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Friends of the
Port
Townsend
Library
Newsletter
Port Townsend becomes
Supertown this summer
Kit Ward-Crixell, Youth Services Librarian
Steve Rogers is Captain America. Clark Kent is
Superman. And this summer, Port Townsend has a not-so-secret
identity too. As part of the library's summer reading program,
Port Townsend turns into Supertown, the town where every kid
reads or is read to for 10 hours in the summer.
Summer 2015
when they return to school in the fall. Sadly, we also know that
kids who don't have access to books in the summers start school
in the fall behind their peers. While both groups learn during
the school year, the group that fell behind doesn't make up the
lost ground. This means that kids who habitually don't read
during the summer start high school up to two grade levels
behind their classmates - a deficit that follows them through
high school and beyond.
What can we do to help make sure that every kid in Port
Townsend gets 10 hours of reading time? During the month of
May, library staff will be working with other city departments,
the schools, and social service agencies to get the message out
about the importance of summer reading. We will partner with
Jefferson Transit to offer free bus tickets to parents who use the
bus to bring their children to check out books at the library. And
in June, we will visit with every class at Grant Street Elementary
and Blue Heron to suggest great summer reads and tell them
about our summer activities.
Our emphasis this summer is on hands-on activities that
encourage families to explore, read, and learn together. Kids
age 9-17 will be immersed in their favorite series - like Harry
Potter, Percy Jackson, and The Chronicles of Narnia - with Book
Camp, held every Saturday. Participants take on the challenges
of a hero from a favorite tween or teen book. Kids who know
and love the books will find their favorite activities represented,
and kids who have never read the books will find out that
there's a lot more excitement going on than they thought:
capture the flag, dissecting owl pellets, or learning how to shoot
a bow and arrow.
Yes, in case you haven't guessed, the Cooperative Library
Summer Program theme for this year is superheroes. (Like many
libraries, we get our summer reading materials such as reading
logs and certificates from the CLSP, letting us use economies of
scale to get high-quality materials at a low cost.) But it's also not
far off to say that reading for 10 hours in the summer gives kids
super powers. Research by the Dominican University School of
Library and Information Science shows that kids who complete
public library summer reading programs score higher on reading
tests and are more likely to be motivated and ready to learn
Kids age 3 and up will have their own weekly event on
Wednesdays, Heroes and Sidekicks. With their parents, they will
do hands-on learning activities like art projects, obstacle
courses, and, thanks to our city Public Works department, Big
Truck Day - when our heroic equipment operators bring their
trucks for kids to see up close. Of course, we'll have lots of
recommended books for families to take home, and we'll let
kids who complete their 10 hours of reading put their names on
our Wall of Fame!
From the
Director’s desk…
L
ibraries are truly the one place
that provide free public access
to education for everyone, the
true “everyman’s university,” and are
the great equalizer in our communities.
The keywords in our library’s mission
statement are “free” and “open access.”
I have wondered though, how many
people in our community do not know all
the ways the library may benefit them
and how we can provide excellent
service for our entire community.
I have been here a few months and want
to get to know the community’s needs. I
just read the OlyCAP “Community Needs
Summary” from 2013
http://olycap.org/getinformed/community-needs-summary.
In 2013, Clallam and Jefferson Counties
had roughly 14,000 people living below
the poverty line. The study covered key
points that relate directly to one of the
public library’s core services, which is to
provide early literacy skills to children
and parents. One question from the
study was, “What are the most
important issues for children and
families in our community in the area of
Education?” The explanations described
that parents need “parent education and
access to education on a continuous
basis” and “parents stated they do not
know the resources that are available to
them in the community.”
Further in the assessment it is
mentioned that there are “many
experiences with children with poor
literacy skills,” which leads to “poor
literacy skills in elementary, high school,
and adult population….” The library was
not listed in places for early
literacy/learning. I want our citizens to
know that the library provides free and
high quality early literacy programs to
help parents and children be successful,
which includes our storytimes and
summer reading program.
This summer the library has set an
ambitious goal: every child in Port
Townsend will read or be read to for ten
hours, as studies show that kids who
reach this objective are ahead of their
peers when they return to school. Join
me every Thursday for “Library Director
Open Office Hours” from 10:00 am -11:00 am to discuss your ideas for
making the library everyone’s library. As
Andrew Carnegie once said, “A library
outranks any other thing a community
can do to benefit its people. It is the
never failing spring in the desert.”
I look forward to meeting new people
and hearing new ideas and making sure
we continue to be that “never failing
spring” for our community.
