The Annual Meeting (Monday, June 2, 7 PM) will also be held there. As always, there will be a short business meeting, elections, presentation of awards, a guest speaker, and refreshments. Mark the date on your calendar now!
The many museum free-family-admission passes that the Friends sponsor are available at the Circulation Desk of the Fox Point Branch Library. To use the passes, you just check them out on your library card (for 2 days), visit the museum of your choice, and return them to the library by 12 NOON of the due date. And you may reserve a pass up to one week in advance.
The passes that are available are:
The Jacqueline Cooper Book Discussion Group is taking a new tack with a spring series entitled "Books into Film." The meetings, all at 7 PM at the Fox Point Branch Library, continue to be led by Professor Charles Sullivan. The last book of the series, Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf?, will be discussed on May 21. Copies of the books are available at Fox Point two weeks before the meetings.
Many thanks to Laurel Mead and the Quaker Friends for their book donations; to The Franco-Americans, who volunteered their lively music; and to the Board for the goodies at the Friends' Reception. As always, our set-up team was generous and efficient. (Anyone leave a men's EMS jacket, a woman's light blue umbrella, or a rainhat during the set-up?)
Hundreds attended the Sale. Many came more than once, or twice. Joan van Glahn brought her CCRI ESL class again for reference books on Thursday. The Benefit garnered us the highest single-day income, but Saturday's weather dis-couraged attendance. Still, the books brought in $6,427.07, plus $554 in memberships and $30 for notes, for a TOTAL of $7,021.07 raised by the FRIENDS' SIXTH ANNUAL FALL BOOK SALE for ROCHAMBEAU BRANCH.
Remainders Day was also successful, redistributing leftover books free to the Adult Correctional Institution (Cranston), Butler Hospital, Central Falls High School, Holy Name School, Sophia Academy, Friends of Mt. Pleasant for their February sale, Traveler's Aid (Pawtucket) Hillside School Library (Marlborough, MA), Stockbridge Manor (Stockbridge, MA), Atlantis Charter School (Fall River), and the Bagong Kulturang Pinoy (BKP) for children's public libraries in the Philippines.
BKP director Rowena Jimenez recently wrote: "As we celebrate our 5th anniversary, we would like to thank you for your participation in promoting the mission of Bagong Kulturang Pinoy (New Filipino Culture).
Without your regular donation of children's books, it would not be possible for us to help low-income communities in the Philippines set up mini-libraries and read-aloud programs for their children. We currently support 32 such communities where over 100,000 youngsters have gained access to colorful, enticing storybooks and are discovering what a joy it is to read. We sincerely hope that we can continue collaborating for many years to come."
Special thanks to the Book Sale Committee, who work so hard all year to accomplish our goals; to our neighbors and those of other communities who bring us their reusable books and media; to Maureen Kenner and her Gregorian School second graders for poster publicity; to the affable Rochambeau Branch Staff; to Marge Beach, Marc Kohler, Heather Larkin, Deck Nieforth, Gil Mason, Kathy Rourke, Laura Samit, Judith Schrier, Bill Tufenkjian, and Josef Talo; and to Sara Weed, Regional Librarian, for her continual assistance and good humor.
My sincere appreciation to each and every one of you 66 volunteers who made it happen.
Caryl-Ann Miller Nieforth, Book Sale Chair
Committee: Marge Beach, Dolly Borts, Barbara Brosof-sky, Joan Jahoda, Cindy Obert, Judith Schrier, Laura Samit, Tovia Siegel. Ex-officio: Sarah Weed, Regional Librarian
Check out
Vicky and I met when we were twelve years old, ninth-graders at Classical. We would be classmates for eight years and friends for fifty-three.
A Providence native, growing up in the Silver Lake District, Vicky learned the value of libraries. She was a brilliant academic, graduating summa cum laude from Classical High School and Sigma Xi from Brown with honors in biology. Two years later, she received a master's degree from Brown and then a doctorate in psychology.
