The Berks County Public Library System Board of Trustees recognized the efforts of libraries and individuals at its 13th annual awards presentation on Dec. 17, honoring people and programs who are driving forces and inspirations within the library community.
“It really does serve as an inspiration to other people as well. It’s a real feel-good kind of evening,” said Denise Sticha, administrator for the Berks County Public Libraries. “It’s just amazing what some of our smallest libraries are able to do with the limited funding and resources they have in making a difference in their community.”
In addition to the standard awards presented, there were two additional awards. The Dreisbach Award and for the very first time, the PA Forward Award.
Sticha said that the Dreisbach Award represents Berks County Public Libraries highest achievement and so it’s not every year that someone is either nominated or that the person nominated is at the pivotal point in his or her association with the library. It’s almost like a lifetime achievement award. It is named after Dr. Dodson Dreisbach, the first president of the Berks County Public Library System and a founding member of the Friends of Berks County Libraries.
Ruth Perkins, library board of directors president, talked about the Christmas classic, It’s a Wonderful Life, in comparison with this year’s Dreisbach Award recipient.
“Through a series of events, Bailey is given the opportunity to see what life could be like for the people he knows and he loves if he had never been born. In trying to help George understand what a blessing his life really is, Clarence, a second-class angel working to get his wings, says, ‘Strange isn’t it? Each man’s life touches so many others. When he isn’t around he leaves an awful hole.'” said Perkins. “The Dreisbach Award is presented in recognition of exceptional long-term service which is all libraries throughout the county.”
Perkins said that in reading the nominations, the board realized that several generations of librarians, and library patrons, benefitted from the exceptional long-term service of the award recipient.
Perkins presented the award to Liz Eshelman who is currently serving as secretary for Friends of the Berks County Public Libraries and is also volunteering at the Reading Public Library and its branches as well as the Book Bonanza.
Eshleman has served 30 plus years in her career as a reference librarian at both Alvernia and Albright College. Before Albright, she worked approximately 11 years on the board of the Mifflin Community Library and led not one, but two capital campaigns for the library.
Perkins listed the words used to describe the relationship with Eshelman by colleagues, workers, and friends. They were wonderful employee, beautiful person, bright and cheery smile, Saint Liz, encouraged me, praised me, gave me strength to keep going, warm and caring, cheerful, my friend.
“Liz Eshelman’s life has touched so much of our lives. We are all so much richer for knowing her and working with her. Our lives, our libraries, are so much more wonderful in the true sense of that word, wonder,” said Perkins.
In a proclamation read by Perkins, Eshelman was recognized for shining as an example of high standards of professionalism, integrity, and kindness. The proclamation was a tribute to Eshelman’s dedication to a life history of giving and caring for the libraries in her life and the people whose lives she touched.
“I wouldn’t be standing here if it weren’t for all of you,” said Eshelman. “I have loved the library since I was a very little girl many, many years ago. I’ve had the privilege of working or volunteering in 12 public academic school libraries since I was in seventh grade. Staffs and trustees of Reading, Mifflin, the System, Friends of Berks County Public Libraries, and our Book Bonanza volunteers are all close to my heart as are all of you who have worked tirelessly to combine vital library services. Our libraries are the happiest, brightest, most vibrant places in our neighborhood and are essential for the success of our communities. Public libraries are priceless treasures shared by all of us and as you know, all too well, cannot be taken for granted. They are even more precious because we have to work so hard to keep them open. I appreciate this award very much, more than I can express, but I did figure out why I’m receiving this-it’s my cakes.”
Eshelman laughed with everyone and presented a sheet of three of her favorite cake recipes.
Members of the board of trustees presented the following awards.
Awards and Comments:Outstanding Business of the Year
Andrew George presented the Outstanding Business of the Year award to Lisa Mitchell, Managing Editor for the Kutztown Area Patriot, for exceptional coverage of the Fleetwood and Kutztown Libraries, its excellence in journalism and its commitment in promoting literacy.
“The Kutztown Area Patriot, which is part of the Berks-Mont News Group, is the voice of the community who gives that hometown perspective to news coverage,” said George. “This year the Kutztown Community Library and the Fleetwood Area Public Library wanted to recognize and applaud the efforts of the Kutztown Patriot and specifically Managing Editor Lisa Mitchell for making their world a better place.”
George said Mitchell’s feature stories highlight library services, staff and programs bringing a level of visibility and awareness that goes beyond the actual event. In her nomination, Janet Yost, Kutztown Community Library, observed that every time the library appears in the Patriot, it helps us build awareness that assists us with our funding request to our local municipalities. Stephanie Williams added that the Patriot is the best means for promoting our library and literacy. There is a natural partnership between newspapers and libraries that is mutually beneficial to the common mission of sharing information and supporting an engaged community.
