Off the Shelf - Spring 2014

SP R IN G 2 01 4

VOLUME 3 • ISSUE 2

OFF the SHELF

Har olyn Holton

Actin g Head of Secu rity Parkway Cent ral Libra ry

Bob Rub enst ein

Libra ry Assistant 2 Parkway Cent ral Libra ry

A MAGAZINE FROM the Free Library of Philadelphia

Liz H ei d ema n Children’s Librarian Philadelphia City Institute

Veronica Bri t to Branch Head David Cohen Ogontz Library

Also inside

Mari on Par kins on

Cluster Lead er arie s a Neig hbo rho od Libr Nor th Phil ade lphi

THE Faces of the Free Library Renovation update News from around the system The Final Word with Helen Oy eyemi

S e c u r e t h e F r e e L ibr a r y ’ s F u t u r e T o d ay Making a gift through your will—a bequest—to the Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation will help to ensure that the Free Library will continue to transform lives for generations to come, all while providing your heirs with potential estate tax advantages. A bequest can benefit a wide variety of programs and services at the Free Library or be restricted to support your favorite neighborhood library. Regardless of how you choose to designate your gift today, your support secures the future of the Free Library of Philadelphia for tomorrow’s customers. If you have already made arrangements to provide for the Free

Library Foundation through your estate, please let us know so that we may thank you!

Now offering Charitable Gift Annuities! To learn more about our CGA rates or making a planned gift through a bequest or gift of insurance, please contact Amanda Goldstein at 215-567-7710, ext. 538 or goldsteina@freelibrary.org.

Not intended as legal, tax, or investment advice

A SELECTION OF UPCOMING AUTHOR EVENTS FOR MORE Info: 215-567-4341 • freelibrary.org/authorevents

APR 22 • 7:30 PM

APR 24 • 7:30 PM

APR 29 • 7:30 PM

MAY 1 • 7:30 PM

MAY 6 • 7:30 PM

FREE

TICKET REQUIRED

FREE

TICKET REQUIRED

FREE

Marlo Thomas It Ain’t Over . . . Till It’s Over: Reinventing Your Life-and Realizing Your Dreams-Any Time, at Any Age

Amartya Sen An Uncertain Glory: India and its Contradictions

Ralph Nader Unstoppable: The Emerging Right-Left Alliance to Dismantle the Corporate State

Francine Prose Lovers at the Chameleon Club, Paris 1932

with

Mona Simpson Casebook

Elise Juska The Blessings

with

Akhil Sharma

MAY 12 • 7:30 PM

MAY 13 • 7:30 PM

MAY 22 • 7:30 PM

MAY 29 • 7:30 PM

FREE

FREE

FREE

TICKET REQUIRED

and

Roz Chast

Sandra Tsing Loh

Can’t We Talk about Something More Pleasant

The Madwoman in the Volvo

Michael Cunningham

Philippe Petit

The Temporary Gentleman

The Snow Queen

Family Life

Sebastian Barry

Creativity: The Perfect Crime

The eighth annual Philadelphia Book Festival runs April 13 through April 19. Details on page 5 and at freelibrary.org

From the President and Director

Free Library of Philadelphia President and Director

Siobhan A. Reardon Associate Director

Dr. Joseph McPeak

Welcome to the spring 2014 edition of Off the Shelf.

You’ll no doubt spot a common theme running throughout this issue: Whether we’re celebrating the Year of the Bard, kicking off the Philadelphia Book Festival, or revolutionizing the way we serve our customers, it is our librarians and staff who truly bring our programs and services to life.

Vice President of Development

Melissa B. Greenberg Vice President of External Affairs

Sandra Horrocks Director of Communications and Brand Marketing

Alix Gerz SENIOR Writer AND Editor

Michelle Saraceni Sheffer COMMUNICATIONS AND PRODUCTION COORDINATOR

Eileen Owens Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation

1901 Vine Street, Suite 111 Philadelphia, PA 19103 215-567-7710 freelibrary.org/support OFF THE SHELF

offtheshelf@freelibrary.org freelibrary.org/publications Off the Shelf is published twice annually for supporters of the Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation and showcases the Library’s educational, economic, and cultural contributions to the region.

ON THE COVER: FIVE of our stellar librarians and staff who work tirelessly to advance literacy, guide learning, and inspire curiosity Below: Librarians Liz Heideman and Veronica Britto check out a literacy app for children.

