10 Years of FLPL

florence-lauderdale public libr ary

10 YEARS

It’s been 10 years 10 years! 10 years of children devouring their favorite books. 10 years of readers discovering new authors and—even better—new ideas. 10 years of author events, technology classes, film screenings, genealogy workshops, storytimes… the list goes on and on.

Moving into this beautiful building in 2002 marked a new beginning for Florence-Lauderdale Public Library. A decade ago, we couldn’t have anticipated the coming changes in technology, communication, and the nature of libraries. But because of our local leaders’ dedication to education and knowledge, we have had no reason to be afraid of those changes. Instead, we’ve been able to use those changes to become more exciting, more vibrant, and more relevant than ever.

We do more than check out books at FLPL. We have become the community’s learning center, providing all members of our community with access to information and knowledge. That knowledge may come in the form of a book, a computer database, a movie discussion, a gardening class, or a concert. Just as importantly, we have also made the library a gathering place where people can join with their neighbors to learn together, an important service in this era of personal devices and digital information.

We take pride in being a large part of what makes our community a great place to be. We constantly hear from people—both local residents and visitors—who are impressed by our library. While we love it when people gush over our beautiful bricks and columns, our favorite comments are when people say, “I didn’t know libraries did all this!”

Yes, we have done all of this over the last 10 years. But just wait to see what we do in the next 10.

Part of our 10-year celebration is the debut of the new logo for FlorenceLauderdale Public Library. The books in the logo represent FLPL’s commitment to being a center for knowledge and education. The image radiates both inward and outward to illustrate the library’s roles both as a physical gathering place and as an organization that reaches out to serve all parts of the community. The image is a representation of the vibrance, inclusiveness, and diversity of today’s Florence-Lauderdale Public Library.

Board of Directors Peter Paine, Chairman Beverly Cheney Andy Frith Simpson Russell Dihanne Westfield Former Members since 2002 Patricia Bulls Butler Libby Watts Jordan Jeannie Rogers J. Edward Tease

Written by Jennifer Butler Keeton Layout by Falon Yates

Florence-Lauderdale Public Library 350 North Wood Avenue Florence, Alabama 35630

Nancy Sanford, Executive Director

256-764-6564 • flpl.org

&

books

local history

Local History Room resources Newspapers on microfilm Alabama Confederate Service Records Local census records Family files Access to records from the LDS Family History Library Map collection John Coffee Papers Yearbooks City Directories Family history books Ancestry.com, HeritageQuest, and Fold3 databases Circuit Court records Probate records on microfilm

Lee Freeman and Debra Glass browse historical documents

Descendants of the Beckwith slaves research their family history

For Local History Librarian

Lee Freeman, nothing makes his day quite like helping someone find a great-grandmother’s photograph or fill in that missing piece of a family story.

Our Local History Room contains hundreds of resources for beginner and professional researchers alike, and it is fully staffed with trained historians as well as a group of talented volunteers. The staff and volunteers know the story of the Shoals area, and they have researched the genealogy of hundreds of local families.

Their expertise is perhaps the most valuable resource in the Local History Room, and they can provide guidance on your research projects.

We also strongly believe that in order to keep our community connected to its past, we must work to preserve our history and make it freely and easily accessible to everyone. Our Digital Archive contains thousands of photographs, documents, and oral interviews related to Shoals history, all digitally preserved and all accessible at archive.flpl.org.

We also celebrate our heritage with lively discussions and hands-on learning.

That’s why the library hosts a variety of lectures, discussions, and workshops on local history and genealogy topics. From talks with authors and scholars to classes on genealogy research, our Local History Department provides multiple ways to learn about your history.

We invite you to visit our Local History Room, browse our Digital Archive, and join us for our discussions and classes, as we celebrate our families and the history of the Shoals.

Rhonda Haygood and Clint Alley review a Digital Archive document

Learning isn’t just about

gathering facts and information. It’s also about the experience of chatting with your favorite authors or hearing a local musician. And it’s about getting the encouragement and knowledge you need to start your own creative projects. Here at the library, we offer a variety of programs and services to promote local art and culture, both by making that art available to you and by providing artists with a venue to share their work.

We of course offer a large collection of literature to check out, but we also regularly host book talks and signings for local authors. This year’s Words from the River: A Shoals Author Fair included about 30 local authors and attracted hundreds of book lovers. For film fans, we check out DVDs and partner with Pillar of Fire to host multiple film screenings each month.

