers, or is it just plain fun? Come enjoy an entertaining audiovisual presentation given by local author and research scientist Jonathan Balcombe on the topic of his new book Pleasurable Kingdom: Animals and the Nature of Feeling Good. In his new book, Balcombe presents detailed scientific and anecdotal evidence of how specific animals experience pleasure in play, food, sex, touching and love.
SPONSORED JOINTLY BY THE GERMANTOWN LIBRARY, THE GERMANTOWN CAMPUS LIBRARY OF MONTGOMERY COLLEGE AND THE GERMANTOWN CHAPTER OF FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY.
April 16: Discover the Mystery of Writing with Marcia Talley and Friends
LOCATION
Montgomery College
Germantown Campus
20200 Observation Dr.
Germantown, MD
Library Reference Room
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
7:00 - 9:00 PM
Marcia Talley will help us celebrate National Library Week with a panel of mystery writers. Fond of mysteries or ever considered penning your own whodunit? Join us for the inside scoop on mystery writing. An award-winning panel of mystery authors will share expert writing tips and techniques. The panel includes Marcia Talley, Dan Stashower, Donna Andrews, and Ellen Crosby.
May 21: Pleasurable Kingdom: Animals and the Nature of Feeling Good
LOCATION
Germantown Library
19840 Century Blvd
Germantown, MD
Ground Floor Meeting Room
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
7:00 - 9:00 PM
When birds take a dip in the water, is it to clean their feathers, or is it just plain fun? Come enjoy an entertaining audiovisual presentation given by local author and research scientist Jonathan Balcombe on the topic of his new book Pleasurable Kingdom: Animals and the Nature of Feeling Good. In his new book, Balcombe presents detailed scientific and anecdotal evidence of how specific animals experience pleasure in play, food, sex, touching and love.
SPONSORED JOINTLY BY THE GERMANTOWN LIBRARY, THE GERMANTOWN CAMPUS LIBRARY OF MONTGOMERY COLLEGE AND THE GERMANTOWN CHAPTER OF FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE AUTHOR SERIES, PLEASE CALL THE GERMANTOWN LIBRARY AT 240-777-0110.
www.montgomerycountymd.gov/library
www.montgomerycountymd.gov/library
Friday, February 8, 2008
Library Lovers Month
Did you know that February is Library Lovers Month? We all love our local library and this month is a great time to share our feelings with the library staff and our local government. The staff will enjoy hearing that you appreciate their work and the County Council needs frequent reminders that library services are worth every penny. Please consider writing an email to the County Council or picking up a postcard next time you are in the library and communicate your feelings to our elected officials. And don't forget to thank your friendly librarians!
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Give the Gift of a Brick!
Instead of buying something your friends, family, or clients will barely recall by next December, consider giving a brick this holiday season!
The Germantown chapter of the Friends of the Library is expanding the brick walkway outside our new building and will continue taking brick orders through the end of this month. Order forms are available in the library and bricks can be purchased for $40 for a child's signature brick, $50 for an adult brick with wording of your choice, and $100 for a larger brick featuring businesses or organizations.
Library patrons of all ages will delight at seeing their names permanently displayed in our town center. This is a great opportunity to give a unique gift while supporting our public library!
The Germantown chapter of the Friends of the Library is expanding the brick walkway outside our new building and will continue taking brick orders through the end of this month. Order forms are available in the library and bricks can be purchased for $40 for a child's signature brick, $50 for an adult brick with wording of your choice, and $100 for a larger brick featuring businesses or organizations.
Library patrons of all ages will delight at seeing their names permanently displayed in our town center. This is a great opportunity to give a unique gift while supporting our public library!
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