1. art and entertainment
2. books and literature

Fall/Winter 2014/15
friends’ foRum
Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
FRIENDS OF THE BEVERLY HILLS pubLic LiBRARY NEWSLETTER
The walls of the Beverly Hills Public Library have stories to tell -- and plenty of pictures to tell
them. The artwork may tell the story of “Mother Goose.” Or the story of “Eloise.” Or Aesop’s Fables.
The prints, drawings, water colors and collages take part in the great tradition of picture books, bringing
delight to children of all ages. Much of the art is the gift of Friends of the Beverly Hills
Public Library. A recent tour of the Children’s Library with staff librarians Marilyn Taniguchi and Sandra Abini revealed an embarrassment of artistic riches. Some of these
treasures will be familiar to many library-goers. For instance:
The delicate pen-and-ink drawing of mother and child by pioneering author
and illustrator Kate Greenaway, praised by, among others, the eminent critic and culture maven John Ruskin. (Gift of Friends.)
The irrepressible Eloise. No other creation brought as much attention to the
rich talents of illustrator Hillary Knight and author Kay Thompson. (Gift of Friends in
honor of Friends past president Leslie Lerner.)
Rosemary Wells’ enchanting ‘Mother Goose,’ which brings “My Very
First Mother Goose” so vividly to life. (Gift of Friends in honor of Friends past
president Barbara Sadoff.)
The ‘Locust’ lithograph by Eric Carle. Carle’s “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” has sold more than 38 million copies and has been translated into more than
58 languages. (Gift of Friends.)
Other delights may be less familiar. For example:
The tropical splendor of author/illustrator/filmmaker/folklorist
Gerald McDermott’s illustration, ‘Sometimes He Would Steal,’ from “Papagayo the Mischief Maker.” (Gift of Friends in honor of Fran Ach)
Artist/author/performer Hope Anita Smith’s winsome little girl
in pigtails clutching a beloved book. (Gift of Friends in honor of Friends
past president Charlotte Hill Skura.)
A nonchalant alien stepping off his spacecraft holding – what else? a book, from “A Day with Wilbur Robinson” by author/illustrator/Oscar-winning
filmmaker William Edward Joyce. (Gift of the Friends.)
In addition to the wealth of art contributed by the Friends, library patrons
can admire the charming cover of E.B. White’s classic “Charlotte’s Web,” possibly the
most enduring image that Garth Montgomery Williams created over his long and
celebrated career. Or they can enjoy a suite of prints from Maurice Sendak’s classic,
“Where the Wild Things Are.”
Heading to the Beverly Hills Public Library? Come for the books, the digital media, the programs,
the superb staff, or the blessed peace and quiet. And stay for the art.
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444 North Rexford Drive • Beverly Hills, CA 90210 • T. (310) 288-2220 • F. (310) 288-2286 • www.bhpl.org
IN THE CHAT ROOM WITH
NANCY & BARBARA
In The Chat Room is a regular feature of the Newsletter in which City Librarian Nancy Hunt-Coffey brings
Friends past president Barbara Linder up to date on recent developments.
B. Advances in technology seem to
come at lightning speed. What have The Friends of the Beverly
Hills Public Library provided this year to update technical resources in the Library?
N. The Friends paid for technology to assist the visually impaired
in reading written material. They also bought laptops for the
Teen Zone and the online World Book.
Money raised by the Friends has provided
most of our e-books and audio books, as
well as some of the Library’s database subscriptions.
B. How else does the Library embrace
new technology?
N.. In so many different ways. For example, we offer free highspeed internet and superior wireless service – in most cases,
better than you can get at home. We currently provide 50 public computers with which any patron may look for a job, do
research or homework, play games, listen to music, read a book
or watch a movie.
B. What else can these computers be
used for?
N. To access our free online databases, such as magazines, newspapers,
children’s literature and picture books
– not to mention art resources, job-search and college prep material. Or bring your own device and check out an e-book. Did
you know that the checkout rate for e-books has shot up 33% in
the past year -- the fastest growing rate of any medium?
Not all the art the Friends contribute to the
Library is found in the Children’s wing. Take the
stairway up to the Fine Arts department, and
what you find at the top of the stairs is certainly not kid stuff.
On one side you
will find a dazzling,
dramatic 1926 photo of the
legendary ballet stars Serge
Lifar and Olga Spessivtzeva in
Michel Fokine’s “The Firebird.”
(Given in memory of Friends
Across
Board member Roz Baumsten by her family.)
from it you will see Lois Greenfield’s austere and striking
1986 photo of four contemporary dancers caught mid-
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B. Speaking of checkouts, how
does the new automated checkout service work, and are people
using it?
N. Staff and patrons love it. The
checkout stations read ID tags that
have been placed in all materials. So robotics techniques check
books and other material in and out, reset their alarms and also
sort them, freeing up staff members to assist patrons.
B. At any given time, the library is full of students of all ages.
What’s available for them?
N.. Well, the new study rooms
in the Children’s Library are
designed for collaboration.