Photo credit: Ryan Brandenberg

When we underwent our strategic planning process several years ago, providing great, focused customer service was at the core of every decision we made. And at the heart of great customer service is our richest resource: our dedicated librarians and staff.

You will read about just a few of them in this issue’s feature article, “The Faces of the Free Library.” Each day, members of our team tirelessly work to advance literacy, guide learning, and inspire curiosity in Philadelphians of all ages and backgrounds. Working at a library is no easy task, yet these individuals make it seem effortless as they lead storytimes, host lively programs, and ensure that the library is a welcoming and safe place for all.

In order to truly let our librarians and staff shine, we recently underwent an organizational restructuring, creating strategic groups, or “clusters,” of libraries that are able to share staff, ideas, and resources to create a more streamlined customer experience. Be sure to turn to From the Neighborhoods to learn more about this groundbreaking initiative.

In these pages you’ll also get a peek at a Hidden Gem from The Rosenbach of the Free Library of Philadelphia, catch up on all the latest news and notes from around the system, and read what author Helen Oyeyemi has to say about life and libraries. Enjoy!

Warmly,

Siobhan A. Reardon PRESIDENT AND DIRECTOR

WHAT’S INSIDE 8 The Faces of the Free Library:

Profiles in Excellence 4 6 7 12

14 15

News and Notes HIDDEN GEMS: Shakespeare’s Life in Paper focus on: STUNNING SPACES Putting the ‘Neighborhood’ in Neighborhood Libraries: A New Model for Library Service The Final Word: Helen Oyeyemi BOARD LISTS

The Library recently completed one of the largest library card drives in its history!

Ninety-eight thousand students in the School District of Philadelphia—from Kindergarteners to high school seniors— received cards so that now every student has a Free Library card.

All the world was a stage at the Parkway Central Library on December 7 as guests gathered for the Ball for the Bard to celebrate 450 years of the incomparable William Shakespeare, from the theatre stalls of Elizabethan England to the vibrant streets of 21st-century Philadelphia. The Ball for the Bard offered guests a spectacular evening of poetry and performance, dinner and dancing—all in honor of the Bard and in support of the Free Library!

Photo credit: Kelly & Massa Photography

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Left to right: The Bard himself with Library President and Director Siobhan A. Reardon, Arthur Spector, Miriam Spector, Jim Reardon, and Shakespeare’s First Folio Left to right: Emily Riley, Eleanor Davis, AND Ball co-chairs Stacey Spector and Ira Brind Left to right: Board of Directors member Susan Smith with Leslie Stiles, Mike Stiles, Marjorie Rendell, and Lyn Montgomery Ball co-chairs Cookie and Ralph Smith Ball co-chairs John and Janet Haas

{4}

PHOTO CREDIT: JOEL

NICHOLS

CUSTOMER CORNER

1

AROUND THE SYSTEM 2

Pat LePera can’t remember a time when she wasn’t a card-carrying Free Library customer: “The library is the only club I’ve been a member of my whole life.”

She got her first library card at the age of five, and since then, her neighborhood libraries have tracked her path around the city: from Holmesburg to Katharine Drexel, Chestnut Hill, Bushrod, and now Walnut Street West.

3

4

Her parents, avid library lovers, instilled in her a deep appreciation of reading and a love of libraries at an early age.

Their neighborhood library was Tacony, and her father visited religiously. He returned and checked out new books every third Friday of the month; in fact, it was one of the last things he did before he died. In honor of what would have been her father’s 75th birthday, Pat generously donated funding for benches in Tacony’s reading garden. The benches, which bear her father’s name, create a serene setting for customers to enjoy the Tacony Library as much as he did.

dson

it: Curt Hu

Photo cred

Now President at SteegeThomson Communications and a part of the Free Library Foundation’s George S. Pepper Society, Pat believes in the extraordinary power people gain when they have access to a library. “Books changes lives, they broaden our world,” she says. “It’s a path to lifelong learning.”

The love of libraries passed down from Pat’s parents still hasn’t left her. “I’ve never gotten over my wonder that all of these books were available to me, for free. The library is an open door to the world.”

1

Children at Durham Library experiment with e-Textiles, making plush monsters with light-up eyes.

2

Afterschool program leader Blake Boenecke created finger puppets for children at Independence Library to cut, color, and act out their own Nutcracker.

