Don't forget to check the Used Book Cart near the
entrance for bargains. Items change daily!
Click on these items for fast access on this page:
Friends' Annual Meeting (click on this line)
Spring Book Sale March 8 - 9
Holiday Treat 2002
From the Desk of Marcella Lucas
Friends' President's Message
Friends' Board
Don't forget to check the Used Book Cart near the
entrance for bargains. Items change daily!
BIG SPRING BOOK SALE FOR BOOKLOVERS
MARCH 8 and 9
The spring book sale will be held Saturday, March 8, open to members from 9 am to 10 am, and for all from 10 am to 4 pm.Sunday, March 9, from 2 pm to 4 pm, there will be a bag sale of whatever materials are left, books, magazines, records, tapes, videos, at $3.00 for each grocery bag. There are fine donations arriving at the library, a variety of things to read, to watch, to listen to, collectibles, rare items. It promises to be a fine sale.
The year round sorters, Moles, named for their weekly work underground, do a remarkable job of finding and sorting donations, treasures, and what might be treasures. They are steady, earnest, energetic, and work innovatively and with good humor. Applause to all.....Gretna Connor, Helene Cox, Judy Gleitsman, Lois Hinde, Evie Loke, Maria Mitchell, Dean Oedzes, Don Struck, and Justine Wheeler. Each has a sort of specialty, each pitches in to do whatever needs doing. Great team of workers. Come to the book sale and see what they have set out for browsers and buyers. For more information contact the Friends HERE.
The library was busy: cheerful voices, angelic music, rustle of bags of goodies, a lovely holiday Saturday for everyone. The quantity and quality of baked goods was astonishing, pies and cakes, breads and scones, candy and brownies and cupcakes. They were all gone by early afternoon, and the profit was nearly $800.
There were many additional raffle prizes, lovely crafts and useful gift certificates, enough that there were lots of interested purchasers of tickets. It was the most successful raffle ever, bringing in $1170! Local artists and local business were very generous!
The mini book sale drew regular sale attendees, and some newcomers. There were collectibles and nearly new books, quite suitable for gift giving. That short sale brought in $930. New and renewed memberships were brought in, and lots of pecans made their way out the door.
And, of course, Beverly Myrow's Harp Angels provided their celestial music. It was a lovely respite with coffee and cookies in the Ringering Room.
Thanks to all, but especially to Frank Baecher and Jennifer Spinozzi,
to Susan and Lisa McGoldrick, to the Book Sale Moles, recruited by Dean
Oedzes, and to Claudette Colebourn, head of circulation, and her patient,
cheerful crew. It was financially the most successful Holiday Treat ever
held at the library....and....a fun day for all. See
the photos from the Holiday Triple Treat here.
-- Helene Cox
FROM THE DESK OF MARCELLA LUCAS. . .
FICTION COMES TO LIGHT AT THE LIBRARY
Since the Park Forest Public Library was built,
the lighting in the south end of the building has been essentially the
same, even though the area changed from an open reading area with a circulation
desk to a room filled with shelves of books. The lighting, while sufficient
in an open area, was inadequate to light the aisles between the 7 ft. tall
book shelves. There were many dark corners and dimly lit areas. The original
wiring had deteriorated beyond repair.
With the help of a grant from Representative George
Scully, the library received funds to bring the ‘Fiction Room to Light’.
New fixtures were installed, in a new configuration, and the ceiling was
repaired and painted so as to reflect the light. The result is a uniformly
well-lit room with no shadows or dark places (even among the mysteries!)
Stop in and browse the fiction area, in the room
to the left as you enter the library. You’ll probably discover or re-discover
some books you didn’t know we owned.
ONE BOOK, ONE REGION
The Park Forest Public Library is participating
with other libraries in the south suburbs to sponsor “One Book, One Region,”
patterned after “One Book, One City,” Chicago’s recent effort. The first
selected is Mildred Taylor’s Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, a novel set
in the rural south during the Depression. It is the story of one family’s
struggle to maintain their independence, integrity, and pride in the face
of racism and social injustice.
The library has purchased multiple copies of this
title in various formats and will have them on display near the entrance.
I encourage you to check out a copy and share a region-wide reading experience.
The movie, based on the book, will be shown
in the Ringering Room on Wednesday, February 19th at 2:30 p. m. with FREE
POPCORN !
