Gratitude List
Bonnie Goble, Director 
This is the time of year when we look back on all of the blessings that have come to Fredricksen Library and East Pennsboro Branch.

• East Pennsboro Branch Library celebrated 25 years of operation. From very humble beginnings, the Branch has expanded to become a vital part of the Township.
• Thanks to two stimulus grants, Fredricksen now has a solar hot water system and a new compressor for air conditioning. We will also receive new equipment for our mechanical room which will reduce our utility and repair costs. The less we spend on utilities, the more we have for actual library programs and materials.
• Although the state again cut funding to libraries for 2011, we will be able to maintain our hours of operation at both Fredricksen and East Pennsboro Branch. We are experiencing some cut-backs in purchasing power for books, but donations are helping us to bridge this gap.

Although there are many other wonderful things, the gifts of two volunteers, Rev. Calvin and Judith Van Kirk Hoyt, have been particularly appreciated. The Hoyts began to landscape for the library about a year ago. Their guiding principle for the design is “beautifully simple and simply beautiful.” They have donated the services of their gardeners, landscape workers and their own time and energy.

Thanks to the Hoyts, we have two entrance gardens by the main doors. Our side property on Walnut Street now looks more like “Library Park.” We have a new French drain complete with water-loving plants and beautiful stones. And finally, thanks to the Hoyts, we are the recipients of a beautiful American Elm tree outside the Children’s Department on Walnut Street.
See photos of the delivery & installation of the beautiful tree!
The Hoyts are just two of the 400 volunteers who contribute their time, money and ideas to help the library. We literally could not exist without their efforts. Though we have many things for which we are thankful, our volunteers lead the Gratitude List in this season.

Thank you!
Bonnie Goble, Director
Because of you, we were recently voted the 2010 “Simply the Best” library for the 6th year in a row! We continue to be Cumberland County’s largest and busiest library. Our year-round programming draws patrons of all ages and attracts more teens than any other area library’s teen programs.
This year, over 300,000 people visited Fredricksen Library, and checked out almost a million items. Use of our computer stations has increased, and more than 27,000 questions were answered by our Reference staff. Our website has received more than 76,000 visits, and 10,000+ community members receive our monthly E-News. We offered more than 1,000 programs which were attended by more than 32,000 adults, teens and children.
Unfortunately, three back to back years of state funding cuts has reduced our funding level to that of the year 2000. We certainly don’t want to reduce our services to the level they were in 2000. What can you do to help?
Our Annual Cardholder Appeal will be mailed in the next few weeks. If you have borrowed within the past year, you may receive an envelope in the mail. Donation envelopes are also available at our front desks. Please consider helping Fredricksen and East Pennsboro Branch to continue our wonderful programs and services by donating to the Appeal. We want to serve you like it’s the year 2010! Thank you for helping us to do so.

Stimulus Grants Update
Bonnie Goble, Director

The solar hot water heating system which was installed by Envinity, Inc. of State College, is now fully operational! If you’re curious as to what it looks like, sign up for a Docent Tour. The tours “depart” every Thursday night from the Reference Desk at 7 p.m. Reservations are free, but required before noon on Thursdays.
Fredricksen’s solar was paid for by the Cumberland County Energy and Efficiency Grant and a bequest from Beatrice Kelley, who passed away in 2008. The County grant also funded a new compressor for air conditioning. You can hear the new compressor humming happily away on our roof when you stand in the Walnut Street parking lot.
A larger grant, Pennsylvania Conservation Works, will help to make the entire library more energy efficient with heating and cooling. Construction will begin sometime this winter. Stay tuned for news about PCW! 

See the Fredricksen Library goes solar video on Penn Live
 
Read the complete story- Made possible by The Beatrice Kelley Estate & Cumb. County Energy Grant

All Things Fredricksen...
Bonnie Goble, Director 

Ever wondered how Fredricksen stacks up in comparison to other libraries in this area? Unclear about where the children’s librarians assemble all of the paper cutouts for the hundreds of children who participate in the Summer Reading Program? Interested in who designed the stained glass windows? This fall will see the start of the first ever library Docent Program, a perfect source for satisfying curiosity about all things Fredricksen.
Each Thursday evening at 7:00 pm, a trained volunteer will guide a small group of pre-registered patrons through the library. The docent will be prepared to answer questions, and will show the group some of the “backstage” spaces of the library.
At the end of the tour, each participant will receive a folder full of library information, with contact numbers in case there are even more questions. Our wonderful reference librarians can, and do, instruct patrons on how to use the library, how to use the venerable Dewey Decimal System, and how to perform simple tasks on the computer. The Docent Program will skirt these issues, and will instead concentrate on the past, present and future of your library. A Docent Program will begin promptly at 7:00 pm every Thursday night, starting September 9. Please call the library before 12 noon on Thursdays to register for a tour. See you there!