3

Northeast Regional Library celebrates its 50th anniversary with ribbon dancing.

4

Oak Lane Library celebrates Martin Luther King, Jr. Day with an oratorical contest.

Join us for a celebration of literacy and the arts! This beloved celebration continues with events at neighborhood libraries throughout the city, along with headlining author events in the Parkway Central Library’s Montgomery Auditorium, during National Library week from April 13-19, 2014. The Book Festival now stretches into every Philadelphia community, ensuring that book worms and literacy lovers from across the city can get in on the fun. Headlining authors that will appear throughout the week at Parkway Central include Debbie Macomber, Barbara Ehrenreich, and Food Network stars Pat and Gina Neely.

Details at freelibrary.org/festival.

{5}

HIDDEN GEMS

Shakespeare’s Life in Paper 15

#

Photo credit: EILEEN OWENS

To get a glimpse of England in Shakespeare’s time, one need to go only as far as Philadelphia’s Delancey Place.

Photo credit: courtesy of the Rosenbach

Nestled in The Rosenbach of the Free Library of Philadelphia’s cozy, woodpaneled East Library sits a series of 11 one-of-a-kind paper models paying tribute to places of importance in William Shakespeare’s life. Designed around 1830, the models range from his birthplace and Anne Hathaway’s cottage to the Globe Theatre and a manor house in Stratford where unfounded legend has it that the Bard poached some local deer. The models are incredibly intricate; thatched roofs, peacock tail feathers, and even the little gloves hanging in the window of Shakespeare’s father’s shop are made of paper.

According to Rosenbach Librarian Elizabeth Fuller, the little masterpieces were made by an Englishman named Frederick George Fisher who crafted them for his daughter Clara, who was a child actress and collector of all things Shakespeare. Fisher originally created 20 models, of which the Rosenbach has 11; the location— indeed the existence—of the remaining nine models is unknown.

Fisher’s little replicas caused such a stir that he said he became a prisoner in his own home, constantly welcoming visitors to see the models.

TOP: The Rosenbach’s paper model of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, circa 1830. 1954.2087.001

He eventually published a catalogue of the renowned pieces and even sent them to be exhibited at a Shakespeare Jubilee in Stratford in 1830. While Fuller says that little is known about how the models came into the possession of A.S.W. Rosenbach (and eventually the museum), a researcher once posited that they crossed the Atlantic in 1837 when American actor Edwin Forrest returned to Philadelphia from London with his new British wife, an actress with possible ties to Clara Fisher.

Fuller says that aside from being imaginative, beautiful, and truly rare, the real importance of the models lies in the fact that their existence highlights the great interest in Shakespeare during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. “This was really the period where Shakespeare became the greatest English playwright,” Fuller says. “He had truly transformed from one extraordinary writer in an extraordinary age to the singular genius we know him as today.”

A peek at the models is featured on house tours of The Rosenbach of the Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation. Hours and ticket prices at rosenbach.org.

And to learn more of the “singular genius” of William Shakespeare, celebrate The Year of the Bard: Shakespeare at 450 with the Free Library. Details at freelibrary.org/bard.

BOTTOM: A broadside advertising the models. EL3.AIju

• • • BY ALIX GERZ

{6}

FOCUS ON

Stunning Spaces

PHOTO CREDIT: Kelly & Massa photography

PHOTO CREDIT: EILEEN OWENS

LEFT: The William B. Dietrich Gallery opened on January 29 with the Shakespeare for All Time exhibition. In the foreground, Rare Book Department Head Janine Pollock greEts visitors.

RIGHT: A new kitchen will be the home for a new series of culinary literacy programs as well as the caterers for special events.

The Free Library continued its work of “Building Inspiration” at the Parkway Central Library with the recent unveiling of a series of completed renovations meant to enhance the public space in the historic Beaux-Arts beauty.

On January 29 the Rare Book Department revealed the new William B. Dietrich Gallery, a 1,000-square-foot exhibition space for special changing exhibitions. The inaugural exhibition in the striking new gallery is Shakespeare for All Time—held in conjunction with the Free Library’s Year of the Bard celebrations— which runs through May 31 and features the Library’s copy of Shakespeare’s renowned First Folio. Additional Rare Book Department renovations include updated museum-quality conservation areas and an upgraded space for the Theatre Collection, which resides in the Department.

