FEPL Newsletter-Vol. 8 Issue 1-PRINT

She set up a cart of free materials in the lobby. She makes sure the volunteers are well fed and well hydrated. These few words cannot convey the time and effort all this entails throughout the year. Thanks to Joy Bailey who also spent many hours sorting and boxing books. She also provided homemade treats. The annual meeting was a time to review the efforts of all board members. I was fortunate to have a full board of experienced individuals, even if some were new to the Friends’ board. Joy Bailey also served as PAC Treasurer in this most important year of two library levies. Betty Bilicic received and dispersed mail and wrote thank you notes and staff recognition letters. She also provided homemade treats for volunteers. Charlene Davis served as Deputy Treasurer of the PAC and shared knowledge of other boards. Simone Gatewood kept track of members, sending out renewal letters and membership cards. She also ordered needed supplies. Gay Marie Goden wrote monthly and annual treasurer’s reports and researched and placed some of our funds in CDs. She is a source of knowledge. Kali Harris was elected Vice President/Program Chair, researched logistics for upcoming book sales, and became an expert at taping boxes full of books. Ashley Johnson was elected Treasurer, is on the Bylaws Committee and helped with staff recognition. Desiree Korpowski was elected Recording Secretary and is our liaison with the Euclid City Schools. Brianna Mejak assembled this newsletter and the previous one, saving money for other uses. Unfortunately, she is leaving the board due to family considerations. Betty Rossmann is invaluable at book sales and meetings, especially with her insights on the past and how these relate to the future. Del Serre also shared her expertise as Vice President/Program Chair and Recording Secretary. June Taylor has become our liaison with the Senior Center. She shares needed observations. Many thanks to the book sale volunteers who are listed elsewhere. Many thanks to the annual meeting attendees who shared their memories of Hough Bakery. Many thanks to all of our members who help support library programs and activities. Many thanks to those who voted for the levies! If the Friends have your correct email address, you will receive the next newsletter digitally, unless you let us know that you wish to receive a hard copy. Between Friends Friends of the Euclid Public Library Newsletter President Roberta "Bobbi" Gibbons Vice President & Program Chair Kali Harris Treasurer Ashley Johnson Corresponding Secretary Betty Bilicic Recording Secretary Desiree Korpowski Membership Chair Simone Gatewood Book Sale Chair Del Serre PAC Treasurers Asenath Bailey Charlene Davis Members at Large Gay Marie Goden Betty Rossmann June Taylor - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The Friends of the Library Board meets the first Monday of every month at 7:00 PM. Friends are welcome to attend. Upcoming Meetings JANUARY 8 FEBRUARY 5 MARCH 4 APRIL 1 As I reflect on this past year as president, I am very grateful. Many thanks to all the board members who attended meetings, provided input, and worked book sales and levy events. Special thanks for your many talents and knowledge of the past, as well as insight for the future. The book sales would not have been possible without the able leadership of Del Serre. In addition to knowing where tables, books and other materials go, she spends innumerable hours sorting books and disposing of unsellable items. Del recruits knowledgeable individuals to price special books which have been donated. Message from the President FRIENDS BOARD Winter/Spring 2024 Volume 8, Issue 1 631 East 222nd Street / Euclid, Ohio 44123 / (216) 261-5300 Roberta Gibbons foepl@euclidlibrary.org / euclidlibrary.org 1 Individual/Family - $5.00 Book Collector - $10.00 Special Friend - $25.00 Book Lover - $50.00 Book Conservator - $75.00 Book Connoisseur - $100 Opening a book opens doors... Renew your membership if it has expired or start hunting now for that misplaced membership card. Membership envelopes are available at the library and they can be returned any time. Friends Membership To join, pick up a membership envelope at the library or address one to: The Friends of the Euclid Public Library 631 East 222nd Street, Euclid, Ohio 44123 Future issues of our "Between Friends" publications and other Friends of the Euclid Public Library information will be communicated via email. If your email has already been provided, you will automatically receive these. We will call members who do not have emails on file so you may be added to this mailing list. Members may choose to opt out at any time. We're Going DIGITAL! Friends Euclid Public Library of the 631 East 222nd Street Euclid, Ohio 44123 Friends of the Euclid Public Library Newsletter 4