“We are honored that the Patriot received this award and has been recognized for our efforts to cover library events and programs,” said Lisa Mitchell, Patriot editor. “The library is an important place for the community, where people gather together and where they can find information and programs to better their lives. We support literacy to better ensure the success of future generations. The library was an important part of my childhood and continues to be the place I seek information and meet people in the community.”
“We are just so pleased with the coverage that the Patriot provides not only our library, but the Fleetwood and the Brandywine library as well,” said Janet Yost, Director for the Kutztown Community Library. “Every time you get the word out, somebody else comes.”
Elected Official of the YearAlthough Senator David Argall could not be present for the Wednesday evening presentations, he was honored with the Elected Official of the Year award for his support of libraries in Berks County and the system’s mission to serve its communities. In a letter, he expressed his feelings for this award. A special presentation will be made at the Schuylkill Valley Library on Thursday when Argall will be able to attend.
“Some of my very earliest memories are of visiting the library where my father served as a librarian. Today, my wife is a library board volunteer and our children have spent an enormous amount of time in school libraries. As a Senator and a part-time instructor at Penn State, I have long understood the value of our local libraries. That’s what makes this presentation so special to me,” said Senator Argall.
Trustee of the YearKim Stahler presented the award, Trustee of the Year, to Kathleen Wetzel, president of the Mifflin Community Library, for her leadership, advocacy and tireless efforts on behalf of the Mifflin Community Library.
“This individual is on call 24/7 and is not only responsible for steering the library ship, but also responsible for navigating the way and keeping all the various other board members, the library director, and other miscellaneous, but equally important partners working together to keep the ship afloat,” said Stahler. “It can be a thankless job that requires an inner passion and commitment to withstand the squalls of bad weather along with the drive to keep up the momentum during times of smooth sailing.
Wetzel has been on the board of the Mifflin Community Library since 2004. After several years of secretary, Wetzel was elected president in 2009 and has continuously sought to raise the level of the board’s sets of professionalism, efficiency, and commitment to connecting to the community. During her tenure on the board, the Mifflin Community Library has adopted more efficient means to run a meeting leaving more time to focus on strategic and visionary thinking. The result enabled the board to take a more coordinated approach to advocacy efforts within the four municipalities that make up its service area. Under her leadership, they have drafted a community impact plan that focuses on community outreach and partnerships; have become an active face of the library in the Shillington business association; have acquired donor underwriting for an AED unit at the library and have arranged for staff training in how to use this life-saving device. Most important to the library’s sustainability, they have retired the capital campaign debt through community solicitations, fund-raising events, and targeted appeals. Wetzel accomplished all this while working full-time as the chief compliant officer for the Reading Health System.
“This is a very special award, but none of us who serve libraries do so with any need for recognition. We share a firm belief that libraries are absolutely critically important to our communities and indeed essential to democracy,” said Wetzel. “Every person who walks into a library is equal. Every single one has free and equal access to books and information. It is absolutely critically important work and wonderful that you all know it.”
“Helen Flynn, library director of the Mifflin Community Library, said, “We started our capital campaign in 2005. We did really well until the economy crashed. Without her encouragement and persistence and good ideas, it never would have happened.”
There was about $250,000 in debt that got paid off in the fall.
Outstanding Program of the Year, Early Literacy
Charles Jones presented the Outstanding Program of the Year, Early Literacy, award to Janet Yost, Kutztown Community Library, for the library’s 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten program. Lisa Nuff, youth librarian, started the program during the time she had worked there.
“The Kutztown Community Library launched a new program designed to help parents prepare their children for kindergarten by reading to them,” said Jones.
Jones said that the library joined the 1000 Books Before Kindergarten Initiative sponsored by Nevada-based foundation whose mission is to promote reading to infants, toddlers, and preschoolers and to encourage parent and child bonding through reading. The Kutztown Community Library sought community support from Sovereign Bank and from the Kutztown University Design-a-Thon students who developed the artwork and program logos for their library. 1000 Books Before Kindergarten is a challenge initiative. To keep the momentum up, the library offers incentives at various benchmarks along the way. 82 young children were signed up in the library’s inaugural year. Under the auspices of the Friends of Berks County Public Libraries, the United Way of Berks County provided funding to sponsor the program in four other county libraries.
“It was great teamwork between Kutztown University and the Library to create the Fox that is part of the program and we think the Fox logo really sets our 1000 Books Before Kindergarten program off from any other in the country,” said Yost.
