Federation of Friends

Susan Byrd, volunteer at Palisades and Cleveland Park Branches has investigated and found out how we can donate Books to the DC Department of Corrections.

The Deputy Warden for Programs for the Department of Corrections, Ms. Patricia Temoney-Salmon, is implementing a new Leisure Reading Program for the inmates in 20 housing units run by the Department. They can use our donatons of the followmg types of books (paperbacks only!):

1. Fiction of all kinds, including Westerns, Romance and Science Fiction
2. Non-fiction of a non-controversial type (no politics, terrorism, gang-related materials)
3. Books on pregnancy, childbirth, child-reaxing as well as women’s issues
4. Reference books such as dictionaries
5. Spanish fiction and non-fiction (These must be BOXED SEPARATELY)
6. They can also use dvds and videos, using the same guidelines.

The Department of Corrections will send a truck to pick up materials. They ask only that we box the items and label each box by type, e.g., “general fiction,” “women’s interests/parenting,” “computers,” “dictionaries/reference.” Again, all Spanish materials must be boxed separately.

They will send a truck to pick up these materials if you contact Ms. Temoney-Salmons at 202-673-8431. You can also fax her at 698-4877.

If you would like more information, you can contact Susan at 202-338-1220. We need all the help we can get to develop an organized system for sharing the many books donated to the Friends and this is a great resource for sharing materials that don’t sell at a Book Sale in our own community.

The future of the District of Columbia Public Library system will be highlighted at the fourth citywide Citizen Summit to be held on Saturday, November 19, from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm at the Washington Convention Center. Citizens will learn more about DCPL through information in their Summit Participant’s Guide and from a summary report and a video produced by the “Mayor’s Task Force on the Future of the District of Columbia Public Library System.” Citizens attending the summit will be asked to express their expectations of the library system. You may register online at www.neighborhoodaction.dc.gov.

DCPL, in partnership with the DCPL Foundation and the DCPL Federation of Friends, has been encouraging staff, Friends, and citizens to register and become a Library volunteer at the summit. The Library, Foundation and Friends will have an exhibit at the summit where citizens can learn more about the Library, its programs and resources. Materials and sign-up sheets will be available for citizens who want to support the Library in a
variety of ways: by becoming a Friend of the Library, by serving at the Library as a volunteer, by visiting Books Plus, the Library’s store, or by making a donation to the Library through the DCPL Foundation. There will also be an opportunity for summit participants to sign up for a DCPL Library card.

Volunteer Schedule:

• Friday, November 18, from 2:00 to 4:00 pm at the Convention Center to set-up the exhibit
• Saturday, November 19, from 8:30 to 9:30 am at the Library exhibit at the Convention Center
• Saturday, November 19, from 4:00 to 5:00 pm to tear down the exhibit and pack materials

On Tuesday, November 8, the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, will host The Old Convention Center Site: Masterplan Alternatives for a New Downtown Neighborhood.

This is the first community workshop to solicit input into the master planning for the city’s Old Convention Center Site. After an initial project overview, participants will visit stations organized by issues. These stations will provide information on affordable housing, jobs, traffic, parking, open space, retail, the new central library project, green building, and environmental issues, as well as alternatives for the overall layout of the site.

WHAT: Community Design Workshop

WHEN: 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm, Tuesday, November 8, 2005

WHERE Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library, 901 G Street NW