Melody Sky Eisler
News from the PT Library Foundation
Susan Hargleroad, President
We have been fulfilling Library requests for funding of various projects, as follows:
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Improvements to the schoolhouse lights in the Carnegie Reading Room and first
floor of the library. The white plastic suspension cords on the hanging lights in
the Carnegie Reading Room will be replaced with bronze-like rods, and the white
bases of the ceiling lights in the first floor of the library will be replaced with
brass bases, similar to those on the lights in the LLC.
Technology additions to the Pink House meeting room funded by Gray Wolf
Ranch. Funds will be used for significant technology upgrades for the LLC that
would improve and expand presentations and programs in the large conference
room. We have Gray Wolf Ranch to thank for the computer center in the
Carnegie Reading Room.
Completion of Children’s Library enhancements funded by the McEachern
Foundation. These funds have provided furniture, equipment, and collection
enhancement to the Children’s Library. The McEachern Foundation will fund
cabinetry in the staff workroom on the first floor of the library, which will be used
for storage of children’s supplies.
And, we continue to provide administrative support for the Paul G. Allen Family
Foundation project that enhances the collaboration among the library and the
public school libraries, as well as the collections in those libraries. We will fund
an art hanging system that will provide the “Art in the Library Program” with
faster and safer tools to hang art. We will fund the purchase of two new outdoor
benches for the Harrison Street side of the library.
Stay tuned for more good news! If you want to be considered for Foundation
board service, please contact Susan Hargleroad at [email protected]. It’s
gratifying to serve our wonderful library, its staff, and its patrons!
Art in the Library
Polly Lyle
Have you noticed the original art in the
library over the past several months?
Northwind Arts Center and the City of
Port Townsend have entered into an
agreement whereby Northwind will
exhibit art in the library in shows of 3- to
4-month duration in a program called Art
in the Library.
The goals of the Art in the Library
program are to provide art for the
enjoyment of library patrons and staff, to
offer opportunities for artists and
photographers to exhibit and sell their
work, and to decorate and honor Port
Townsend’s historic library. Local artists
are enthusiastically participating in the
program.
The art case near the Harrison Street
entrance shows small, 3-dimensional
pieces, while photography, paintings, and
mixed media work are shown throughout
the Carnegie Building as well as in the
Library Learning Center meeting room
next door. If you see any piece you’d like
to take home, check the pricelist in the
Art in the Library binders in the library
and/or contact Northwind at 379-1086.
The binders also provide information
about each of the artists. If you’d like
your art to be considered or if you have
comments or suggestions, please contact
program coordinator Polly Lyle at
[email protected].
Keisy Strauchon
at the Reference Desk
Summer Adult Programs
Cris Wilson, Adult Programs, Associate
This summer we will be saying “Hello” to a new, regular
program and “Goodbye” to a winter group. Poetry in the Round
will begin on Friday, May 15 from 3:00 to 5:00 pm and continue
on the 3rd Friday of each month in the Library Learning Center’s
large meeting room (next door to the Carnegie). This group is
open to all who love poetry. It is a round-table format for
participants to read aloud their own poetry or a poem by
another that someone would like to feature. This will be a place to
explore and discuss, but not a place for offering feedback.
We are saying “Goodbye” to Writing Down the Bones, a writing
group, as our facilitator, Robin Dudley, has increasing time
commitments. We will look for another facilitator to begin the
writing group in the fall. Like Poetry in the Round, this group
was also a place to free-write and share, but not to bring works
in progress to be critiqued.
I recently had the opportunity to attend 3 days of workshops at
the Foundation Center District Headquarters in Washington
DC. Our Library Foundation pays for our membership to this
wonderful resource of information to grant makers, nonprofit
management, and fundraising. The fully searchable database
includes profiles of all active U.S. Foundations and files of recent
grants. We offer one-on-one introductions to the website and
we are planning workshops later in the year.
We have some great books ahead this summer for the Book
Lovers Cafe book group. We meet the 1st Monday of every
month at 2:00 in the LLC. Everyone is welcome. We hope you
will join us for our lively discussions!
June 1: Astoria by Peter Stark
July 6: The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
Aug. 3: The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert
September 14: The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
Mini book reviews and summer reading recommendations
from the FOL Board members…
Let the Great World Spin by Colum
McCann, winner of the 2009 National
Book Award, was a wonderful read. It
presents as a series of short stories about
seemingly random New Yorkers in 1974
whose lives are interestingly connected
by the spectacle of Philippe Petit, who
walked a tightrope strung between the
two towers of the World Trade Center. A
self-sacrificing, radical young monk and
his brother who wants to rescue him, a
mother-daughter pair of prostitutes,
young computer hackers, a Park Avenue
mother overcome with grief over the
killing of her son in Viet Nam, her stoic
husband whose duties as a judge lead
him to a surprising hearing, a couple of
artists fleeing the NY night life…. All the
characters are fascinatingly portrayed. I
never wanted this book to end.