Yost said the logo was so popular that it migrated to Iowa and Wisconsin. Berks County libraries are jumping in on it too. In March, the library had teamed up with Communication Design majors to enter a Design-a-Thon for non-profits.
“We wanted a logo for our 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten program and we got the most adorable fox. Not only did they give us a fox, they gave us coloring sheets and reading logs and pamphlets. Literally they were up 24 hours and you could tell they spent a lot of that time creating energy,” said Yost. “The little kids think the fox are cute. They get fox stickers, they get to put it on the little chart and then when they are all done, they get a fox t-shirt and fox magnets; you’ve got to see the fox.”
Yost said you could start this program any time throughout the year. It is a way to get literacy out to the kids.
“You think a 1,000 books is impossible to read, but there is a little chart. You look at it and you go, ‘Oh, I can do this,” said Yost.
Outstanding Program of the Year, Family Program
Tina DeLong presented the Outstanding Program of the Year, Family Program, award to Marissa Guidara, Supervisor of Children’s Services, and Kimberly Sheffer, children’s library assistant, Reading Public Library, for the summer reading program, Grossology.
“This past summer, kids were invited to explore the yucky side of science classified as grossology,” said DeLong. “Grossology was a sneaky science program that introduced families to science, literacy, and math under the guise of farts, boogers, and poop.”
“Our children’s department has won many awards over the past decade on the state level that have been recognized virtually every year and then also on the local level here in Berks County through the system,” said Frank Kasprowicz, director for the Reading Public Library. I think it’s a statement and a testament to the fine, original, and creative programming that we do here at the Reading Public Library.”
Fizz, Boom, Read was a science-based theme for the summer reading program and Sheffer decided to go with something she has a personal interest in – finding out about weird gross stuff.
“I thought that I’d be able to connect with the kids and that I would be into it also and I figured if science is the overall theme, I can kind of work this in kind of like a sneaky science,” said Sheffer.
Sheffer said it was a good mix of boys and girls eager to take a turn in reading from a Power Point presentation despite reactions of ‘Ewwww’ and ‘Gross’.
“That was the reaction I was hoping for,” said Sheffer. “Also it kind of opened up discussion because the kids sometimes had personal stories that went along with one of the facts. For example, we talked about scars and how hair doesn’t grow back on a scar so we had some of the kids showing the other kids their scars. Like the one boy had a scar in his eyebrow and you could really see there wasn’t hair on that spot. They weren’t just reading the facts; they were interacting.”
Sheffer said even the parents wanted to get in on the hands-on activities when they had made snot and poop.
“I’m really proud that I’m getting recognized for something that is kind of fun and silly,” said Sheffer. “I think every time we start a new program we’re concerned that we won’t have an audience for it.”
Sheffer said she snuck a little math in for the charts they made together and the kids learned fancy words like rhinotillexis for picking your nose, mucophage for eating boogers, and guano for bat poop.
Sheffer said although she was nervous about the program being off-the-wall, she feels reassured that she has the freedom to go with crazy ideas and try them out.
Outstanding Program of the Year, Adult Program
Bob Jones presented the award for Outstanding Program of the Year, Adult Program, to Mallory Hoffman, director for Exeter Community Library, for the program, Film Forward – Advancing Cultural Dialogue. The library had received a grant for this program through the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
“We had very little time to apply for it so we just went for it not knowing what was going to happen or if we would get it,” said Hoffman. “We did along with a couple of other libraries in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania was one of three other states in the United States that got it so it was really special to us. We were the only library in Berks County that received it.”
Hoffman said they were showing films from the Sundance Institute, a nonprofit organization that actively advances the work of independent storytellers in film and theatre, and wanted to make it special by creating a Scooby Tavern experience by offering food and beverages.
“What the whole film board’s purpose was to advance the cultural dialogue. By showing these films, you’re bringing in a crowd and once the film is over, you’re talking about it. You’re asking questions that spark dialogue. What did this film make you think about? How did it make you feel? It did exactly that,” said Hoffman. “Having this program was something different than we’ve ever done before and they want us to be able to do it again.”
Hoffman said they showed five films throughout two weeks in April. Part of the stipulation of the grant was to have a discussion leader.
“We had the best discussion leader we possible could have had and that was part of what made the program what it was,” said Hoffman. “Ben Sneeringer was the one who asked the questions and got the conversation going once the movies were over and got you starting to think before the movies even started.”
Hoffman said the program was a great success with people asking for more so they are thinking of doing their own type of movie club or program.
PA Forward AwardJanis Stubbs, PaLa, presented the PA Forward Award to Marcina Wagner, director for Muhlenberg Community Library, and to Deanne Boyer, assistant director, for the Divergent Book Club.
