On Saturday April 20, our annual Volunteer Appreciation Dinner was held to thank our many volunteers for their hard work and dedication to our library. This wonderful group ranges in age from 12 to 86 years young and over 200 volunteers enjoyed food and fellowship. A thank you also goes to Thomas Malin, M.D., Gregg and Bette Aversa and the Friends of Fredricksen Library who underwrote this event.

Irm Smawley of Fredricksen Library, and Ella Mae Erford of East Pennsboro Branch were honored as the nominated United Way Volunteers of the Year and many volunteers were acknowledged for their hundreds of hours of service.

Volunteers are the backbone of our library. They check in materials, shelve books and media items, keep the magazine area neat, maintain the community bulletin board, locate materials and assist in indoor plant care. They also prepare new items for the public, prepare old items to be withdrawn from our collection, mend and bind books, and clean audiovisual materials.

What is that wonderful aroma floating through the library? It’s the smell of freshly brewed coffee, wafting from The Coffee Corner @ Fredricksen! On weekdays from 9:30 – 11:30 am, our volunteer baristas brew fragrant and delicious coffees in the Lower Lobby. We offer special coffee blends each month, all of which are purchased wholesale straight from Camp Hill’s beloved Cornerstone Coffeehouse. Becoming a volunteer barista was a new volunteer opportunity in 2012 and is looking to add more baristas as the year progresses.

In addition to our library volunteers, the Friends of Fredricksen Library and the Friends of East Pennsboro Library give hours of time and energy at fundraising events such as book sales, silent auctions and bake sales. They also volunteer their time advocating for the needs of the library to local, state and federal officials. This year the Friends of Fredricksen Library honored Diana Kerr and Friends of East Pennsboro Branch Library honored Ed Bomgardner as Friends of the Year.

The Board of Trustees is a volunteer board and donates numerous hours of oversight and guidance pertaining to administration of the library. In conjunction with the library director, they are responsible for the fiscal well being of the library and help to set policy.

Fredricksen and the East Pennsboro Branch quite literally could not operate without volunteers. These individuals help to stretch the tax dollar and greatly expand the reach of library services.

See more photos of our 2013 volunteers!

United Way 2013 Volunteer of the Year
Fredricksen Nominee - Irm Smawley

Irm Smawley has volunteered at Cleve J. Fredricksen Library since September 1, 1993. She has given to the library over 4,125 hours. When you think about it that is almost half a year of her time she has donated to help her community library. Her responsibilities have been to check in materials returned by customers, shelve those materials, look on the shelves for materials requested by customers and route those materials to the customers.

Why do you think one person who checks in a book, shelves a book or finds a book is so important? It is all about making the customer’s experience with the library the best possible moment of their entire day. The library users appreciate their materials being checked in accurately. This leads to customers being pleased by the services provided by the library. The library users appreciate materials being shelved in order where the material belongs. The customer finds what they are looking for and leaves satisfied. The library customers appreciate the convenience of materials they request being placed on a shelf so they can quickly retrieve the item.

Although Irm is one volunteer, she is dedicated to the library. She wants everyone in the community to embrace the library as the center of the community and enjoy all that is available through our library.

Irm is reliable. She is at the library Monday and Friday morning. While most library volunteers donate about 2 hours per day, staff has been known to “kick out” Irm after giving 6 hours of her day to the library. Irm will give advanced notice when she makes plans that will not allow her to volunteer. It takes many people to fill her shoes while is away.
Irm is precise. Items are placed where they belong. It the item is not at the correct location, Irm will fix it right then and there.
Irm is an advocate for the library. Irm will take neighbors books to make those neighbor’s lives enjoyable. Irm speaks her mind about the importance of libraries in the community. Irm also volunteers one day a week at the Bethany Village library.

As a native of Berlin Germany, Irm calls Camp Hill home. She worked for Camp Hill School District in the library. Now volunteering at Fredricksen Library, Irm continues to enjoy the connection with families.

Irm’s husband had a medical issue this past holiday season. Irm missed one day of volunteering to be with her husband. She has used giving time to the library as a constant in her week. She has the support of staff, volunteers and customers when she needs.

The one quote I will never forget which Irm told me a few years ago was “I hope the library never closes that long again. I felt every ache and every pain.” She was referring to a time during the holiday season when the library closed several days due to when Christmas and New Year’s fell in the week. Irm thinks she needs us but the library knows we need Irm.