Happy New Year! Friends, thank you for supporting library levy issues 7 & 8! This past fall, The Euclid Public Library Board of Trustees placed two levy issues on the ballot. Issue 7 was a 5.6 mileage renewal levy, which will enable the library to pay for basic operating needs. Issue 8 was a 1.5 mileage Permanent Improvement levy, which will generate approximately $13.5 million dollars Director's Report Kacie Armstrong The Friends of the Euclid Public Library held their annual meeting on September 26, 2023. Current board members were recognized for their many contributions to the success of the Friends since the last annual meeting, as well as their current and future focuses for the continued ability of the Friends to fulfill their mission. A visual presentation then highlighted how the Friends contributed to the success of the library this year, including funding for staff recognition, the winter and summer reading programs, the Women in History luncheon, author events, and levy information outreach. The upcoming Fall Book Sale was mentioned since the semiannual book sales and membership are how the Friends raise money for library programs. Individual/Family membership is only $5. Envelopes are available at the Circulation Desk of the library. Our newsletter, which is going digital soon to save money, is also available at this desk. Board members elected to 3-year terms which will begin on January 1, 2024 are Asenath Bailey, Simone Gatewood, Desiree Korpowski, and Brianna Mejak. Elected as officers for a one-year term are Roberta Gibbons, President, Kali Harris, Vice President/Program Chair, Ashley Johnson, Treasurer, Desiree Korpowski, Recording Secretary, and Betty Bilicic, Corresponding Secretary. The meeting was followed by a nostalgic program on Hough Bakeries. Mary Manning from the Western Reserve Historical Society shared information and pictures which helped many in the audience reminisce. Those in attendance also shared a cake from Archie’s Hough Bakery. Annual Meeting Update FEATURED PROGRAMS Wednesday, January 10 Virtual Author Event — Embrace Love in the New Year: A Heartfelt Conversation with Rebecca Serle 8:00 PM / Register at libraryc.org/euclidlibrary Tuesday, January 16 – Saturday, March 2 Winter Reading Program Saturday, January 20 Author Visit: Poet Dymond Horton 1:30 PM / Lake Room Thursday, February 8 Film Screening: Right to Read 4:00 PM / Lake Room Tuesday, March 5 Fireside Chat: Superintendent Chris Papouras 6:00 PM / Fireplace Thursday, March 21 Friends Luncheon with Women in History 12:00 PM / Lake & Shore Rooms Monday, March 26 Author Visit: Where's the No. 2? by Thomas Adams 7:00 PM / Shore Room Wednesday, April 10 Author Visit: Lost Lake Erie by Jennifer Boresz Engelking 7:00 PM / Shore Room Tuesday, April 23 Virtual Author Visit: Jonathan Abrams author of The Come Up 4:00 PM / Lake Room and via Zoom Saturday, April 27 Celebrate the Life of Coretta Scott King 2:00 PM / via Zoom Friends of the Euclid Public Library Newsletter 2 for facility improvements. To learn more about next steps, please check out our website at euclidlibrary.org/renovation. This year, as we plan for a renovated facility, we will continue to offer programs and services to meet your needs. The Friends sponsored Winter Reading Program begins on January 16. All ages are encouraged to join the fun. Euclid High School Senior and Poet, Dymond Horton will discuss her first book of poetry on Saturday, January 20 at 1:30 PM. We also will celebrate the life and legacy of Coretta Scott King through the online Coretta Scott King Book Award Literature Week Monday, January 15 – 19. Participants can learn more about Mrs. King’s life and enjoy special readings of these award-winning titles at 7:00 PM each evening. The Friends thank all the volunteers who helped the Fall Book Sale run smoothly. From set up day to clean up day, we couldn’t do it without your help. Over 160 boxes of unsold books were packed on the Monday following the sale. There was a smaller amount of unsold audio video material amounting to 12 boxes. Books were donated to the V.A. Hospital, Head Start, the Euclid Senior Center and Our Lady of the Lake School. If you know of a charity or nonprofit that would like donated books, please contact delserre@yahoo.com. We do ask that someone from the group be able to select and pick up the books at the end of the sale. If you are able bodied and able to lift 40 pounds without slipping a disc or blowing out a knee, we could very much use your help on the Monday following the sale. As noted, 160 boxes of books were packed. The boxes then need to be moved from the sale room and stacked. Boxing starts at 10 a.m. and can last two or three hours. Heavy lifting and pushing carts laden with boxes are stretching our volunteers capabilities, not to mention their aging backs. If you are able to help following our April sale please contact roberta.g.gibbons @gmail.com. Behind the Scenes Fall Book Sale Recap Del Serre, Book Sale Chair As soon as the doors close on the final day of the book sale, the Friends begin preparing for the next sale. Nonprofit volunteers arrive to select unsold books that meet their needs. The remainder are boxed to be sent to a company that resells, recycles or donates them. Even as we are cleaning up after the sale, books are being donated for the next. Volunteers sort through the donations which could amount to a handful or boxes enough to require a dolly. The books are sorted according to category, fiction generally being the largest, and then place on labeled shelves in our sorting room. There are nine double sided rows of rolling shelves, the kind you crank open and shut, providing a good workout for the biceps. Some shelves are dedicated to overflow from the larger categories. When the overflow sections overflow, books or audio visual materials are boxed and stacked along the front and back walls. Sorting the boxes and bags of donations can sometimes be a challenge. Our volunteers are not trained librarians and many books no longer contain a Dewey Decimal number. Some books fall under more than one category and we must use our best judgement. For example, Poems by Dogs, 800s literature of course, which also covers books of humor, but cartoons fall under the 700s. Some of the boxes of donations contain extra surprises or challenges. Items left in books have been everything from love notes, receipts, foreign currency, a child’s coin purse, to unused gift cards. What at first appeared to be a dead animal, turned out to be a black wig at the bottom of a box. A large clump of potting soil also gave our volunteers a start. The wig went to lost and found and the gift cards were returned to their owner. A few boxes have obviously been stored in a basement or attic and animal hair and droppings show that they have also contained rodents but only recently has one dead mouse appeared. Our surprised volunteer hoped her EEK wasn’t heard throughout the library. For six months, we sort, shelve, and box until it is time to unshelve, unbox, and roll out the material for when the doors open for our next book sale. Brian Grice Kali Harris Kate Hathway Alisca Hill Ashley Johnson Hermina Kaczmarek Mary Kendel Richard Koloda Desiree Korpowski Karen Lewin Linda Peterson Thomas Petrosky Victor Rosenberg Betty Rossmann Carl Rossmann Del Serre Janet Archaki Kacie Armstrong Joy Bailey Scott Bailey Andrea Ball Betty Bilicic Joyce Boyd Cindy Clark Bobbi Cummings Charlene Davis Christa Esch Gabe Eye Kathy Fogarty Simone Gatewood Bobbi Gibbons Gay Marie Goden Donna Sudar Sean Swift Barb Swyt June Taylor Brian Van Nostran Janet Walsh Elaine Zielinski Euclid High School Students Raima Gray Reily Morris Mentor High School Student Ella Kendel THANK YOU, Fall 2023 Book Sale Volunteers! foepl@euclidlibrary.org / euclidlibrary.org 3 Del Serre, Book Sale Chair

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