Sticha said the PA Forward Award is a first award category for the board and read from a citation, ” It is the Pennsylvania Library Association’s 21st century literacy initiative. With the right support, libraries are ideally positioned to become the community centers of information, technology, and learning that will fuel educational and economic opportunity for all of our citizens.”
Sticha went on to read how our libraries have moved far beyond being just book depositories. They are agile institutions serving real life needs. Libraries can be key to powering progress and elevating the quality of life in Pennsylvania by fueling the types of knowledge essential to success.
About 10 to 12 teenagers met to read the book, Divergent, and discuss the different issues. After the book was finished, they got to go and see the movie as a reward for finishing the book and getting through the book club. Boyer said the teens held great discussions about the book, but also about what she considered pretty significant topics such as bullying, selflessness, bravery, cowardice, what all that means and how that works in real life.
The PA Forward award is an initiative through Pennsylvania that is putting forward five literacies that are important for all Pennsylvanians to have. According to www.palibraries.org, libraries across Pennsylvania are beginning to use PA Forward’s marketing tools to frame communications to key stakeholders such as elected officials, community leaders, donors, patrons, board, friends, and employees. The five literacies, Basic, Information, Civic and Social, Health, and Financial, are used as a guiding framework for setting service priorities, identifying potential community and funding partners, structuring strategic plans, and building well-rounded, multi-skilled boards.
“This award is kind of a validation that the teen programs that we’re providing here are important and valuable,” said Boyer.
Boyer said it was challenging to create an environment where the teens felt that they could express their opinions and perspective from their own life like times when they were bullied or times when they felt like they needed to be brave. She added that it was also a challenge to keeping a balance of fun and seriousness.
“The book really facilitated deep discussion about common issues that they dealt with,” said Boyer. “I had a karate instructor actually come in the one week and talk about bullying and how to stand up for yourself in a non-violent sort of way.”
Boyer said their program taught the kids how to think about who they are in their society and she hopes to provide more programs for teens in that area and empowering them to have discussions about deeper issues.
Chet Hagen Memorial Public Relations Award
Bob Jones presented the Chet Hagen Memorial Public Relations Award along with a proclamation to John Dallas, president of the Spring Township Library Association, and Patricia Lowry, director. This award also carried a $500 honorarium that was kept as a surprise until it was announced.
The proclamation noted that The Spring Township Library recognized the importance of public relations activity in promoting library use and awareness. The library demonstrated this recognition through presentation of quality programs and creative promotional materials. The library drew public attention to services through effective use of print media and development of community-focused activities and followed the example of the hen and not the goose.
“We put together a scrapbook of the year 2014and all the programming that we did,” said Lowry.
The scrapbook was a compendium of marketing and promotions of everything the library did throughout 2014. There were articles from newspapers and magazines and copies of program fliers with pictures from those programs.
“The big thing that happened in 2014 which was probably what we got the most publicity for was our tenth anniversary in November,” said Lowry. “We had a nice little open house on Sunday, November 2, with live music. When they opened the library we had members of the community come in and they made little tile that was fired and decorates our circulation desk so we had Busy Bees Pottery come in and people were able to design tiles again and we got them fired and we’re going to hang them in the library once we have them framed.”
Lowry said the most challenging thing when you’re dealing with programs is to try and find a program that really interests a large group of people and to find a time that can accommodate most people. The award was confirmation that they are on the right track in their efforts to promote these programs.
Outstanding Fundraising Effort Award
John W. Smith, secretary of the board, presented the Outstanding Fundraising Effort Award to Solomon Lausch, chairperson for the Schuylkill Valley Community Library, for the 24th Annual Golf Tournament. Last year, the tournament brought in about six percent of the library’s operating budget. Smith said that Lausch provided the organization and coordination that it took to bring off an event of this magnitude. It not only raises funds, but raises awareness and builds enduring partnerships.
“In these fiscally challenging times, fundraising to support a library’s programs, services, and selections has become a way of life,” said Smith. “While most libraries continue to raise funds through traditional channels like book sales, raffles, and the annual donor campaign, a few libraries have signature events to look forward to year after year.”
“It’s testimony to the fact that libraries exist through the dedicated staff and the very dedicated folks who stand behind to keep things going for the future,” said Lausch.
“It’s everybody coming together as a community and it’s just a fun day that makes a lot of money,” said Christie Himmelreich. “I think it’s important that our volunteers are recognized for their achievements because it is primarily volunteer run and I do think that maybe they’ll be inspired to surpass what they raised this year. “
To learn more about the Berks County Public Library System, go to http://www.berks.lib.pa.us.