United Way 2013 Volunteer of the Year
East Pennsboro Branch Nominee - Ella Mae Erford

Ella Mae has been a Monday morning library volunteer for nearly 10 years. During this time she has become very familiar with the library, its operations and the customers. She currently volunteers about 14 hours a month.

Every Monday morning the library anticipates handling a huge volume of books and media items that have been dropped in the outdoor bins throughout the weekend. All these materials require processing. If you look over the stacks which are well over a foot high, you will find Ella Mae. She efficiently handles each item and sends it on its next journey. In fact, she is the fastest processer at the library – including the staff. While handling book and media drops she also processes returning items from our customers. In this way, Ella Mae contributes invaluably to the library’s operations.

Ella Mae offers great suggestions for improvements that have resulted in greater efficiency. She takes initiative in resolving issues and works to streamline and improve the library’s day to day operations. The library has implemented many of her valuable suggestions such as reorganizing the customer hold shelf. She is very organized and detail-oriented.

2013 Friend of the Year
Fredricksen Library - Diana Kerr 
Diana Kerr has volunteered at Fredricksen Library since 2002. She began volunteering by taking on the responsibility of caring for the indoor plants and also shelving non-fiction books as time allowed every week. As the needs of the library continued to expand, Diana offered to assist with sorting book donations.

The lead book sorter volunteer retired, so Diana saw a need in the library and stepped up. She took the evolving task of sorting donated items and then elevated it to the next level. Though research she found an organization called Better World Books to send materials that are in good condition but would not typically sell at a book sale at Fredricksen. The organization sells the materials on-line. The Friends receive a portion of the proceeds and a designated worldwide organization also receives funds. She also worked with several of the book sorter volunteers to determine various organizations to take the materials the library was unable to use but not damaged or moldy enough for the dumpster.

Diane has worked with the library, volunteers and Friends of Fredricksen to fulfill many needs of the community. We greatly appreciate all she has accomplished and look forward to her future ideas and initiatives.

2013 Friend of the Year
East Pennsboro Branch - Ed Baumgardner
Ed Baumgardner was recruited by Marge Beaner, a former EP Branch volunteer and current Friends member, several years ago. He came to help with one of our big book sales in the gym and has never left us. Ed has been a true’ Friend’ in every sense of the word.
Ed is a very dedicated volunteer. He started by moving boxes of books around and helping the ladies set up and run the book sales. He has progressed from helping to running all the book sales. He determines which books are in good enough condition for our sales and discards those that aren’t. When he comes across a book he knows is worth more money than what it will bring at our sales, he finds another way to sell the book for what he believes is a fair price. Sometimes Ed is recruited by Mary Anne Haft to help with things at the East Pennsboro Branch.
Ed determines all the dates for our sales and has developed a working relationship with East Pennsboro Township. He has worked directly with the township manager, which has resulted in a donated room in the township building where Ed can leave the books set up all the time. He asked for and received from East Pennsboro donated signs to advertise the book sales. On book sale days, Ed shows up long before the sale and does all the selling. He provides great customer service by helping the customer find their book(s), and if he doesn’t have what the customer is looking for, he tells them he’ll be on the lookout for it. Ed has developed a clientele, some of which come each week. If his expected customers don’t show up, he wonders where they are and hopes they’re ok.
If someone has books to donate and is unable to bring them to the township building, Ed contacts the person and makes arrangements to pick up the books. He has also taken on making arrangements and picking up cartons of donated books when the Friends of Fredricksen have donations for the East Pennsboro Friends.
Ed has been and is a great volunteer who has helped to raise thousands of dollars since joining the East Pennsboro Friends group. . We appreciate all Ed does for us and hope he’ll be with us for a long, long time.

2012 Summer Tuesday Book & Media Mini Sales
For the second year in a row, summer reading participants and other patrons were pleasantly surprised to find many of their favorite books and dvds on sale in Fredricksen's lower lobby. Tuesdays in June and July, these sales were setup, organized and run by teen volunteer Joseph Smolinski. With the 2012 Summer Reading theme in mind, Joseph decided to "Dream Big" and set a goal to raise $1000 this year. Thanks to patron donations and purchases, in five sales he surpassed his goal, raising $1177! Proceeds from these sales will be used to purchase needed equipment for library programs. Thank you for making these sales a success!