Even more dramatic is the work that was undertaken on the Fourth Floor and is nearing completion. An outdated kitchen, moderately-sized event space, and several smaller rooms and offices were replaced with new adjoining conference rooms that

can be merged into one larger space, a demonstration kitchen for culinary literacy programming, and an enlarged Skyline Room event space—to be used for everything from Free Library soirées and meetings to roof-top weddings—with a state-of-the-art catering kitchen.

Each of these major renovation efforts were undertaken as part of the “Building Inspiration” plans to renovate and restore Parkway Central in strategic phases. Stay tuned to Off the Shelf and freelibrary.org for updates on future renovations at Parkway Central!

• • • BY ALIX GERZ

LEFT: Celebrating the grand opening of the new William B. Dietrich gallery were: ROBERT Heim, Chair of the Free Library of Philadelphia Board of Trustees; Siobhan A. Reardon, President and Director of the Free Library; Tobey Dicther, Chair of the Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation Board of Directors; and John Soroko, member of the free library board of trustees and the William B. DietRich Foundation. RIGHT: The renovated and expanded Skyline Room will be home to meetings, soirÉes, and other special events.

PHOTO CREDIT: Kelly & Massa photography

PHOTO CREDIT: eileen owens

{7}

• • • By Michelle Saraceni Sheffer

The Faces of the Free Library: Profiles in Excellence

erg

Brandenb All photos by Ryan

Helping Philadelphians find everything from a new favorite book to a new job, the talented staff of the Free Library of Philadelphia truly brings this great institution to life. Below, read more about how five staff members, through their unique talents, help advance literacy, guide learning, and inspire curiosity every day.

{8}

Veronica Britto Branch Head, David Cohen Ogontz Library

Inquisitive, friendly, and always willing to lend a hand, librarian Veronica Britto loves to connect library visitors of all ages with everything from her favorite page-turners to the crucial information they need to improve their lives. There’s never a dull day for her as the Branch Head at David Cohen Ogontz Library: One minute, she may be helping an ex-offender create a résumé and get back on his or her feet, and then next, she’s energetically singing ABCs with a group of toddlers while they wiggle in their seats.

“The longer I work as a librarian in the public library, the more I grow to appreciate how much the community needs libraries—and, of course, librarians to guide them along the way,” she says. “The Free Library is a free and public way to educate oneself on matters to improve one’s home, workplace, and society.

I consider it a great blessing to be a part of an organization whose goal is to improve society through lifelong education.”

Veronica remembers fondly two young sisters who regularly visited her when she worked at Logan Library and devoured every book they could get their hands on. The sisters eventually moved away to South Philadelphia, but one day rode the subway the whole way back up to Logan just to see how Veronica was doing and to give her personal thank you letters that they had written.

“After we had spoken and they left before it got dark outside, I excused myself to the staff workroom to wipe away my tears of gratitude,” she says. “Whenever I have a challenging day, I think of my little sisters, and can hear them say, ‘Miss Veronica, give me something good to read.’”

Liz Heideman

Child ren’s Libra rian , Phila delp hia City Insti tute

She may not carry a fancy wand or don a flowi ng wizard’s cape—most days—but children’s librarian Liz Heideman certainly makes magic happen every day at the Phila delphia City Institute on Rittenhouse Squar e.

From leading lively storytimes for the library’s littlest visitors to connecting eager school students with books on any topic unde r the sun, Liz works tirelessly to spark the imagination and nurture the curiosity of all the children who come to the library.

“This job is a calling for me,” she says. “I can’t imagine doing anything else and having it be a fraction as fulfilling.”

Liz knew she wanted to be a librarian from a young age, thanks to the powers of her schoo l librarian. “She could always find books I would like, even when I wouldn’t tell her what I was looking for. I was convinced that she was magic, and I still think a good librarian is part magician.”

Liz puts her own powers to great use by not only sharing great books and stories, but by designing interactive and engaging programs that foster a love of reading and learning. One summertime stories-and-expe rimen ts series was so popular that a parent asked Liz for her plans for the next few week s, as the family was going on vacation and her son was devastated to be missing his “library science program.” And Liz is alway s working to put more and more children and famil ies under her spell and bring them to the library, enchanting them with the powe r of books and ideas.

“There isn’t a small child who comes into the library who doesn’t think that it’s a magical place, and all of the library staff are part of creating that world,” she says. “Keep up the sorcery, everyone!”