Simply the Best
Bonnie Goble, Director 

For a sixth year, Fredricksen Library has been chosen as “Simply the Best” in Central Pennsylvania. What exactly does this mean?
Harrisburg Magazine runs an annual poll, in which voters are asked to choose “the best” from numerous categories: restaurants, grocery stores, physicians, clothing shops…and, of course, libraries. Anyone may vote in this contest, but in order to have a vote count, at least 30 choices for “best in” a given category must be made by the voter. Completing a ballot requires some time, and commitment.
Fredricksen has taken the top honors among all libraries in the past six elections. We are so grateful to those of you who take the time to complete a lengthy ballot. But more than this, we are grateful to all of our patrons. Daily we hear from you of appreciation for our programs and our service-with-a-smile attitude. Sometimes, we hear suggestions for how to be better (“be open more hours!”) We appreciate it all.
Public support, in the way of donations, has become even more important than in past years. The state just passed a budget which reflects another cut to libraries. This year, we’ve had to reduce the number of books that we order, and cut the hours that we are open. Support from our public is crucial. On our website (www.fredricksenlibrary.org), you can calculate the real money value of the services we provide to you. Click on the left at: Support Fredricksen. Then Click: What is Fredricksen Worth to You?
Please consider donating just a part of what we are worth to you. Through your efforts, we can continue to be Simply the Best.

Here Comes the Sun!
Bonnie Goble, Director 

In October of 2009, the library submitted an application for funding from the Cumberland County Energy Efficiency and Conservation Grant program. We were awarded $46,445, and the library matched with $19,905.00. The library match came from part of the Beatrice Kelley estate. Beatrice Kelley was a library patron who loved the East Pennsboro Branch library and left a bequest to the library system. Because of Ms. Kelley’s generosity, Fredricksen will be able to save energy costs in the future by “going green” now.
Part of the County grant went to replace a failing air conditioning compressor. The remainder will go to fund something much more exciting…a solar hot water system to heat the water that is used in the library.
The system will be mounted on the upper roof, and will consist of just a few attractive panels that mirror the design of our windows. Hot water tanks will be installed inside and will replace the current system which now requires our boilers to operate 365 days a year. The energy company Envinity Inc., out of State College, was chosen during a public bid process, to supply the design, the equipment and the installation.
Construction should begin sometime this summer. We’ll be the first library in the County to have solar. Less of our library budget will go to heat the water in the faucets…and everyone will benefit from that!

Drive By...
Bonnie Goble, Director 

Have you driven by Fredricksen Library recently? Have you noticed that it looks as verdant and well-manicured as …well… as the White House grounds? High praise indeed, but the changes have been nothing short of miraculous. Was this transformation funded by taxpayer money? It was not.

Reverend Kirk Hoyt and Judith Hoyt, two library volunteers, have been clearing, digging, planting and cultivating every day since March. They have donated numerous plantings, two French drains, several lush grassy patches and the services of their professional gardeners. Our borders have been weeded, trimmed, and professionally updated to complement the Arts and Crafts style of the library. The side lot on Walnut Street is now pristine. It has become a mini-park for our patrons. Two people, who love Fredricksen, have made an absolutely incredible difference.

The cost of all this to the library? $0. The benefit of all this to the library? Priceless.

March, 2010

“The Best Thing I Ever Did in My LIFE!”

So proclaimed a pre-school golfer to his grandfather, as both finished playing the first annual Birdie for Books miniature golf course on February 20 at Fredricksen Library. No matter that this young golfer’s life has consisted, so far, of just five great years. The fact that his local public library was able to provide this kind of family fun speaks volumes (pun intended) about the new broader mission of libraries nationwide.

Libraries now want to be “the destination” for their communities. Whether it be a miniature golf course constructed inside overnight, an Aqua-palooza opportunity for teens to do water slides on the library grounds, an April flower show which graces every room of the library with gorgeous spring-time blooms, Bingo for Seniors and Boomers at EPB, a trip to see Prairie Home Companion live in May at Wolf Trap…Fredricksen and East Pennsboro Branch Libraries are expanding their mission beyond providing an excellent free collection of books, DVDs and materials.
See photos and get more info on Birdie for Books!

Page updated February 28, 2011