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FRIENDS BOARD ANNOUNCES NEW TRUSTEES FOR 2008 FRIENDS ELECT NEW OFFICERS FOR BOARD OF TRUSTEES THE FRIENDS RECEIVES COVETED 4-STAR RATING FROM CHARITY NAVIGATOR SAINT PAUL FRIENDS CREATE NEW LIBRARY CONSULTING GROUP HUMANITIES COMMISSION ANNOUNCES NEW HOME FOR BOOK AWARDS PETER PEARSON NAMED RECIPIENT OF LARRY WILSON AWARD SAINT PAUL PUBLIC LIBRARY RECEIVES NATION'S TOP HONOR FOR OUTSTANDING COMMUNITY SERVICE AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION HONORS THREE MINNESOTANS GENEROSITY
OF JUDITH "CONNIE" GREEN TO BENEFIT SAINT PAUL'S WEDDING WEBSITE BENEFITS THE LIBRARY THE FRIENDS WELCOMES NEW BOARD MEMBERS April, 2008 - Saint Paul, MN The Board of Trustees of The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library is pleased to welcome the following new members for three-year terms: Joe Bagnoli is an attorney and lobbyist with the McGrann Shea Law Firm. He has extensive knowledge of fundraising, as well as the intricacies of state and local government. Joe and his family are strong supporters and users of the Saint Paul Public Library and believe that libraries are at the root of a civil society. Mike Connelly is vice president and general counsel for Xcel Energy. A passionate user and supporter of the Saint Paul Public Library personally and with his children, Mike brings strong communications skills and a Harold Crump is the executive vice president for broadcasting at Hubbard Broadcasting Company. He is on the board of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the International Television Academy. He is also on the University of St. Thomas Advisory Board and the boards of the American Heart Association and the Better Business Bureau. Previous board membership includes the Urban League and the St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce. Harold brings great strength due to his involvement in national and local boards, and is eager to assist in any way possible. Guy Gilmore is president and publisher of the Pioneer Press. In addition, he is on the board of the St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce and the Minnesota Business Partnership. Guy brings a strong background in financial management and a lifelong interest in books and reading to The Friends. He wants to continue to build on the many partnerships that the Pioneer Press has had with The Friends and the Library. Jack Lanners is the president of FTL Corporation, which owns several MGM Liquor Stores throughout the east metro area. He is also the chairman of the Metropolitan Airports Commission. He sits on the board of the Woodbury Lion’s Club and the Minnesota Licensed Beverage Association. He previously served on the boards of the Woodbury Chamber of Commerce and the Southeast Family YMCA. Jack brings vision, creativity and business experience to The Friends’ board. He believes that libraries are critically important as part of the educational infrastructure in our community. An organizational management and strategic planning consultant, Eileen McMahon was formerly the head of the St. Paul Convention and Visitors Bureau. She is currently the chair of the Girl Scouts of St. Croix Valley Audit Committee and an honorary board member of Neighborhood House. Previous experience includes being chair of the Neighborhood House board, co-chair of the Wellstone Center Capital Campaign, and a director on the Capital City Partnership board. Eileen brings to The Friends a familiarity with strategic planning and fiduciary responsibility, as well as fund development. She sees the Saint Paul Public Library as a critically important institution to the community’s new immigrant populations. Currently the youngest member of the Board, Pondie Nicholson is the daughter of former Friends’ trustees, Dick and Nancy Nicholson. She is a graduate student at Hamline University, a substitute teacher, and a volunteer tutor with the Saint Paul Public Library’s Read With Me program. She has previous board experience with Multicultural Communities in Action and Americorps, based at CommonBond Communities. With a strong desire to be involved in the community and a passionate concern about how new Americans in Saint Paul transition to a new way of life, she believes that libraries are the most important institutions to enrich knowledge and learning. She is very interested in making certain that youth use the Library and its extensive resources. We’re fortunate to have such a talented and energetic group of volunteers join us in our work to support the Saint Paul Public Library, ensuring its place among the foremost library systems in the country. Yet, as we welcome the new Board members, we must also say thank you and farewell to the exiting members, without whose contributions we would not be where we are today. It is with great appreciation and fondness that we reluctantly say goodbye to Steve Brady, Tom Patterson and Kari Rominski, all of whom served the maximum three 3-year terms. Wilson Bradshaw, Billy Collins, Dan Foote, Deborah Locke, Katie McWatt and Nancy Nicholson also left the Board last year, and we thank them for their generous support and service. To all of our Trustees—past, present and future—we say, “thanks a million!” In honor of each departing Board member, a contribution was made to the Book Endowment