{9}

Harolyn Holton Acting Head of Security, Parkway Central Library

The oldest of seven siblings, Harolyn Holton knows a thing or two about fair-minded and flexible leadership. And as a single mother who raised her two daughters into the successful women they are today, Harolyn also knows all about the importance of a strong work ethic. As a result, she ensures that the Parkway Central Library is a warm, welcoming, and safe place for all.

Harolyn worked her way up at the Free Library over the past 20 years, from a part-time guard position to full time on the rotating overnight shift and now her current role as Acting Head of Security at Parkway Central. She loves to read, loves to laugh, and takes care to treat everyone with the respect they deserve, from homeless customers to the Library’s top donors.

“It all boils down to how you carry yourself and treat others,” she says. “I want to create a positive environment—comfortable, pleasant, and safe.”

Her fair manner hasn’t gone unnoticed. While waiting for a bus alone late in the evening after her shift, a homeless man who often used the library made sure she got on safely and thanked her for the way she always treated him with dignity.

“I just believe that what goes around comes around,” she says.

“If you put good actions and words out into the world, good things will come back to you.”

Harolyn has fetched missing flowers and calmed frayed emotions during weddings held at the library; she’s also helped connect homeless visitors with the social services they need to get fresh clothes or a warm meal.

Underscoring it all is her deep commitment to serving others.

With Harolyn, Parkway Central Library is in good hands.

F...

STAF OUR LIBRARIANS AND ges Speak more than 30 langua e questions Answer 3 million referenc

Host 25,000 programs illion books Circulate more than 6.5 m and other materials

{ 10 }

Marion Parkinson

Neigh borho od Libra ries Clust er Leade r, North Phila delph ia

e a librarian. But as a child, but never had the idea that she could becom Avid reader Marion Parkinson always loved the library istrative Librarian Admin ted dedica and a spirited sense of “why not?”, this through the years of hard work, a dash of serendipity, strategic plan: the its under ped Free Library initiatives to have been develo now leads one of the most innovative and important unity will work comm same the r. Through this new model, libraries within North Philadelphia Neighborhood Libraries pilot cluste about the more (Read needs. new programs in response to their community’s together to share staff and resources and to create cluster model on page 12.)

about the cluster. Talking include any or all of the following: Talking to staff As cluster leader, Marion says that a “typical” day can the cluster… cluster. Thinking about the cluster. Dreaming about to other agencies about the cluster. Writing about the …you get the idea. But she wouldn’t have it any other

way.

great things happen, Staff members are excited to work together to make “The energy around the cluster is infectious,” she says. hopes will raise Run, which will take place on June 7 and which Marion including planning and organizing the “Book It!” Fun and ideas. funds to help implement some of their additional plans says. Her staff things. Every example of collaboration is a win,” she “Like a proud mother, I’m seeing success in the small of the six libraries five as , haven r a beacon in the community and a safe members are also particularly driven to make the cluste , the future of the Marion like leader the city. With a capable and encouraging sit in some of the most dangerous police districts in cluster looks nothing but bright.

Bob Rubenstein Library Assistant 2, Parkway Central Library

The Free Library strives to provide equal access to information, helping people find what they need to improve their lives. No one makes information quite as fun, however, as Library Assistant 2 Bob Rubenstein, the Free Library’s resident trivia guru and host of the beloved Trivia with Bob quiz game.

Bob has worked at the Library for 25 years, the past six in the General Information Department at Parkway Central. You’ve seen his friendly face at the lobby desk, answering thousands of questions from the routine to the truly bizarre. Bob is so knowledgeable, in fact, that he served as the phone-a-friend for a pal who appeared on an episode of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, helping him win a $50,000 prize. (The clinching answer? Blue Oyster Cult—the band spoofed in Saturday Night Live’s famous “more cowbell” sketch.)

When he’s not answering the questions, Bob’s busy asking them. Trivia with Bob debuted in January 2012 at Parkway Central to an audience of 85 eager players. Working without a budget, he was able to secure donations from area businesses, and since then, the program has become a much-anticipated Free Library staple. He has even brought Trivia with Bob on the road to other neighborhood libraries for special events and occasions.

“I think people like coming here because you don’t have to buy anything to play,” he says. “And we’re able to offer really nice prizes, like restaurant gift certificates and signed books from Author Events.”

