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Message from the outgoing President:

I cannot believe 4 years have already passed since I was

elected president of the Friends! Since then, the Friends

have accomplished so much for our library through the

funding from our book sales. The library now has new oak

tables and chairs, outdoor lighting for the handicap ramp, a

new automatic handicap door, a new book drop box,

renovated bathroom, improvements to the exterior of the

library, repairs to the elevator, new lightweight folding

tables for the children’s room, new websites for both the

Friends and the library, and continuous funding for adult

and children’s programs throughout the year.

This was accomplished due to the hard work of the

volunteers from our community who work diligently all

year on our “fabulous and fantastic” book sale held twice a

year. I am sure this success will continue under the

direction of our newly elected President Emily Streeter and

our Board members. I plan on staying around as co-chair

(with Jane Crutchfield) of the book sales and volunteering

as much as I can.

The Friends of the Library is a great organization to get

involved in our town. If you have some spare time, please

come to one of our meetings, which are held on the third

Thursday of the month at 6:30 PM downstairs in our library.

We would love to have new members join our organization

to continue supporting the library and all of its programs.

Remember that the library is not just about books, but a

place to socialize and network with our friends and

neighbors in our community.

Thank you,

Paul Geoffroy,

Former President of the Friends of Clapp Memorial Library

Newsletter 2015

• Message from the President(s) •

Message from the incoming President:

Hello Friends! As the new incoming President I would

like to thank Paul Geoffroy for all his hard work and

dedication during his term. Paul has done a wonderful job

and it is a comfort to know that he will remain a very

active member of our organization. I am sure he will

continue to be a valued resource to our board.

This is always a fun time of the year for the Friends.

Another very successful fall book sale has been put to bed,

and we are looking forward to our evening of wine tasting

in February. This year marks the fifth time we have held

this event and it just gets better with every year. It’s a fun

night filled with wine, cheese, chocolate, music, and

Friends. We hope to see you all there!

This time of year also just happens to be my very favorite.

I love the crisp air, falling leaves, and the excitement of

snow in not too distant future (until it comes time to

shovel!) The chilly weather is also very conducive to

snuggling under the blankets and enjoying a good book.

The Library is full of great options and did you know you

can even borrow a kindle or a nook? With an even more

extensive collection of e-books you are sure to find

something you’ll love. One of my favorites to re-read this

time of year is Little Women (if you are looking for a

suggestion!)

Enjoy the fall everyone!

Emily Streeter

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•Letter from the Director•

Hello Friends,

Fall has been busy and productive here at the Clapp Memorial Library. We completed the first

extremely successful Belchertown Reads town-wide reading program centered on the book,

“The Worst Hard Time” by Timothy Egan. The special programs were wonderful and well

attended, and copies of the book circulated nearly 300 times! It was great to see so much

community interest in a chapter of our country’s history that is still so relevant today.

If you’ve noticed the beautiful new book drop in front of the Library, you should know that

thanks goes to the Friends of the Library. The old book drop was at the end of its useful life. We are very fortunate

that the Friends stepped up to provide funding for the purchase of the book drop. Our new drop is bigger, better, and

much more attractive than its predecessor. Thank you, Friends! And while we’re on the topic of thanking the Friends,

hopefully you’ve had time to view our wonderful new website, also funded by the Friends of the Library. The new

design is streamlined and updated to improve your user experience and make it easier to find what you’re looking for.

We think it looks great! Please check it out and if you need a reading suggestion or two, check out the “Staff Picks”.

You’re sure to find something you’ll enjoy.

As we enter year two of our federally funded “Service to Tweens and Teens” grant administered by the

Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, we’re pleased to be offering more and more fun, interesting, and

relevant programs for this age group. The Teen Advisory Board (TAB) continues to meet to help plan programs and

services of interest to teens. TAB meetings are monthly and new members are always welcome. Call the Library for

more information.

Remember how you loved to color as a child? Why not try it again? Join us for a fun, relaxing, non-judgmental

evening of coloring. It’s a great way to de-stress as the holiday onslaught begins. Coloring pages and all supplies will

be provided. The program takes place Thursday, December 3 from 7pm-8pm.

Hope to see you in the Library.

Sheila McCormick, Library Director

19 South Main Street

P.O. Box 627

Belchertown, MA

01007-0627

413-323-0417 VOICE

413-323-0453 FAX

clapp@cwmars.org

www.clapplibrary.org

Regular Hours: Monday 10 – 6 Tuesday 10 – 7

Wednesday 10 – 7 Thursday 10 – 7

Friday 10 – 6 Saturday 9 – 1

Closed Sunday

Staff:

Library Director – Sheila McCormick

Head of Circulation and Reference –

Ann Kuchieski

Head of Automated Library Services –

Nancy Bronner

Head of Children’s Services – Jennifer

Whitehead

Library Technicians – Keri Warfield and

Mary Lak Senecal

Library Pages – Erin Finn, Erika Graves

and Emily Pope

Custodian - Greg Dillard

Board of Trustees:

President – Barbara Sullivan

Vice President – Christine Walker

Treasurer – Kevin Weiss

Secretary – Denise Smith

Frank Lomanno

William S. McClure

Ex-officio member – Ronald Aponte

Friends’ Board Members:

President: Emily Streeter

Vice President: Brian Mailhot

Recording Secretary: Jeann Leblond Treasurer: Terry Rothwell

Membership Secretary: Xian Min Zhuo

Newsletter Editor: Aimee Henderson

Publicity Chair: Open

Book Sale Chair: Jane Crutchfield & Paul

Geoffroy

Book Sale Committee Members: Mauri

Korhonen, Deb Geoffroy, Ann Maziarz, Kim

Croke, Nena Walker, Terry Rothwell, Kate

Bolmarch, Deb Beauchamp, Nancy Searle,. Lisa Aiken and Polly Lindhult Volunteer Coordinator: Open

Book Sale Volunteer Coordinator: Polly

Lindhult

Technology Chairs: Emily Streeter & Brian

Mailhot

Summer Reading Program Coordinator:

Emily Streeter

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Left to right - Min, membership secretary; Jeanne, our NEW recording

secretary; Terry, treasurer; Brian, Vice President; Emily, our NEW President

A huge Thank you to

all the Bakers in

Belchertown who donated

baked goods for our sale

this year. There were 2

large tables full (the most

donations we have ever

had) and we had a record

breaking bake sale! Thank

you to everyone who

stopped and made a

purchase. You were all so

generous and we truly

appreciate your

support. The goodies were

just gorgeous and those

who tried them right after

buying, said they were

delicious!! A heartfelt

thank you to Colleen

Toothill-Berte for manning

the table during an

unbelievably cold, windy

day and to Mike Holfer who

brought a wonderful winter

coat to help me stay

warm! Also, thank you to

Mauri Korhonen and Brian

Mailhot for manning the

table when we needed to go

in and thaw. It truly was a

team effort and we look

forward to seeing what

delicious goodies are in

store for our next sale.

Thank you all and see you in

the Spring!

Terry Rothwell

Treasurer

• Friends of Clapp hold annual meeting •

The Friends of Clapp Memorial Library held their annual membership meeting

and board elections on October 23rd at the Library. Outgoing President Paul

Geoffroy, on behalf of the Friends, offered thanks and praise to all those who

volunteered and helped to make this past year successful. He highlighted the

amount of work that goes into the biannual book sales. By his calculations,

each sale takes over one hundred volunteers and more than two thousand

hours to accomplish. These dedicated volunteers allow the Friends to support

the many worthwhile programs and services provided by the Clapp Memorial

Library. Geoffroy also summarized items that were provided by the Friends

throughout the past year including:

The new book drop box

Passes to area museums

New dies for the Ellison machine

New CD player for story hour

Carpet cleaning

Wireless scanners for circulation desk

Chairs for the circulation desk

Storage cabinet for custodial supplies

Furnace repair

Elevator repair and inspection

Web page design and domain renewal

Prize baskets for adult summer reading program

Children’s summer reading program

Books for the summer reading program

Raffle prizes for the children’s summer reading program

“A Super Reader Lives Here” signs

Easels for book display

Teen programs

Adult programs Friends of Clapp Library hold annual meeting

Two board positions were open for election; President and Recording

Secretary. All Friends members were eligible for nomination. Emily Streeter

was nominated for President and Jeann Leblond was nominated for Recording

Secretary. Both were elected by a unanimous vote. Incoming board members

will serve a two year term. The Friends are always looking for new members.

The Friends meet every third Thursday of the month. If you are interested in

becoming involved with the Friends please visit

friendsofclapplibrary.org/membership for more information.

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Who or what got you started with the Friends?

I was sitting next to Jane Crutchfield at a Hands Across the

Valley Quilt Guild meeting and mentioned that I thought the

Friends of the Library book sale was the best I’d ever

seen. Jane signed me up with the Friends right then and

there!

How long have you been involved with

the Friends/Library?

Off and on for about 20 years.

What is your favorite part of being a Friend?

I love being involved with the book sale. Seeing one of the

rooms’ full of donated children’s books makes me smile. It

makes the kids happy too!

What would you say to someone thinking about joining

the Friends?

It is a great way to support such a “gem” of a library.

What was the last book you read, and who is one of your

favorite authors and why?

I must be a fickle person because my favorite author

changes. At the moment, my favorite book is A Man Apart by

Peter Forbes and Helen Whyrow.

Thank You Volunteers!

A big thank you to all the volunteers that make the

book sales a huge success, we couldn't have done it

without you! We had about 90 different volunteers

help with the fall book sale, so thanks to those that

pick up books, sort, set up, cashier, break down, and

haul out the leftover books!