Students can use their laptops or iPads and work as a
group. Older teens may use
both rooms to do collaborative coding via wi-fi at a higher
level than you can obtain elsewhere. And Teen Zone computers
are loaded with specialized video and photo-editing software.
B.. Are there any other offerings for students?
N.. Anyone can take classes online for free at the Library in a
wide range of topics, all taught by instructors. In the afternoon,
free tutoring is offered in such subjects as calculus, essay writing and more. The Library pays for all these expensive services
which are not affordable privately for many people.
flight. (Gift of Friends in honor of Friends past president Myra Demeter.) The 1926 photo displays the
erotic charge and decorative splendor of a masterwork that helped propel Serge Diaghilev’s
Ballets Russes to the
forefront of modernism
in music, dance and the visual
arts. The photo taken 60 years
later captures the pared-down
aesthetic and stunning athleticism of Greenfield’s “Breaking Bounds” series. These two
exquisite photos bookend 20th century classical dance,
engage in a lively artistic dialogue and offer a rich reward
for those who seek them out.
2014 - 2015
FRIENDS OF BHPL
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Officers
Jean Rosenblatt, Pres.
Monique Gibbons, 1st VP
Karen Rushfield, 2nd VP
Lori Goldman, 3rd VP
Jeannette Mandelbaum, 3rd VP
Joyce Levine, Treas.
Mallory Lee, Rec.. Secy
Shelley Wagers, Corr. Secy
Directors
Fran Behrstock
Mickie Berg
Susan Fishman
Martha Galvan
Debra Gordon
Shahla Harounian
Helene Harris
Kristen Jameson
Rosanne Keynan
Ursula Levi
Virginia Maas
Launa Romoff
Kathi Rothner
Barbara Greene Ruskin
Jennifer Woodward
Past Presidents - Active
Lori Goldman
Ann Golenternek
Betty Harris
Barbara Linder
Adriane Lorin
Robin Rush
Barbara Sadoff
Charlotte Hill Skura
Bette Treiman
NEWSLETTER COMMITTEE
Barbara Greene Ruskin
Lori Goldman
Helene Harris
Barbara Linder
Rosanne Keynan
Kathi Rothner
Shelley Wagers
Our favorite LA Times columnist/NPR commenator spoke at the
Friends Membership Brunch in May. The following are some of
her remarks.
“Let me tell you two words that absolutely terrify me.
Not ‘chocolate shortage’ - as bad as that is!
The two words that haunt my dreams are ‘paperless society.’
A paperless society --- what a horror.
What other medium has endured across the centuries?
The 8-track tape? The VHS? The pdf? It’s paper - and paper’s brother, vellum that
have endured. You want eternal life? Don’t send an email. Write a letter.
For decades biologists have argued over what makes us human. What makes this
group of primates so different from our fellow primates? It isn’t tool making, it
certainly isn’t compassion – we are a long way from locking up the market on that.
I would say it’s the external transmission of knowledge.
The fact that I can pick up a piece of paper, or many pieces of paper collected into
what we call a book and find that this collection of tree pulp and ink can make me
laugh, make me weep, move me and infuriate me – can deliver the words, can take
me inside the mind of a man dead and in his grave for four hundred years – that
is the real definition of what it means to be human.”
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MoRe To Love @ the LibRary
What an exciting summer we have had!
The Summer Reading Clubs at our Library had 2100 people participating,
from pre-schoolers to adult readers.
The 150 adults rated each book that
they read.. At summer’s end, there was
a drawing, and the winner received a Kindle
donated by the Friends.
We were very pleased
by the huge participation in this year’s summer programs, and
we are proud of the
Friends’ sponsorship.
This October brings us “One
Book, One City.” All Beverly Hills adult
residents and juniors and seniors at
the high school are encouraged to
read “The Boys in the Boat” by Daniel James Brown. On October 12, the
author will speak at
the BHHS. The event
is free.
October also
brings Spooky Tales
to the Children’s
Department.
Storytime will include
stories, puppet shows and crafts. The
children’s librarians will follow that with
Winter Tales to round out the year.
The Stilke mural entitled
“Party Animals,” is
made of recycled books.
the temporary exhibit of the Mike
Stilkey mural, located in the entrance
to the Children’s Library. The
Friends of
the Library
sponsored
the children’s program to celebrate the Arts of Palm on
April 27 and the children created art
with recycled books.
Have you bought
your book
bag yet?
Hurry! They’re going
fast!
Summer Arts of Palm events included
Please visit
us at our new website:
friendsofbhpl.
...
The Friends’ book store is open
Mon - Sat from 10am to 5pm,
Sun from12 noon to 4pm
For info: 310.288.2209.
For volunteering: 310.288.2286.
For book donations: 310.288.2271.
...
The Friends of the Beverly Hills Public
Library is a non-profit organ-ization
that supports the Library. Funds from
membership fees and bookstore revenues, as well as donations and tributes, support many of the Library’s
best-loved and most needed collections and programs.
444 North Rexford Dr.
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
The Friends’ Forum
Friends of the BeverlyHills Public Library
Nonprofit Organization
U.S. Postage Paid
Permit #114
Canoga Park, CA