Bob’s favorite nugget of trivia? It seems like an easy one: What’s the third largest city in Pennsylvania? “Everyone guesses Harrisburg,” he says, “but Harrisburg is tiny. It’s actually Allentown.”Whether he’s answering questions or asking them, Bob’s talent for trivia brings information to life.

{ 11 }

e h t m o fr OOD S

R O B H NEIG

H

Putting the ‘Neighborhood’ in Neighborhood Libraries: A New Model for Library Service The neighborhood libraries have always been a staple of their Philadelphia communities. And since Philadelphia is a city of neighborhoods, our 54-library system supports an incredibly diverse audience.

resources not only within the library itself, but at schools, community centers, or wherever the residents need them most.

“By moving over to the cluster model, we are pooling many resources and adapting them to meet the needs of our area of the city,” says Marion Parkinson, leader of the initial cluster. “It allows for every cluster to have a different area of focus depending on the part of the city. The talents of the staff can be better utilized. We encourage everyone, not just librarians, to use their skills and talents in ways they might not have been able to before.”

To continue to serve customers better, the Free Library is piloting a new cluster model within the neighborhood libraries.

Through this model, libraries within the same community will be grouped together to share staff and resources and to focus on specific neighborhood needs through new programming initiatives.

The libraries will act independently on many decisions, working on a local level to create programming, schedules, and community partnerships. And since the cluster will share staff members, each of the libraries can be open and fully staffed during its scheduled hours.

The pilot cluster is made up of six North Philadelphia libraries: Cecil B. Moore, Kensington, Lillian Marrero, McPherson Square, Ramonita G. de Rodriguez, and Widener. As a group, the North Philadelphia Neighborhood Libraries—as their cluster is known—is committed to providing excellent service that is informed by their customers.

“The cluster model is generating more ideas and allowing more collaboration between libraries,” Christina Patton, Librarian at Widener remarks. “We are communicating more and thinking about programming for the cluster, not just for our individual branch.”

Although moving to this new model will require some flexibility during the transition period, Library President and Director Siobhan A. Reardon is excited about the benefits of clustering. “By removing the silos that sometimes deter collaboration among neighborhood libraries, we allow librarians and staff to come together to choose what works best for their specific community.”

The cluster model was developed to better address specific neighborhood needs and to provide reliable, consistent service to customers. With the clusters in place, the neighborhood libraries take on a more collaborative and critical role in their communities. Staff from each of the clusters works together to tackle the most important issues facing their customers, whether that’s healthcare needs, early literacy development, or support for new Americans. Stepping out from behind their desks, area librarians can offer guidance and

The North Philadelphia cluster created a mission statement, promising to deliver consistent service, to develop informative, dynamic programming, and to actively work with community partners to enrich the library. They see their libraries as community havens. Some of the areas they hope to focus on in their cluster are early and family literacy, health and wellness information, job seeking, and specific services to new Americans, seniors, and teens.

“With all the ideas coming to fruition amongst the staff members in the cluster,” says Patton, “the communities of North Philadelphia will receive diverse programming and more community involvement.”

As the cluster program evolves and expands, the Free Library is looking forward to bringing this community-focused service across Philadelphia.

{ 12 }

• • • BY EILEEN OWENS

100 Years OF Donatucci Library “If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.” -Cicero The Free Library’s Thomas F. Donatucci, Sr. Library (formerly known as the Passyunk Library) in South Philadelphia’s Girard Estate community is celebrating 100 years of service! The Library was constructed in 1913 and opened to the public in April 1914.

The Donatucci Library sits on land that was once part of Stephen Girard’s former country estate, Gentilhommiere, which was willed to the City of Philadelphia to create Girard College. In order to continue to fund the school, the Board of City Trusts developed the Gentlihommiere estate in the 1900s and created a planned residential community, including a school and a library. Andrew Carnegie, who at the time was donating millions of dollars to build libraries across the world, provided the seed funding for the Passyunk Library construction in 1913. The library is one of 25 Carnegie libraries built in Philadelphia.

As the building and land are the products of the generosity of two of the wealthiest men in America, the essence of the library is an ever-evolving gift of the customers and volunteers, working with the dedicated staff, who have brought the library to life over the last 100 years. This evolution is a thread that binds Donatucci’s history with our neighbors. The community includes generations of families who have watched the library grow and change. One current and active customer remembers coming to the library as a child some 80 years ago. He came with his father, who had just immigrated to the United States. While he read children’s books, the librarian worked with his father, who was learning English.