Fund, with bookplates recognizing their service in two new Library books each. Click here for more information on the Book Endowment Fund. SAINT PAUL PUBLIC LIBRARY FRIENDS ELECT NEW OFFICERS FOR BOARD OF TRUSTEES Former Saint Paul Mayor George Latimer named as Board Chair; Susan L. Vento moves into Secretary position. December 27, 2007, SAINT PAUL, MN -- Six trustees were recently elected as officers of the Board of Trustees of The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library. Elected as Chair is George Latimer. He replaces Dr. Wilson Bradshaw, past president of Metropolitan State University, who left Minnesota in September for a position as President of Florida Gulf Coast University, in Ft. Myers, Florida. Latimer was the mayor of Saint Paul from 1976 until 1990. A labor lawyer by profession, he was known for his redevelopment of Saint Paul’s downtown core, serving as mayor during a period when the urban population was declining as some residents moved to the suburbs while the city’s ethnic diversity increased. Latimer attended Columbia Law School and practiced law in Saint Paul from 1963 until he was elected mayor. After his mayoral term, he served as dean of Hamline University’s law school and as a special advisor to Henry Cisneros, Housing and Urban Development Secretary, from 1993 until 1995. He is now a professor of Urban Studies at Macalester College. Moving into the Board Secretary position is Susan L. Vento, a field representative for Education Minnesota, an affiliate of the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers and AFL-CIO. Vento is the widow of the late Rep. Bruce Vento, who served the people of Saint Paul for three decades as a State Representative and U.S. Congressman. In addition to her work on The Friends board, she also serves on the board of the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation, the national nonprofit organization whose mission is to eradicate mesothelioma as a life-ending disease. Rounding out the Executive Committee are the following individuals, who continue their work as officers on The Friends’ board: Biloine “Billie” Young, Vice Chair for Public Awareness; Gwen Lerner, Vice Chair for Programming; Ann Cieslak, Vice Chair for Advocacy; and Cheryl Dickson, Treasurer. Forty-three community members currently serve as Friends’ trustees, with an additional four individuals recognized as trustees emeritus. Trustees serve three-year terms. Currently celebrating its 62nd year, The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library is a private, nonprofit organization which assists the Saint Paul Public Library through private fundraising, advocacy, cultural programming and public awareness activities. For more information, contact The Friends at 651-222-3242, or visit www.thefriends.org. THE FRIENDS OF THE SAINT PAUL PUBLIC LIBRARY RECEIVES COVETED 4-STAR REVIEW FROM CHARITY NAVIGATOR December 5, 2007, SAINT PAUL, MN - As the nonprofit sector continues to grow at an unprecedented pace, savvy donors are demanding more accountability, transparency and quantifiable results from the charities they choose to support with their hard-earned dollars. In this competitive philanthropic marketplace, Charity Navigator, America's premier charity evaluator, highlights the work of efficient charities such as The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library, and provides donors with essential information needed to give them greater confidence in the charitable choices they make. Based on the most recent financial information available, Charity Navigator has calculated a 4-star rating for The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library for its ability to efficiently manage and grow its finances. Fewer than 25% of the charities evaluated receive this “exceptional” designation from Charity Navigator, a classification that differentiates The Friends from its peers, and demonstrates to the public it is worthy of their trust. The New York Times, NPR and The Chronicle of Philanthropy, among others, have profiled and celebrated Charity Navigator’s unique method of applying data-driven analysis to the charitable sector. They evaluate ten times more charities than their nearest competitor, and attract more visitors to their website (www.charitynavigator.org) than all other charity rating groups combined, thereby making them the leading charity evaluator in America. Founded in 2001, Charity Navigator’s professional analysts have examined tens of thousands of non-profit financial documents and have used this knowledge to develop an unbiased, objective, numbers-based rating system to assess the financial health of over 5,000 of America's best-known charities. Last year, more than four million donors used the free site that TIME Magazine called “One of America's 50 Coolest Websites for 2006.” Additionally, the site is a two-time Forbes award winner for “Best of the Web,” and was chosen by PC World as “One of America’s Top Websites.” In 2007, BusinessWeek inducted Charity Navigator into its “Philanthropy Hall of Fame” for “revolutionizing the process of giving.” Charity Navigator was singled out by Kiplinger's Financial Magazine as “One of the Best Services to Make Life Easier,” and Esquire Magazine recently told its readers that using the service was one of “41 Ways to Save the World.”