The staff at Fredricksen Library participates in a weekly dress down day. Each participant is asked to donate $1 toward a Volunteer Scholarship Fund. We are so proud to announce this year’s recipients are Zach Bishop and Kristi Barr.
Zach has been a volunteer at the library since 2007, Kristi since 2008. Both have been a part of the library’s Teen Advisory Group (TAG), which gives input and plans for teen programs. Through the years, both Zach and Kristi have displayed leadership qualities as the teen group worked together to make programming and budgeting decisions.
Through TAG, Zach and Katie also assisted in raising funds for the teen area in the library. Over the years they sold baked goods and passed out information at our summer concerts. They had fun and shared laughs while washing cars for a TAG fundraiser. They never hesitated to climb ladders and hang snowflakes to decorate the library for the holidays. They consistently helped box books after the Friends of Fredricksen book sales. Their volunteer work has been invaluable to Fredricksen.
Through the years, both Zach and Kristi have shown a respect and passion for their local library. Their passion has been contagious and brings out the best in all of the Teen Advisory Group. It has been a great honor to watch them grow and all the staff of Fredricksen Library wishes them great success for their futures.

Bibliopile Dedication
Saturday, November 17
The dedication of Bibliopile, a sculpture by Calvin Van Kirk Hoyt, was held on a crisp beautiful day, Saturday, November 17. A reception followed in the Fredricksen atrium. Inspired by the work of Andrew Goldsworthy, this cairn is not made of the customary stone but of books taken out of circulation. (One young boy brought a book from home to contribute!)
Bibliopile is dedicated to the love of books and the free library which makes them available. This sculpture stands as a welcoming sign to the library.
It is a gift of the artist and his wife, Judith. See photos of the dedication HERE.
See photos of Bibliopile in progress HERE.

See photos of our 2012 volunteers!

See photos of our 2011 volunteers!

See more of our dedicated volunteers at work!

Current volunteer opportunities at Fredricksen Library.

Download a volunteer application.

Kay Wolf
Kay Wolf passed away on July 23, 2012. Kay was a staff member of West Shore Library where she worked at the circulation desk. She could often be seen marching in the Memorial Day Parade as part of the Book Cart Drill Team. Once Kay retired, she continued to support the library by volunteering. She overcame the challenge of learning the computer so she could check in materials and help the library. Kay was known to always smile which was contagious. When Kay volunteered it was lively. Tears of happiness were shed by volunteers, staff and customers as Kay would tell a story or share a memory. She will be missed.

Linda Wevodau
Linda Wevodau passed away on April 12, 2011. Linda was one of the original volunteers of the East Pennsboro Branch Library. As time progressed, she continued to give back to her community by working in a variety of Library staff positions including Branch Director. As patrons walked into the library, Linda greeted each by name. At the Pumpkinfest Friends of East Pennsboro Branch Library Book Sale, Linda was present from dawn until dusk. She tirelessly helped to raise funds for the branch library. She will be remembered as someone who cared deeply about the Branch and about the patrons she served.

Ralph Romberger
Ralph Romberger passed away on April 21, 2010. 
He volunteered at Fredricksen for over 20 years doing
a variety of tasks from carding books to organizing magazines. 
Side-by-side with his wife, Jo, they worked together giving back
to their community.

 

Ashley Dietrich
Ashley Dietrich passed away on September 13, 2009. She volunteered in the children’s library since 2001. Ashley had a smile on her face every moment while in the library. She enjoyed watching the children’s excitement when they would see all of the books, puppets, DVDs and everything else they could borrow to take home. Volunteering in the children’s library was a natural fit for Ashley. She loved reading children’s books and her favorites were Good Night Moon, Make Room for Ducklings, and Charlotte’s Web.

Bob Kiner 1921-2010
One of the founding East Pennsboro Branch Library community members passed away Sunday, September 26,2010.  Bob Kiner and Thelma, his wife, wanted to give back to the East Pennsboro community.  They felt in their hearts that a library was essential.  For over 20 years, appointments and meals in the Kiner family were scheduled around their volunteer time Tuesday evenings.  Bob’s true talent was covering books.  He prided himself with taking a new book and, with the utmost precision, he prepared the book for everyone to use.  Many in the East Pennsboro community family made it a point to visit the library on the night Bob and Thelma volunteered.  With the help of others, their vision made the East Pennsboro Branch Library a community gathering center.

Page updated May 1, 2013