Another dedicated customer and supporter is Ron Donatucci, who provided critical assistance in obtaining funding for the library. “The library is important and very special to me and my family. In middle school, I used to sneak away and study there because it was a quiet, peaceful place. It still acts as a gathering place for students and is a focal point of the community. As a citizen, neighbor, and elected city official, I’ll always do anything I can to help the library,” says Ron Donatucci.

The Donatucci Library will be celebrating its 100th anniversary on Saturday, June 7 in the library and its garden. Programming for all ages will be presented throughout the day including an appearance by Mummers, book talks by local authors, a magic show, and a Venetian carnival in the public garden.

• • • BY David Mariscotti, Branch manager TOP: Donatucci (then Passyunk) Library in 1919, just a few years after its grand opening. bottom: Donatucci Library today.

{ 13 }

PHOTO CREDIT: GLENN HOLSTEN

In 1997, the library underwent extensive renovations including the creation of a new preschool area and the installation of computers, providing customers with free access to the internet for the first time.

More recent developments include the installation of several murals inside the library by local artist Cavin Jones and Wi-Fi access throughout the building. Perhaps most special has been the creation of a public garden on the library’s extensive grounds for the enjoyment of library customers and community residents, bringing to life the truth that Cicero spoke more than two millennia ago—that if you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.

To listen to the free, downloadable podcast featuring Helen Oyeyemi, visit freelibrary.org/authorevents.

Before her 19th birthday, Helen Oyeyemi had already written the highly acclaimed novel The Icarus Girl, a story about folklore and childhood portrayed “not through the distancing lens of time, but as scary and magical as it really was” (San Francisco Chronicle). Her 2009 novel White is for Witching, winner of a Somerset Maugham Award and a Shirley Jackson Award finalist, spins the “unconventional, intoxicating, and deeply disquieting” (Publishers Weekly) gothic tale of an old house and a teenaged girl who share equally bizarre and increasingly ravenous appetites. Her newest novel, Boy, Snow, Bird—named one of 2014’s most anticipated books by CNN, The Huffington Post, and more— revisits the classic story of Snow White through the prism of a young mother’s experiences with race and family in wintry 1950s Massachusetts.

OTS What role have libraries played in your life?

HO Libraries have been very good to me all my life—they’re

like infinitely expanding schools where you get to set your own curriculum and there aren’t any tests (unless you want them). My favourite part of writing a novel is usually the bit where I get to be surrounded by books and the people who’ve come to silently consult them: I wrote bits of Mr. Fox at the Wellcome Library, a medical history library in London, and I remember slowing down at one point, noticing that I was sitting in a section full of books classified as being to do with “female disorders,” and then I thought, yes, i’m in the right place...

OTS What role do you think libraries play in our 21st century society?

HO I think libraries fit right in with the internet age in terms of

their being that interesting combination of social and anti-social: Libraries and the internet tend to supplement each other as spaces we go to both for information and mental stimulation. Though, library flirtation is much more fun than internet flirtation, since it has to be that bit much more mannered and subtle.

OTS Many of your novels take inspiration from folklore and fairy tales, from Greek and Cuban mythology to Snow White in your new book, Boy, Snow, Bird. What is it about these “classic” stories that sparks your imagination?

HO Don’t forget Bluebeard! I like the attitude that many folk tales

and fairy tales have toward transformation—what changes over time, what holds fast, which outcomes can be prevented and which can only be lived through—these things are good to know.

OTS You wrote your first novel, The Icarus Girl, before finishing your A levels in the U.K. (the equivalency of graduating high school here in the U.S.), and you were recently included in the Granta Best of Young British Novelists list. Has early literary success freed your creativity and career or instead constricted it in some ways? How so?

HO All of the fun and challenges and constraints have been to

do with pitting my imagination against the things I want to write and developing the approach I need along the way. My favorite books and films allow me to be all sorts of ages, so chronology is a muddle for me anyway.

OTS To you, the Free Library of Philadelphia is also the Free Library of ________. Why? HO It’s the Free Library of Brotherly Love! (Does everybody say

that?) It’s a place to discover, sustain, or renew a love of words and their meanings.