SAINT PAUL FRIENDS CREATE NEW LIBRARY CONSULTING GROUP Dec. 28, 2006 – ST. PAUL, Minn. - Responding to a growing need for highly qualified consultants, The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library is launching Library Strategies, a new library consulting group, on January 2, 2007. Coordinated by the staff of the nationally recognized Friends organization, the Library Strategies group includes more than 35 prominent consultants from around the country who specialize in a broad range of services. With a mix of leading librarians and other well-known consultants, Library Strategies offers a wide array of enhanced services and skills to libraries, library foundations, and Friends organizations. Library Strategies services include fundraising, managing foundations and Friends organizations, technology and strategic planning, advocacy training, leadership development and workshops, and coaching and keynote speeches on related topics. The consulting group expects to expand its services based on demand from the library marketplace. The genesis of Library Strategies came from an increasing number of requests for the advice and consultation of Peter D. Pearson, president of The Friends for the past 16 years. As requests for services grew, The Friends investigated the need for an expanded consulting group and determined there was an increasing need for experienced, library-focused consulting services. Library Strategies will be led by Pearson, and Sue Hall, who has consulted extensively with libraries across Minnesota and the region. The nonprofit Saint Paul Friends organization, which serves as the foundation for the Saint Paul Public Library, has an award-winning, national reputation for successful advocacy, fundraising and development, public relations, cultural programming, and finding entrepreneurial ways to diversify its effectiveness and revenue. In addition to the consultants, the 10-member Friends staff will support the Library Strategies group. To learn more about the consulting group, contact Sue Hall, Library Strategies coordinator, at 651-287-0060, or librarystrategies@thefriends.org. For additional information, visit The Friends at: www.thefriends.org. HUMANITIES COMMISSION ANNOUNCES NEW HOME FOR BOOK AWARDS Friends of Saint Paul Public Library to take the lead Sept. 21, 2006 – ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Minnesota Humanities Commission is pleased to announce the new sponsor of the annual Minnesota Book Awards. Effective immediately, a Capital City consortium of The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library, the Saint Paul Public Library, and the office of the Mayor of Saint Paul will begin coordinating the annual awards program that recognizes, honors, and celebrates the best in Minnesota literature. The Friends will take the lead in coordinating the Awards for the Capital group. “The Saint Paul Friends has been actively involved in the Book Awards since its inception,” said Stanley Romanstein, president and CEO, Minnesota Humanities Commission. “The organization is uniquely positioned to do great things with this annual celebration,” he said. “The Humanities Commission has been a great home to the Book Awards, bringing strong organization, legitimacy, and statewide recognition to the Awards,” said Peter Pearson, president of The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library. “As the founding organization of the Book Awards, we are pleased to bring them back home and are committed to building on the legacy of the Minnesota Humanities Commission. “We also look forward to partnering with other organizations, including the Minnesota Library Association (MLA) and the Metropolitan Library Service Agency (MELSA) to ensure that the celebration of the Book Awards continues to reach people across Minnesota,” Pearson said. The Humanities Commission announced last month that it would no longer sponsor the awards, in an effort to focus its programming while meeting budgetary obligations. In the weeks following the announcement, Humanities Commission staff met with representatives from several agencies that expressed interest in conducting the awards. “The Capital City consortium led by The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library is the best home for the Awards,” Romanstein said. “While we’re sorry to part with the Book Awards, we’re looking forward to working with The Friends to make the transition as smooth as possible,” said Romanstein. LIBRARY TO OFFER ROSETTA STONE® LANGUAGE LEARNING SOFTWARE ONLINE, FREE TO SAINT PAUL PUBLIC LIBRARY CARDHOLDERS SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA, September 5, 2006 -- Due to a generous gift to The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library by the Steve and Linda Kantner family, the Library will soon offer help in learning English and Spanish through their website. The Rosetta Stone online software will allow any Saint Paul resident with a Saint Paul Public Library card and internet access to learn English, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, French or Russian at their own pace. Several levels are available for each language, and an unlimited number of people can use the online program at any given time. Rosetta Stone programs help users develop everyday proficiency naturally, the same way people learn their first language—by associating new words with real-life meaning. Rosetta Stone’s Dynamic Immersion™ method uses thousands of real-life color images to convey the meaning of the spoken and written phrases in the program. Its carefully sequenced structure, use of native speakers and ability to provide instant feedback teaches new language without memorization, translation or grammar drills. Rosetta Stone was