She married Dr. Seymour Lederberg, a biology professor at Brown, and began raising a family. Always a hard worker, Vicky studied for her J.D. from Suffolk University Law School nights, teaching psychology and caring for Seymour and her children, Sarah and Toby, days. She was a psychology professsor at RIC for almost 30 years. And she adored being "Grandma" to six, now ages one to seven.
Entering the RI State Assembly from the East Side District, Vicky became chair of the Legislative Commission that oversaw library funding, among other things. She was so instrumental in enacting legislation requiring a state-budget minimum support to public libraries that it was called "The Lederberg Bill." Vicky chaired several organizations, including the Coalition of Library Advocates (COLA) and the RI Delegation to the White House Conference on Libraries and Information Services.
Vicky lost her run for mayor but won public acknowledgment of her integrity, her under-standing of the law and those it governs, and her dedication to family and community. She had many civic accomplishments, awards, and recognition before being appointed a municipal judge and then named to the RI Supreme Court in May 1993, the only woman sitting at that time. In 2002, she was one of three candidates considered for the position of Chief Justice.
Much has been written about The Honorable Justice Lederberg, but the most amazing thing is that she was always still Vicky, a good friend.
Caryl-Ann Miller Nieforth
Mrs. Woolley was a long-time benefactor of the Friends of Rochambeau; for some years her annual donation of $5,000 was the Friends' entire budget. She gave several larger gifts to Rochambeau and to PPL, funding Rochambeau’s Mabel T. Woolley Computer Center. In 2002, the Community Room was named in her honor.
In her later years, Mrs. Woolley became a well-known philanthropist, donating large sums to many worthwhile charities. But at Rochambeau, we remember her best as our Friend.
The next books for discussion are:
If you go by the building, you are sure to notice all of the activity. After a great deal of preliminary work within the building, we have officially broken ground at the Rochambeau Branch. Despite a small delay in getting started, due to permits and zoning requirements, construction is in full swing and on track with anticipation of a summer opening. By the time you read this, we hope that the foundation will have been poured!
Fundraising efforts continue to move forward. We are pleased to announce that we have raised $681,000 of our $1 million community goal, an accomplishment that would not have been possible without the support and help of the Friends of Rochambeau. Our partnership with the Friends of Rochambeau has become the model for community involvement in the campaigns that we will be able to use in all of our branches going forward.
We are also delighted to report that statewide reimbursements were approved for the first two branches of the Providence Public Library’s renovation plan, and we are optimistic about working with the new political administrations on both city and state levels. Yet, as we head for the home stretch of this $4.7 million project, support is still needed to reach our goal! As we continue efforts to secure public funding and other gifts, we need your help to encourage every patron, resident, friend, and neighbor to consider a gift to The Rochambeau Branch Building Fund. Together we will make this vision a reality.
Here’s how you can help:
“Growing up in Providence, I spent much time using the Providence Public Library,” David said. “It was a place that provided knowledge and information as well as comfort and solitude.” When his mother, Dorothy, a former Library Corporation member, passed away, David took a special memento, a small frame that reads, “I cannot live without books.” It reminds him of the joy she brought to children through the marionette shows she held at the Library and the pleasure his father, Jay Isenberg, took in using the Rochambeau Branch. David’s son, Jeremy, also has a strong connection to the Library. When just a high school sophomore, he established a partnership at the Fox Point Branch that enabled Wheeler School students to mentor local children.
“Certain values and goals are dear to my family and me,” remarked David, “the most important being caring for children and impressing upon them the importance of learning and education. Providing resources for the Rochambeau Branch Library encompasses these values.”
Over the past several weeks, Victoria Lederberg has often been remembered for her devotion to her children and grandchildren. In keeping with the wishes of the Lederberg family, Dale Thompson, Director of the Providence Public Library, has announced plans to pay tribute to Justice Lederberg at the renovated Rochambeau Branch. The Children’s Reading Room within the Isenberg Children’s Library at Rochambeau will be dedicated as “Vicky’s Reading Room” when the building reopens later this year. This warm and inviting space dedicated in her honor within her neighborhood library will welcome children into the world of reading. Vicky’s Reading Room will be a space to enrich the lives of hundreds of children of all ages for years to come.