{ 14 }

FREE LIBRARY OF PHILADELPHIA BOARD OF TRUSTEES Chair

Make a Difference

Robert C. Heim Members

Donna Allie Steven M. Altschuler Christopher Arlene Jacqueline Barnett Darwin Beauvais Peter A. Benoliel Patricia A. Coulter Pamela Dembe Tobey Gordon Dichter W. Wilson Goode, Sr. Melissa Grimm Nancy D. Kolb H.W. Jerome Maddox Noel Mayo Sonia Sanchez Suzanne Simons John J. Soroko Sherry A. Swirsky Nicholas D. Torres Ignatius C. Wang Shelly Yanoff Emeritus

Joseph F. Burke Gloria Twine Chisum Armand Della Porta Herman Mattleman Teresa Sarmina

Walmart was again proud to continue their support as lead sponsor of One Book, One Philadelphia in 2014.

This year’s One Book featured selection, The Yellow Birds, tells the vivid story of one young soldier’s experience in Iraq and his struggles upon returning home from war. In honor of our brave and talented service men and women, Walmart has made a commitment to hire any honorably discharged veteran within his or her first 12 months off active duty. The company intends to hire 100,000 veterans over the next five years.

Ex-Officio

Michael DiBerardinis Deputy Mayor for the Environment and Community Resources

Laura McColgan Friends of the Free Library

To learn more about the Veterans Welcome Home Commitment and Walmart in our community visit www.WalmartPhiladelphia.com.

FREE LIBRARY OF PHILADELPHIA FOUNDATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS

FOR $25,000

Chair

Tobey Gordon Dichter Members

Robert Adelson Cynthia Affleck James H. Averill Phyllis W. Beck Peter A. Benoliel Sheldon Bonovitz George Day Andrea Ehrlich Daniel K. Fitzpatrick W. Wilson Goode, Sr. Daniel Gordon Richard A. Greenawalt Melissa Grimm Robert C. Heim John Imbesi Philip Jaurigue Geoffrey Kent Alexander Kerr Leslie Miller Thomas B. Morris, Jr. Stephanie W. Naidoff Bernard Newman Patrick M. Oates Derek N. Pew William R. Sasso Susan G. Smith Miriam Spector Stacey Leigh Spector Lenore Steiner Barbara Sutherland Monica Vachher Jay Weinstein Larry Weiss

k ing N e t wo r e N e t : th B e f o r e ring Sha at i o n I nf o r m E in T H a l Ag e t Digi e Pr

Printed pamphlets and online commenting; telegrams and text messages; 19th-century Instagram.

The Rosenbach of the Free Library of Philadelphia’s newest exhibition, Networking Before the Net asks the fascinating question—has the internet really changed the ways we communicate?

Through June 16, 2014

EMERITUS

Marie Field Elizabeth H. Gemmill A. Morris Williams, Jr.

rosenbach.org | @RosenbachMuseum | #networkingexhibition

{ 15 }

The Year of the Bard continues with events throughout 2014! Visit freelibrary.org/bard for a full calendar.

SUPPORT THE FREE LIBRARY! To make a gift to the Foundation, please visit freelibrary.org/support or call 215-567-7710.

EVENTS Love, Wit, and Madness: A Shakespearean Creative Writing Workshop Wednesday, April 30, 7:00 p.m. • Parkway Central Library, Room 108

Shakespeare Puppet Theater Saturday, May 17, 2:00 p.m. • Lillian Marrero Library

Summer of Shakespeare at the Philadelphia Museum of Art: Shakespeare and Rap Music, Presented by The Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre Wednesday, June 18, 6:00 p.m. • The Philadelphia Museum of Art, Main Staircase, 2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway

Commonwealth Classic Theatre Presents Twelfth Night Thursday, July 10, 7:00 p.m. • Parkway Central Library, Shakespeare Park

ExhibitionS Shakespeare for All Time Rare Book Department through May 31

In his dedication to the First Folio Ben Jonson writes of his fellow playwright, “He was not of an age, but for all time.” Shakespeare embodied the Elizabethan age in his plays yet reached back to classical themes and stories. He employed the English language like no other, and his comedies, histories, and tragedies continue to be read, performed, and celebrated today.

This exhibition features Shakespeare’s First Folio—one of the rarest books in existence—as well as the second, third, and fourth. It also includes editions of his plays, many beautifully illustrated, over the course of four centuries.