A book discussion, led by Jean Bernstein, Professor
of Children’s Literature at GSU will be held Wednesday, February 26th at
7:00 p.m. Come and share your reading experience with others as we examine
the book in depth.
LATE BREAKING NEWS
Two famous Olympia Fields residents were featured
during our activities for Black History Month. On Sunday, February 9 at
2:30 p.m. John W. Fountain, national correspondent for the New York Times,
shared his inspiring life story. From the poverty of the west side of Chicago
to the comfort of the southern suburbs, he has moved between two worlds
in a journey he describes as one of “faith, hope, and clarity.”
On Wednesday, February 12 at 1 p.m., Jan Spivey
Gilchrist, award winning illustrator and writer of children’s books, visited.
Ms. Gilchrist showed examples of her work, explained her craft, and autographed
her books. It was fun for all ages!
Winter may be a good time to curl up before the fire
with a good book, but it is also a great time to come to the Library and
enjoy our many programs and activities.
Hoping to see you soon!
-- Marcella Lucas, Administrative Librarian
Any comparison between the ideas expressed
in Martin Seligman’s book, Authentic Happiness, and Jonathan Franzen’s
essay, “Mr. Difficult,” are part conjecture, fantasy and entertainment
— though there are some readers who find a richness and joy in reading
and may be willing to accept the comparison. Because of the imaginative
sweep of these ideas, we thought it worthwhile to assemble a cast of fictitious
characters to lend a hand.
When Sabbath, Rabbit, Hank, Ginny, Chip, Marina
and Adam were recently interviewed, some thought it was only natural that
they were chosen as role-models in this age of celebrity-hood. Sabbath,
Rabbit, Chip and Adam all roared with pleasure that readers would equate
happiness with their lives when they often lived in pursuit of their own
egotistical interests. Often, their joy came at the expense of others.
The more reflective, introverted, among them,
including Hank, Ginny and Marina, were shocked at being chosen when their
main theme wasn’t a search for happiness but a search for redemption and
meaningfulness. They thought it particularly presumptuous for Seligman
to disown the in-depth Freudian psychology with its need to uncover the
past because it was too pessimistic for this new generation. They all agreed
that their lives were a protest against a narrowness and superficiality
in the larger culture.
As for Franzen’s ideas of categorizing books
into two groups, one that entertains, and the other that is more serious
and difficult reading, hence artistic, they all breathed a sigh of relief
knowing their message and celebrity status depended on their entertainment
value. It was a shame that the books of writers like, say, Camus, Gaddis,
Melville and Nabokov would gather dust on bookshelves — but, oh well!
They all wondered what would become of novelists
in the next 25 years with the onslaught of media and its cultural power
to weed out the unpopular, different and uneasy creative spirits. But then,
they all knew that someone would come along with a story that uses the
old familiar “once upon a time”...and we would be reawakened once again.
— Frank Baecher, President of the Friends,
(With tongue in cheek!)
Frank’s Recommended Reads:
Jonathan Franzen: “Mr. Difficult,” in the New Yorker, 9/30/02, and his
book, The Corrections - Popular Title FIC F
John Updike: Rabbit is Rich - Fic UPD
Jane Smiley: A Thousand Acres - Fic SMI
Joyce Carol Oates: Middle Age: A Romance - Fic Oat
Richard Russo: Empire Falls - Fic Rus
Martin E.P. Seligman: Authentic Happiness: Using the New Positive Psychology
to Realize Your Potential for Lasting Fulfillment - 158.1 SEL
President: Frank Baecher
Vice-President: Jennifer Spinozzi
Recording Secretary: Melinda Geist
Treasurer: Mitchell Cox
Book Sales: Helene Cox
Hospitality: Susan McGoldrick
Board Members At Large: Beverly Myrow, Mary Krachey
Administrative Librarian: Marcella Lucas
PFPL Bd. Liaison: Alice Racher
OFPL Bd. Liaison: Corine Hawthorne, Joan Braden
footnotes
Editor: Elaine Brownlee
Contributing Editors: Joan Larsen, Alice Racher, Frank Baecher, Helene
Cox
Proofreader: Leslie Simms
Friends’ Webmaster: Elaine Brownlee