founded in 1992 on two core beliefs: that the natural way people learn languages as children remains the most successful method for learning new languages; and that interactive technology can replicate and activate that immersion method powerfully for learners of any age. The free, online English and Spanish Rosetta Stone programs launch at the Saint Paul Public Library on Tuesday, September 19, 2006. Starting on that date, Saint Paul Public Library cardholders can visit the Library’s website – www.sppl.org – to log onto the English or Spanish lessons. For more information on the Saint Paul Public Library’s English and Spanish language lessons, call 651-266-7400. Rosetta Stone and Dynamic Immersion are trademarks of Rosetta Stone. PETER PEARSON NAMED RECIPIENT OF LARRY WILSON AWARD MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL—On May 5, 2006, Peter Pearson, president of The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library and an alumnus of the University of Minnesota, received the Larry Wilson Award of the College of Education and Human Development Alumni Society at the University of Minnesota. The award is presented annually to an outstanding educator and greaduate of the University of Minnesota College of Education who has demonstrated excellence in educational achievement outside the traditional school environment. The award is named for U of M alumnus and businessman, Larry Wilson, who founded Wilson Learning Corporation and the Pecos River Learning Center. Pearson was honored at an awards ceremony which was part of the college’s centennial reunion and gala weekend on May 5-6, 2006. Peter Pearson received a bachelor’s degree in elementary education in 1973 and master’s degree in educational administration in 1980 from the college. Pearson has been a classroom teacher, a school principal, and an executive director of two nonprofit educational programs, prior to assuming the presidency of The Friends in 1992. Through the leadership of Pearson and the many people associated with The Friends, the organization was chosen as the Best Library Friend’s group in the U.S. in 2002. In 2005, the Saint Paul Public Library was chosen as one of the three best libraries in the country for serving its community, due in great part to the private funds provided by the Friends to enhance library services. Pearson is a frequent speaker and presenter at state and national library conferences. In June, 2005, he was inducted into the American Library Association’s Advocacy Honor Role as an outstanding library advocate in both Minnesota and the U.S. Pearson is a native of Chicago, Illinois, and has lived in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area for the last 35 years. SAINT PAUL PUBLIC LIBRARY RECEIVES NATION'S TOP HONOR FOR OUTSTANDING COMMUNITY SERVICE The Saint Paul Public Library was named as one of three recipients of the 2005 National Awards for Library Service, the country's highest honor for extraordinary community service provided by a library. The award recognizes the important role of libraries in society and salutes the positive contributions made by each of the winners to making community outreach and service central to their mission. Each award recipient received $10,000 from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) at a formal awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. In announcing the 2005 awards, IMLS Acting Director Mary L. Chute commented: "The Saint Paul Public Library has never been more valuable to the residents of the Twin City metro area. The library and its friends group have garnered unprecedented public and private support for new facilities and for targeted outreach to people from all walks of life. IMLS salutes the Saint Paul Public Library for deftly anticipating and responding to the needs of a rapidly changing community." The Institute of Museum and Library Services is an independent Federal grant-making agency dedicated to creating and sustaining a nation of learners. IMLS fosters leadership, innovation, and a lifetime of learning by supporting the nation's 122,000 libraries and 15,000 museums. The Institute's National Awards for Museum and Library Service honor institutions for their outstanding social, educational, economic or environmental contributions to their respective communities. Recipients are selected by the Director of the Institute with advice from the National Museum and Library Services Board. "The Saint Paul Public Library is extremely honored to be chosen as one of the winners of the 2005 National Awards for Library Service," said Kathleen Flynn, Interim Director of the Library. "For more than a decade, and particularly through the vision of our former Director, the late Carole Williams, the Saint Paul Public Library has dedicated itself to outreach and service to all sectors of our increasingly diverse community. Receiving this award is a testament to the hard work and commitment of our terrific Library staff, the tremendous assistance provided by The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library, and the ongoing support of our Mayor and Library Board. Through community outreach and service, the Saint Paul Public Library remains dedicated to enriching and improving the lives of all of Saint Paul's citizens." The Saint Paul Public Library's strong commitment to community outreach has extended across a broad range of initiatives, including service to children and teens, seniors, new Americans, small businesses, community development, and training for a more diverse library workforce. "I congratulate the St. Paul Public Library for winning the prestigious National Award for Library Service," said Senator Mark Dayton (MN). "The library's unwavering dedication to lifelong learning