If you wish to support Vicki’s Reading Room, please indicate that your gift is made in memory of Justice Victoria Lederberg, and send to: Providence Public Library, Attn: Vicki’s Reading Room, 225 Washington St., Providence, RI 02903. A donation form is located at he end of this newsletter.
For further information, contact Jennifer Foster, Associate Director of Development, 401.455.8125
In another announcement, in recognition of the outstanding generosity of the Friends of Rochambeau, the new community room at the Rochambeau Branch will be named The Friends of Rochambeau Community Room, symbolizing the strong role of the Friends as a link between the Rochambeau Branch and the community. The opportunity to sponsor the audio-visual/sound and videoconferencing capability in the community room is still available!
The naming of space, rooms, and collections at the renovated Rochambeau Branch has proven to be a meaningful way for families and individuals in this community to share their love of the library and to establish a legacy that will be recognized for generations to come. In addition to the new children’s library and the community room, other areas that have been “named” by donors to the Rochambeau building fund include: Last updated May 13, 2003
So, pick up a copy of the book and join in!
A Friend of All Libraries
Victoria Santopietro Lederberg died suddenly on December 29, 2002. She was sixty-five years old and planning to take her granddaughter skating later that Sunday afternoon.
In Memoriam: Mabel T. Woolley
Mabel T. Woolley died at home on November 9, 2002. She was 98. She and her sister Mildred were the proprietors of the Little Acorn Book Store in Pawtucket. A graduate of Wheaton College, Mrs. Woolley loved words, books, and libraries, and she was a Scrabble devotee.
Mystery Buffs of RI
Mystery Buffs now meet at the Jewish Community Center at 7:30 PM on the third Monday of each month, unless otherwise noted. Cochairs are Jennet Kirschenbaum, 751-7611, and Leonore Sones, 274-2146. Books are available at the Fox Point Library 3 weeks before the meeting. This year's theme is historical mysteries.
Rochambeau Branch Building Fund
In late January, the Board of the Friends of Rochambeau braved the winter cold to join staff at the Providence Public Library for a Progress Review of the renovation plans for the Rochambeau Branch. Library Director, Dale Thompson, thanked the Friends for their tremendous support of the community campaign - as volunteers, donors, problem solvers, and promoters. She also provided a progress report on the construction and an update on fundraising efforts. Coming up in the spring will be “hardhat” tours, offering donors and Friends of Rochambeau a “preview” of the renovation and construction progress.
A Legacy Shared
Providence native David Isenberg and his family have made a generous gift of $50,000 toward the renovations at Rochambeau. In their honor, the new children’s library will be known as the Isenberg Family Children’s Library at Rochambeau.
Remembering Victoria Lederberg
We fondly recall her passion for books and lifelong learning, and her unwavering dedication to libraries as we join all of Rhode Island in mourning the loss of our friend and champion Justice Victoria Lederberg. As a legislator, Justice Lederberg helped strengthen libraries statewide, diligently working to increase state aid for library services and leading the way for passage of a state law man-dating support of public libraries.
Naming News
The most recent issue of the Providence Public Library’s publication Shelf Life features a story of David Isenberg and his family and their generous gift to name the new children’s library at Rochambeau. The Isenberg family’s decision to establish this legacy is a tribute to their strong tradition of valuing education and learning. The choice to support the renovation of the branch reflects the family’s dedication to the Rochambeau Library. The children’s library at Rochambeau will be known as the Isenberg Family Children’s Library at Rochambeau, ensuring that the Library will play an equally significant role in many more peoples’ lives and experiences.
Naming opportunities will be recognized with dedication plaques or signage in the branch and will be celebrated during reopening festivities in the summer. Gifts of $1,000 or more will be listed on a unique recognition piece that will be located in the entry vestibule of the newly renovated branch. Among the naming opportunities still available at giving levels from $2,500 to $250,000 are (many in the $2,500 - $30,000 range):
For more information about naming opportunities contact Jennifer Foster, PPL Associate Director of Development, 401.455.8125
Drawing by Joe Pace
Comments to Judith Cardanha