Ellen Dustman
The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion is
the perfect summer read. Well written,
funny and good character development.
It’s the story of Don Tillman, a very
orderly and organized professor who,
when he decides it is time to be married,
develops the “Wife Project” to efficiently
find his perfect mate… but without
success. Rosie Jarman, a barmaid, has all
of the qualities he is avoiding. They
become friendly and he develops the
“Father Project” as he helps her locate
her birth father. Aspergers meets free
spirit is a wonderful romp.
Geralynn Rackowski
Family
Furnishings
by Alice
Munro. I
don’t
usually read
short
stories,
being more
inclined to
mysteries
and novels.
But recently
I rediscovered 84 year-old Canadian
author, Alice Munro, and I can’t get
enough. I devoured Selected Stories
(1968-1994) and am regretfully finishing
Family Furnishings (Selected Stories,
1995-2014). Family Furnishings includes
twenty-four stories, many of them set in
the small towns and rural flatlands of
southwestern Ontario where she has
lived most of her life. Her prose has been
described as “subtly honed with her
hallmark precision, grace and
compassion.” She has an amazing ability
to capture the individuality of her
characters as they confront the range of
human experience including coming of
age, discovering sex, falling in love,
leaving a marriage, experiencing defeat,
setting off into the unknown, and the
challenges of the middle aged and the
elderly. The people in her stories feel
real. Their dilemmas—and how they deal
with them— have an exquisitely human
feel. Her stories are a joy to read.
Merilee Clunis
All the Light We Cannot See, by National
Book Award Finalist, Anthony Doerr. The
time is before and after World War II
where two stories converge at SaintMalo, Brittany, France, a town occupied
by the Germans and almost totally
destroyed by allied bombing and fire in
August of 1944. The main characters are
sixteen year old, blind Marie-Laure
LeBlanc of Paris, and Werner Pfennig, an
orphaned German boy who teaches
himself to make and use radios, a skill the
Nazis are happy to exploit. And, in the
background, there is a cursed pear-cut
diamond "as big as a pigeon's egg and as
blue as the sea, but with a flare of red at
its core." Marie-Laure and her father
escape Paris with the diamond just as the
Germans are entering the city. After a
harrowing trip, they land at the home of
the father's brother where both brothers
were raised in Saint-Malo. The top floor
of this home turns out to be a radio
station with a rather seriously powerful
range. The scene is thus set for the
coming of age of two young people, one
French, the other German. Suspense
builds throughout the story as various
well-drawn characters search for the
diamond and deal with the meaning of its
curse. More suspense revolves around
whether or not the two main characters
will survive the events in Saint-Malo. And
there is the constant weaving of the
connections between the two young
people. This book satisfies on many
levels: the writing is beautiful, the
characters are people I would have liked
to know, the story is based in fact, and
intrigue creates just the right amount of
tension. I recommend it highly.
Phyllis Marckworth
Friends of the Library
Annual Meeting
Please join us at the
Mezzaluna Lounge (above
the Silverwater Cafe) on
Monday, June 15th at
4:30PM for our annual
meeting. Agenda: Approve
the slate of officers for the
coming membership year,
review the accomplishments
of the past year and then
socialize for a bit. No host
bar. All members are
welcome.
(Continued from previous page)
Michael Crummey’s Sweetland is the
tale of an abandoned island off the
craggy coast of Newfoundland. Twelve
generations of Sweetlands, the
Swedish family who founded and
named this isolated spot in the middle
of nowhere, have come to a crisis. The
fisheries are depleted, the canneries
closed and shuttered, and the young
people are leaving the island for jobs
and a future in St. John’s. The
Canadian government has a plan for
the handful of survivors – a tempting
$100,000 resettlement payout for
those agreeing to leave
Sweetland…forever. Moses Sweetland
is among a handful of holdouts, and
there the story begins. I can’t think of
another novel that so vividly describes
a community, its traditions, and lifestyle.
These are hardy folks who’ve learned to
subsist on their wits (often with criminal
intent), and dependence upon a
supportive cast of neighbors, many
related by blood. Moses was the
lighthouse keeper until it went
automated, so he’s accustomed to a
solitary life, but as one of the community
leaders who resists the monetary payout,
he’s become a pariah, taunted and
haunted by the living and the dead.
