Holiday Open House at Wheeler

The Friends of the Orange Public Libraries will hold a Holiday Open House at the Wheeler Memorial Library on Thursday, December 22nd from 3 to 8 pm. Many of the Friends will be bringing their home baked goodies for the refreshment table.

The Friends are also offering gift quality used books for sale at $1.00 and up. From 3 to 6 free gift wrapping of purchased books and Dean’s Beans coffee products will be available.

The winners of the Holiday raffle will be drawn at the Open House. Prizes include a silver bracelet made and donated by local native American jeweler Day Lone Wolf, a coffee sampler donated by Dean’s Beans and silver pins donated by a patron.

Holiday Open House at Wheeler Memorial Library

Open House at Moore-Leland Library

The Friends of the Orange Public Libraries will hold a Holiday Open House at the Moore Leland Library in North Orange on Saturday, December 17th from 10 am to 1 pm. Refreshments will be served. A selection of gift quality used books will be available for $1.00 each.

Great Column- What New Libraries Can Mean for a Town

Greenfield Recorder 12/13/2011, Page A04



Shutesbury: Visit our library
 

We are writing to invite our friends and neighbors in Shutesbury to please come and visit our new Wendell Free Library before your town vote on Jan. 10.

As many of you in the area know, Wendell was also the fortunate recipient of a state grant for the construction of a new library, which we opened in 2007. Before that, we had been happily using a small 700-square-foot library without running water or facilities.

It would not be an exaggeration to say our new library has transformed this small town. It has served all the traditional functions of a library and at the same time has become a vibrant center of community life. During the final year in our “old library,” we served 4,500 library users; last year, we served almost 12,000. Library-sponsored programs in the final year of our old library numbered only two; last year, we sponsored 218 (and an additional 114 non-library sponsored programs) in which more than 3,500 people participated.

But the numbers tell only part of the story: The library serves patrons of all ages with regular pre-school playgroups as well as programs and dedicated space for teens. Essential to many of us is our generous number of computers and Wifi access in what is still “dial-up land.” We also have an art gallery in our meeting room booked well into next summer with exhibits of the work of local artists. Also in the meeting room, we have a state-of-the art Blu-ray movie theater offering a regular series of films.

Our new facility has also allowed us to apply successfully for a number of grants: for collection development, to purchase solar panels, and to hire teen coordinator, and a number of library “senior aides.” And the town has also found wonderful uses for our “old library,” now the Senior Center, and is heavily used by a number of groups in town.

Of course, we would not have had such success without our librarian extraordinaire, Rosie Heidkamp, and you have the same in Mary Ann Antonellis. And like us, your librarian has the support of a very active Friends of the Library group.

So what’s not to love? Taxes. Like Shutesbury, Wendell has one of the highest tax rates in the state though our per-capita income and property valuations are lower than yours. But Wendell citizens decided to “bite that bullet” knowing we would never again have such an opportunity for generous state support. Not for a moment have we regretted that decision and give thanks every day for the Wendell Free Library, the heartbeat of our community.

Please do come and visit us before you cast your vote in Shutesbury on Jan. 10. We would love to see our Shutesbury friends and neighbors, and, of course, anyone else in the area, to show you around our beloved library.

Margo Culley wrote this for the Friends of the Wendell Free Library.

Margo Culley

Winter Solstice Raffle

Fundraising Has Never Tasted So Good!

The Friends of the Orange Public Libraries are running two fundraising campaigns that promise to help your mornings get off to a delicious and energetic start while you are supporting your local libraries.

The first fundraising campaign's orders must be in by Friday, December 16, 2011 for the delicious, locally-made delicious Boston Tea Cakes. Tea Cakes offered are: Sour Cream & Cinnamon, Apple Cinnamon, Blueberry, Chocolate Ecstasy, Cranberry Cream, Lotsa Lemon and Pumpkin Cream. Each cake freezes well, is 1.5 lbs serves 8-10 and sells for $12.00.  Whether you are visiting, need a holiday thank you gift or are entertaining at home, one of these delicious gourmet cakes is welcomed by all. If you own a business or are a corporate sponsor, please consider one of these cakes as a gift to your clients and make them aware that you support the Orange Public Libraries’ programs.

Please contact Maria Bull, Co- President and Fundraising Coordinator or any Friends of the OPLs member for more information or to place your order.  You may also order by phone: 978/544-5456 or via email to: mariambull@yahoo.com. If emailing your order please provide your name, home address, telephone number, which cake(s) you wish to purchase and your payment can be sent c/o Maria Bull 235 Dana Road, Orange, MA 01364.  Checks should be made payable to Friends of the Orange Public Libraries. Orders can be placed until Friday, December 16th. Cakes will be at the library beginning on Wednesday, December 21st at 5:00pm --just in time for the holidays!

Second, we are partnering with Dean’s Beans Coffee to offer their delicious medium and dark roast coffees at $10/lb., (available in decaf, too at $11/lb.), hot chocolate ($7/12 oz. bag), and “Java Drops,” milk chocolate or dark chocolate-covered espresso beans ($9.50/lb. bag).

These are available at both library branches and should be a real help to you as now you can buy the best coffee in town on Saturdays or at night, as the Wheeler Memorial Library is open until 8PM on Wednesday s and Thursday and the Moore-Leland branch in North Orange is open until 6PM on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Please help us to continue supporting many of the excellent programs offered by the Orange Public Libraries in Orange, MA. Your support is needed to make this fundraiser a great success!