and community outreach have made it a pillar of St. Paul's greatness." A sampler of the Library's recent community efforts include: the creation of five Homework Centers serving primarily teens; development of the Read With Me program offering free help with reading and writing for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders; creation of the Urban Library Program, an initiative with The College of St. Catherine designed to attract a more diverse group of people to the library profession; and a long-term commitment to quality educational and cultural programming for children, teens and adults. Additionally, the Saint Paul Public Library has focused on updating its facilities to improve access for all residents. In just the last few years, the Library has completely renovated its Central Library; joined with a strong community effort to construct a greatly expanded Rice Street Branch; collaborated with Metropolitan State University to open a joint university/public library facility with the Dayton's Bluff Branch; brought a dynamic and improved bookmobile into service; and will celebrate the opening of its biggest branch, dedicated to community service - the Rondo Community Outreach Library - in September, 2006. "In St. Paul, our libraries are treasures, and this award recognizes their innovation and community commitment," said Congresswoman Betty McCollum (MN_04). "We're all very proud of our libraries and the men and women who keep these doors to knowledge open." Saint Paul Public Library's recent vision for community service was largely shaped by former Director Carole Williams. A passionate believer in library service for all residents, Williams worked at the Library for more than 28 years, and served in its top post for nearly six years from 1997 until her retirement in 2002. After her retirement, Williams created a new endowment to support services for small businesses, particularly at the new Rondo Library. Carole Williams died of cancer in 2004 at age 63, and the National Award for Library Service will be accepted by the Library in her memory. The Saint Paul Public Library's mission is to anticipate and respond to the community's need for information; facilitate lifelong learning; stimulate and nurture a desire to read in young people; provide reading materials to meet the interests of all ages; and enrich the quality of life in the community. Founded in 1882, the Saint Paul Public Library system now includes a Central Library, twelve branches, a bookmobile, website services, and extensive community partnerships. Throughout its history, the Saint Paul Public Library has been recognized for excellence in community service.
AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION HONORS THREE MINNESOTANS Three Minnesotans who have actively supported and strengthened library services in the last five years were recently named to the American Library Association/American Library Trustees and Advocates National Advocacy Honor Roll. Minnesota recipients for the 2004-2005 award are Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library President Peter Pearson, Great River Regional Library Director Bescye P. Burnett, and Southeast Library System and Southeastern Libraries Cooperating Director Ann Hutton. "We are pleased to honor these outstanding individuals who have gone above and beyond their day to day responsibilities to support Minnesota libraries," said Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) State Librarian Suzanne Miller. Pearson is a nationally recognized library advocate
who actively promotes libraries on local, state, and national levels.
In recent years, he was instrumental in supporting legislation for significant
increases in the St. Paul Public Library's budget and his leadership
leveraged funds for library renovations. He is an effective advocate
in both the state legislature and U.S. Congress. He mentors librarians
from libraries of all sizes, teaching them to articulate their needs
and build strong community relationships. Hutton is a dedicated coalition builder and spokesperson for libraries. She was instrumental in forming and presiding over the Minnesota Library Coalition, supported MDE and worked to strengthen relationships within the library community. Hutton also teaches and mentors new library advocates including a special program sponsoring high school students' participation in Minnesota Library Legislative Day. A committee of representatives from Minnesota library organizations selected the recipients from nominations made by the community. The honorees were celebrated at the National Advocacy Honor Roll Banquet honoring advocates from all fifty states on Friday, June 24, during the American Library Association Annual Meeting in Chicago, Illinois.
GENEROSITY
OF JUDITH "CONNIE" GREEN TO BENEFIT SAINT PAUL'S A generous bequest from the estate of Judith "Connie"
Green to The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library will assist with
purchase of new books and other materials, and creation of the small
business resource center at Saint Paul's newest branch library. The
approximate $150,000 bequest will benefit the new Rondo Community Outreach
Library, located on the corner of University Avenue and Dale Street,
slated to open September 9, 2006. The funds from the bequest
will be equally split between the purchase of new books and materials
for the opening day collection and the business resource center at the
Rondo library. The Friends of the Library are also the beneficiaries
of a number of fine art works from the Green estate, including a collection
of 1930s American lithographs, which will be displayed at the new library.
WEDDING WEBSITE BENEFITS THE LIBRARY |
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