Moses finally agrees to take the money
and leave his lifelong home, but before
the mass exodus, he convinces his
kinsmen that he’s disappeared, washed
out to sea in a very convenient boating
mishap. Of course, he has stayed behind
to subsist and keep the island alive,
ghosts and all. After reading Crummey’s
beautiful tale of life and death on an
isolated island, you may feel as though
you’ve actually visited this incredibly
rugged village and its eccentric, mostly
lovable, residents, who might have been
abandoned by spaceship from another
planet. It helped me understand the
Newfoundlanders I met on my too brief
visit in 2012. Perhaps it will inspire you
to visit the far-flung Canadian provinces.
Linda Martin, Ed.
Digital Literacy in Our Library
Keith Darrock, Technical Services Librarian
Kit and I recently
concluded a
successful and
rewarding series of
twenty grant-funded
adult and youth
digital literacy
classes that ran
weekly, January
through April. The project involved classes focused on digital
skill competencies with tablet and laptop computers and
provided instruction in Windows-based computer programming
and coding. Grant funds further enabled the library to purchase
six Toshiba laptop computers, two DASH robots from Wonder
Workshop, four Raspberry Pi monitors, a Kindle Paperwhite and
a Samsung Galaxy Tablet. We were also able to support our
local businesses through marketing from a graphic designer,
printing services and advertising with the Port Townsend and
Jefferson County Leader.
Teaching basic programming and coding is a real-world digital
literacy skill the library is offering our community’s youth. Video
game design is a vehicle through which to teach these computer
science skills. Classes in this series included programming with
Gamestar Mechanic (a web-based video game design platform
developed by the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the John
D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation) and other coding
programs such as Scratch as well as the code languages HTML
and PYTHON. Likewise, adults were able to hone their digital
literacy skills with classes such as how to download eBooks and
eAudiobooks from the library, introduction to Skype and Video
Conferencing and introduction to iPads. We anticipate
continuing these community-based classes on digital literacy.
This project was made possible by a grant to The City of Port
Townsend from the Washington State Library through funding
provided by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and by the
generosity of the Smithsonian, the Joan Ganz Cooney Center, ELine Media, the Entertainment Software Association and
the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
Letter from the President
Two Book Lovers Needed!!
Geralynn Rackowski
The Friends need two or three volunteers to help process books
and media donated for the tri-annual book sales. Backup
personnel are available for each job since few volunteers in PT
are available 52 weeks a year. Training is tenderly provided.
Please spread the word, tell your friends, and help us find these
wonderful folks! We know you are out there.
The two main needs are:
1. Donation handling. Empty the Library donation box twice a
week, put books in small boxes and take them to our nearby
location where they are sorted and boxed for storage -- or two
volunteers could each take a day. Each pickup takes 1 - 2 hours.
2. Book sorting and boxing coordinator. We have a large group
of volunteers who come for 90 minutes twice a week to sort
and box books…. and have a lot of fun doing it! The coordinator
opens and closes the building, trains new people and helps with
the sorting and boxing. This takes about 2 hours per sorting
day. Other strong volunteers pick up the packed boxes and take
them to storage. This job also follows up with patrons who have
multiple boxes of books to donate.
Welcome New Friends!
Since our last newsletter was published in March, the following
individuals and businesses have expressed their support of our
Carnegie library by becoming valued members of the Friends:
Myra Clarke
Melody Sky Eisler
Keri French
Janet & Ed Haber
Nancy Jamieson
Cindy Johnson & Michael Turner
Grace Krabill
Michael Levine
Zan and Claude Manning
Sarah McNulty
Laura Meynberg
Betsy Nickasio
Sandra Smith
Deborah & Peter Townsend
New business members:
Key City Public Theatre, www.keycitypublictheatre.org
Sweet Laurette Café and Bistro, www.sweetlaurette.com
Yoga Port Townsend www.yogaporttownsend.com
Continuing supporters:
David Chuljian, DDS, PS http://www.chuljiandds.com
Terrapin Architecture/Richard Berg
www.terrapinarchitecture.com
Uptown Physical Therapy/Richard Perez, RPT/DMIN
www.uptowntherapy.com
WallyWorks Enterprises/Malcom Dorn www.wallyworks.net
We are grateful for our business members’ generous support.
Please visit their websites and consider supporting them with your
personal and business needs.
News from the Book Donation Committee
I doubt that the feel of a book in-hand will ever go out of style,
no matter how many Kindles, iPads or Nooks we may own.