Polly

Book Sale Volunteer Coordinator

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• We are ready for spring! •

For many of our patrons it’s hard to believe that after every book sale we empty out the basement completely, but we

really do! Here you can see the empty shelves ready and waiting to be restocked. We have already started to accept book

donations for our spring book sale so please keep them coming! Book donations can be brought to the Library when it is

open. For large quantities, pick up service may be arranged. Please call the Library (413-323-0417, ext. 1) with any

questions.

We are currently accepting donations from:

Estate Sales

Tag Sales

Moving

Spring Cleaning

Other Libraries

School/Office Closings

AND we take more than just books:

DVDs

Books on Tape

Music CDs

Comic Books

Hobby Magazines

Postcards

Ephemera

We can provide a tax donation form, upon request. At this time, we will no longer accept donations of the following items:

Records (LPs and 45s);

Cassette Audio Tapes (except books-on-tape);

Video Tapes;

Encyclopedias *over 5 years old*;

Reader's Digest Condensed Books;

News Magazines, including National Geographic.

If you have these items to donate, please consider other non-profit organizations,

recycling or Freecycling.

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Left: The youngest book sale shopper - one month old!

Bottom left: Tom Brady fan shops our book sale.

Background: Never too young to learn a foreign language

These kids are the future of our community. I want

them to grow up loving this book sale and our

library. I want them to value what it offers to our

community and beyond. And maybe, one day, they

will step up and volunteer at this library or another

library in another community.

The Friends book sale is a never ending, continuous

labor of love. The work does not happen a month or

two before the sale - the work is ongoing all year

round. A huge 'Thank You' goes out to the volunteers

whether they be clerks, carry outs, scheduler, floor

walkers, book finders, treasurer, set up and cleanup

crews, shelvers, and book pricers. ALL OF US create

an event, twice a year, known as The Friends'

Fabulous and Fantastic Book Sale - and it truly is.

Jane Crutchfield

At the Book Sale

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You’re a Friend, but are you a Facebook Friend?

In case you don’t know, the Friends

have a Facebook page, for keeping in

touch with the Friends of Clapp

Memorial Library and their friends.

Please search while in Facebook and

Follow and Like our page, so you can

get updates on your news feed, and

keep in touch and share the

information that is regularly posted

about Friends and Library events. It’s

one more way for you to keep in touch

and be a good Friend!

• What a beautiful new book return! •

That and so many similar comments have been heard recently as

our patrons enter the main doors of the library, passing by the

brand new root-beer colored book drop box on the front lawn.

After more than fifteen years of service the old yellow book

return had to be replaced. It was rusted, dented, and - at times -

didn't open. 'The books went in and didn't come out' to

paraphrase a commercial saying. When asked about the worst

item ever found in there, Ann Kuchieski would only mention

one event: "Gail Hammel and I went to get the books. She

opened the box, screamed and started running away so of course

I screamed and ran away too. It was a live mouse so we had to

get someone to come and get it out."

Shelia McCormick spent considerable time researching the best

new book return for our harsh New England conditions. Made

of one piece of aircraft grade aluminum, this unit is fire

suppressant, theft deterrent, and weather resistant. This new unit

is bigger and has a raised internal spring-loaded bottom that

keeps the books from dropping all the way down onto a solid

surface thus helping to protect the returns.

Mike Hofler and Greg Dillard helped install the new unit. We

also need to give a special thanks to John Monsat of Monsat

Concrete here in Belchertown (413-626-1076) for donating the

concrete and labor to pour the new base.

For our patrons: This is an after-hours book return only. When

the library is open, this return is closed and visa-versa. And,

unlike the limitations that other libraries might impose, you can

return anything borrowed from the library into this return

EXCEPT e-readers (Nook, Kindle), even DVD's from other

libraries.

Mike Hofler

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19 S. Main St.

P.O. Bo x 627

Belchertown, MA 01007-0627

www.friendsofclapplibrary.org

www.clapplibrary.org

clapp@cwmars.org

_______ Individual $10.00

_______ Family $20.00

_______ Patron $35.00

_______ Business $50.00

If you would like to volunteer please place a mark in a box below:

Book sale (Spring/Fall)

Tag Sale (May)

Summer Reading Program

Belchertown Fair

Bake Sales (Fall/May)

Any

The Friends of the Clapp Memorial Library is a non-profit organization.

Donations and memberships are tax-deductible. FOCML memberships and

donations are used to support library programs and purchase books,

magazines, computer software, music CDs, DVDs, furnishings, and

equipment.

Please send your donation to: The Friends of the Clapp Memorial Library

P.O. Box 627 Belchertown, MA 01007

Name(s):*

1. ___________________________________________________

__________________

2. ___________________________________________________

__________________

3. ___________________________________________________

__________________

4. ___________________________________________________

__________________

5. ___________________________________________________

__________________

Address: P.O. Box _________ Apt. #:__________

Street:__________________________________

Town:__________________________________

State:____________ Zip Code:_______________

Telephone: ______________________________

Email: __________________________________

(Please print CLEARLY)

*For a family or patron membership, list your spouse and all family

members, under the age of 18, that live at the address noted.