Doc Dailey and Magnolia Devil

Smithsonian historian John Edward Hasse, Nancy Gonce, and James Clay

We also celebrate the Shoals’ music scene—past, present, and future. Gone are the days when the only sounds in the stacks were whispers; now we regularly offer after-hours concerts featuring local musicians playing jazz, rock, folk, and more. And one of our most exciting new services is our guitar checkout program, which allows teens and adults to try out a guitar for two weeks for free. We’re also proud to present an ongoing series of local musician videos, in which musicians such as Dillon Hodges and John Paul White share their stories and offer tips to new guitarists.

Come to the library, experience the talent of the Shoals, and be inspired!

Hank Klibanoff speaks at a 2007 event

&culture

books

Some of our past arts & culture special guests

Recycled instruments at Jazz It Up with Trash, part of the Handy Festival

Richard Cowdrey, children’s book illustrator Dillon Hodges, musician Doc Dailey & Magnolia Devil, band Howard Lamb & Friends, jazz band Sarah Irvin, artist Rheta Grimsley Johnson, journalist and author Cassandra King, author Hank Klibanoff, journalist and Pulitzer prize winner Irene Latham, poet and children’s book author Frank Stitt, chef and author The Wildwood Ruminators, band

&family

books

Progr ams for every age group All ages

Summer Reading Program Lego Club Family Movie Night Family Picnic Paws for a Story

0–2 years

Babies Love the Library

2 years

Terrific 2s

3–4 years

ABCs Under the Trees Family Night

4 years

Ready, Set, Read!

Grade school

Book Club events

Mrs. Jessica checks a student’s progress in Ready, Set, Read

Their eyes always light up

when they see the trees for the first time.

Day after day, when children visit our Youth Services Department, they stop in their tracks at the sight of the four 12foot tall trees in the middle of the children’s area.

Under those trees, they can read, play, share their favorite books with their friends, or dance and sing with Mrs. Jessica. As soon as children walk into the library, they know that the space under those trees is just for them.

Jessica Fenn Hill and the rest of the Youth Services staff provide programs nearly every day for children of all ages.

They introduce babies and toddlers to their first books, teach preschoolers to read before they go to kindergarten, and encourage students to keep reading and learning.

Our children’s collection includes over 29,000 easy books, chapter books, audiobooks, and DVDs. Our youngest patrons love digging through the books, picking the ones they want, and checking them out on their very own library cards.

Over the last 10 years, those children and their loved ones have checked out over 1 million items from the Youth Services Department.

If you have young children, bring them by to meet Mrs. Jessica, check out some books, and hang out under the trees. It just might be the first step to a lifetime of learning.

Lego Club at Regency Square Mall

Some dress as blue police boxes, some wear bowties, while others don’t wear any costume at all. But all of the people who attend our television viewing parties spend the evening chatting with other fans, enjoying good coffee, and watching the latest episode with dozens of their neighbors.

We’re proud that we’ve been able to turn this beautiful building into a gathering place, a place where people can come to meet others, share ideas, and have discussions.

Over 70 organizations hold meetings in the library’s multiple meeting rooms. We host movie discussions after the release of major films, book clubs for all ages of readers, Q&A sessions with local scholars and authors, an annual travel series where people share stories about their visits to different countries, and more.

We regularly have people and organizations approach us with an idea they want to share and discuss because they know that the library is the place to do it.

It’s not just these programs and meetings that make the library a community center. Every day, you can walk through the library and see colleagues enjoying lunch at Bookmarks, tutoring groups using our study tables, or parents laughing and catching up after a children’s program. And you’ll see people making connections with strangers, simply because someone said, “I read that book, too!”

It doesn’t matter if you’re a classic literature lover, a comic book fan, a gardener, or a scholar. Regardless of your interests, you can gather with friends—and make a few new ones—at your library.

Doctor Who season premiere party

&community

books

Public Meetings at the library

The Knit Wits meet in the Board Room to work and share their creations.

• Baker Street Irregulars: Sherlock Holmes interest group • CARD: Alzheimer’s support group • Community Service Council: Shoals area non-profit organization representatives • Florence Toastmasters: Speaking, communication, and leadership training • Knit Wits: Weekly knitting circle • La Leche League: Mother-to-mother support, education, and discussion of breastfeeding • Mended Hearts: Heart patients and their caregivers • North Alabama Photographer’s Guild • Parents of Children with Disabilities Support Group • Shoals Tech Forum: Discussion of computer systems and related technology

&learning

books

Library resources for learning Physical resources in the library • Fiction and nonfiction books and audiobooks • Large print books • Magazines and newspapers • Fiction and nonfiction DVDs • Kindle ereaders for checkout Electronic resources available in the library and at home • OverDrive and Freading ebook checkout • Freegal music downloads • Learning Express Library practice tests • Alabama Virtual Library research databases Abby Carpenter helps a computer class student

Get Dirty at the Library gardening series

Here at the library, we love seeing people learn something new. We believe that no matter your age, it’s important to keep learning, whether it’s reading a book on a new topic, visiting an exhibit, keeping current with technology, or trying a new craft project.