Because this tradition will continue, the Friends are pleased to
accept donations of books to sell at our thrice-yearly book
sales. And there is one coming up on June 13 and the third
book sale of the year will be on October 10.
We are proud to have made the book buying business easier
for our book-buying patrons. We have sorted books into a
dozen categories and also have a large non-fiction category for
books that don't fit a particular grouping. Additionally, we
have DVDs and audio and music CDs. Our children's books are
categorized by age.
We are excited by our new online presence, selling what we
refer to as “special” books through Amazon. This allows us to
have a wider buying audience and so far we've done very well.
“Special” books that go online usually sell for more than $10.
We also have a table for “special” books at our Community
Center book sale. They are all priced individually and sell for $2
- $10. There are some very good bargains here.
Perhaps you have noticed the bookcase in the vestibule of the
library. Books in very good or excellent condition are added at
least once a week. Most sell for $1!
Thank you for supporting the Port Townsend Library. The sale
of used books is instrumental in funding library programs for
children and adults. Sheila Khalov
Please become a FRIEND of the Port Townsend Library TODAY!
NAME ____________________________________
□ NEW MEMBER □ RENEWAL
ADDRESS___________________________________
If you would like to volunteer, we’d love to have you. Please
indicate your area(s) of interest:
____________________________________________
PHONE_____________________________________
E-MAIL_____________________________________
Amount of donation $_________________________
(Tax deductible)
□ Individual……. $10
□ Family………..$20
□ Supporting…..$50
□ Sustaining… $100
□ Patron……. ...$500 or more
□ Business……$100 or more
(Your business card will be featured in each newsletter for the
membership year.)
□ Additional Gift $______
FOPTL is qualified for tax exemption under
Section 501 (C) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and your
contribution is tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.
□ Book sales
□ Handling book donations
□ Membership drives
□ Fundraising events
□ Newsletter / publicity
□ Computer/ technical support
□ Adult programs
□ Special events/Advocacy
□ I have an idea, call me!
Annual membership runs from June 1st until May 31st. Dues
may be paid at the library, at the book sale, or by credit card on
the Library’s website at
www.ptpubliclibrary.org/SupportYourLibrary/Friendsofth
eLibrary.html or by completing this form and sending it with
your check, made out to “FOPTL” or “Friends of the Port
Townsend Public Library” to:
Friends of the Port Townsend Library
1220 Lawrence St.
Port Townsend, WA 98368
June is Membership month
YOUR MEMBERSHIP DUES MAKES A DIFFERENCE. 40% of
our budget comes from donations made by members like
you. Now’s the time to join or renew your membership to
the Friends of the Library. Our membership year runs from
June 1st to May 31.
Be assured that your money is wisely spent to support the
many special programs at the library, such as Books for
Babies, baby/toddler/preschool story time, teen summer
read, book discussion groups, author talks, and the
Community/Family Read programs.
There are several ways for you to pay your membership:
 Fill out/mail the membership form in this
newsletter,
 Pay at the Used Book Sale, June 13th, or
 Pay by credit card online. Go to the Friends page
on the library website by clicking “Support Your
Library” on the menu on the left side, and then
click “Friends”.
http://ptpubliclibrary.org/SupportYourLibrary/Fri
endsoftheLibrary.html
Friends of the
Port Townsend Library
1220 Lawrence St.
Port Townsend, WA 98368
www.ptpubliclibrary.org
Friends of the Port Townsend Library (FOPTL)
raise funds to provide services, programs, and materials for the library that are beyond the means of the city budget, for the
cultural and educational enrichment of the community. FOPTL publishes three newsletters each year -- spring, summer, and fall.
Members may receive their newsletter via email or post. Everyone can read the publication at www.ptpubliclibrary.org or pick up
a printed copy at the Port Townsend Library.
Everyone is welcome to attend an FOPTL Board meeting, held on the second Wednesday each month, 3:30 pm, at the Library
Learning Center (at the corner of Lawrence and Harrison). If you are interested in any volunteer activity or a Board position,
please phone Geralynn at 385-120 or email us at [email protected]
Board Members:
President: Geralynn Rackowski
Vice President: Open
Secretary: Merilee Clunis
Treasurer: Phyllis Marckworth
Asst. Treasurer: Cindy Johnson
Membership: Ellen Dustman
Newsletter: Linda Martin
Public Information: Open
Book Sales Coord: Lois Stanford
Book Donation Coord:
Sheila Khalov
Programs liaison: Janet Sweeney
Members at Large:
Fran Post
Kathleen Hawn
Sandi Smith