We just started a new slate of teen programs that include literary learning with book clubs, cultural learning with film series, and technical learning with computer programming classes. For adults, we offer scholarly lectures, gardening classes, DIY workshops, and many other opportunities to expand your horizons.

Self-defense class presented by the Florence Police Department

Adults of all ages can stay current with new technology by taking our classes on computer skills, ereaders, smartphones, and more. Patrons with eyesight problems don’t have to give up their love of reading—they can use our large print and audiobook collections. Patrons who are homebound due to age or disability don’t have to stop using the library—they can use our Books by Mail service.

Plus, we have staff members who are always willing to help you find the information you’re looking for. We are constantly evolving to provide you with information in the way you want it, which means expanding our collection to include ebooks and online databases. And we’ll even help you learn to use those services with classes and one-on-one assistance.

Are you in the mood to learn something new? Then come by the library, where we can all learn together.

Darkness into Life, an exhibit about Alabama survivors of the Holocaust

support your library Be a part of the library family with

The Friends of the Library If you love your library and want to do what you can to help, consider supporting the Friends of the Library. The Friends is a volunteer-based organization that allows the library to buy more books, materials, and technology and to offer more programs and services for the community. Over the last ten years, they have donated $656,330 to the library.

You can support the Friends by paying membership dues or by shopping or volunteering at the Friends Bookstore. The Friends Bookstore, located within the library, offers great deals on used books, audiobooks, DVDs, magazines, and more. To join the Friends, fill out and mail the form on the opposite page.

Give for the future with

The Florence-Lauderdale Public Library Foundation A great building is just the first part of having a great library.

The Florence-Lauderdale Public Library Foundation was created in 2002 to provide long-term financial support to the library, as well as an avenue for community commitment.

The Foundation is a 501c(3) charitable organization that welcomes gifts of all sizes and accepts donations of cash, securities, or tangible personal property. Contributions to the Foundation help secure cash flow to the library for years to come. The Foundation strives to maintain excellence in the community’s public library.

Enjoy a good book and a good cup of coffee at

Bookmarks Coffee Shop Looking for a relaxing place to grab great coffee, sandwiches, and snacks? Bookmarks Coffee Shop, located on the first floor of the library, offers freshly prepared food and drinks to sit and enjoy, as well as quick snacks and sandwiches to grab in a hurry. Bookmarks also offers catering for meetings held at the library and creates special menus for many library events. 100% of the net proceeds from Bookmarks Coffee Shop are used for library books, materials, and programs.

Eat and drink at Bookmarks, and support your library!

in the past

10 YEARS… 2,649,336

ITEMS CIRCULATED

friends of the libr ary membership form Name Address

City

State

Zip

Phone

416,021

SESSIONS ON THE PUBLIC COMPUTERS

2,393,367

PEOPLE VISITED THE LIBRARY

Email

Annual Memberships October 1 — September 30

 $10  $25  $50  $100  $250  $500

Individual Family Business/Organization Patron, Fiction Level Patron, Non-Fiction Level Patron, Autobiography Level All gifts are tax-deductible.

Mail this form and your check, payable to Friends of the Florence-Lauderdale Public Library, to:

4,119

PROGRAMS ATTENDED

BY A TOTAL OF

Friends of the Library Post Office Box 1178 Florence, AL 35631

121,752

PEOPLE

8,309

COMMUNITY MEETINGS WITH A TOTAL OF

142,257

PEOPLE ATTENDING

 1

$

Bring this coupon to Bookmarks and get $1 off a $5 purchase!

off

expires october 31, 2013

what else would

you

like to see at the

libr ary

?

Connect with our social media pages and let us know!

facebook facebook.com/flplibrary facebook.com/flplyouthservices facebook.com/flplteens facebook.com/flplarchive

pinterest pinterest.com/flplibrary

twitter twitter.com/flplibrary

tumblr flpl.tumblr.com

youtube youtube.com/flplibrary

libr ary hours of oper ation Monday–Thursday 10am–7pm Friday & Saturday 10am–5pm Sunday 1–5pm

friends bookstore Monday–Saturday Sunday

10am–4pm 1–4pm

bookmarks coffee shop Monday–Thursday 9am–6:30pm Friday & Saturday 9am–4:30pm Sunday 1–4:30pm