CITY-WIDE FRIENDS OF THE BPL
26th Annual Meeting

Wednesday June 5, 2013

 6:30 o’clock*

 Copley Square Library
McKim Building
Lower Level Conference Room B

 The business meeting will include 2012 annual reports from the President, Secretary, Treasurer and the several committees of the CWF and the nomination and election of the 2012-13 Board.

 The meeting will be followed by guest speaker Peter Kadzis, former editor of the late Boston Phoenix and now with WGBH.

 Light refreshments will be served.
Please RSVP no later than June 1 by calling (617) 859-2341 or e-mail cwfbpl@hotmail.com

 (Reference “RSVP/Annual Meeting” in subject line.)

 *Doors will open at 5:30 for a special “members only” book sale

We want to alert you to a plan that may permanently change the Johnson Building’s character and purpose, to be discussed at a public meeting on April 10th at 6 p.m.

The Johnson building is the “new” part of the Copley library designed by Philip Johnson and opened in 1972. Most acknowledge that after 40+ years, the building needs a makeover, and the Boston Public Library (BPL) Trustees are planning a major renovation of the building. The Trustees have engaged William L. Rawn Associates (architects for the Mattapan Branch, the new East Boston Branch, and the Cambridge Public Library) to put together several renovation proposals. Although these are just proposals, they suggest a substantial reconfiguration of the Johnson Building space and propose to lease public space for private use. In some cases, the amount of space set aside for private use is substantial.

There are many new and exciting changes that are being proposed, and most will enhance the library’s mission statement “Built by the people and dedicated to the advancement of learning.” However, many of us on the CWF Board have misgivings about how these proposals achieve one of the project’s stated goals, to “generate cost-sharing options and additional revenue.”

The library asks, “What sorts of enterprise or entrepreneurial opportunities might the library pursue? What sorts of entrepreneurial activities might fit in well in the Johnson Building?” This means leasing public library space in the Johnson building, mainly along the Boylston and Exeter St. frontages, for private retail/commercial use.

The details of these plans will be presented at a public meeting at 6:00 p.m. on April 10, 2013, in Rabb Lecture Hall. The purpose of this plan, a diagram and diorama of the Johnson Building, and an area for public comment are also on display today in the Johnson Building atrium. If you have the time, please visit this display and leave your opinion for the library administration.

The CWF Board invites you to attend on April 10, visit the Johnson Building, and/or comment on the libraries blog. However you participate, please share your views with the architect, the BPL Trustees, and the BPL staff. You can even share your opinion with BPL President Amy Ryan directly at aeryan@bpl.org, BPL Trustee Chair Jeff Rudman jeffrey.rudman@wilmerhale.com, and us at CWFBPL@HOTMAIL.COM.

For more information, visit:

http://www.bpl.org/compass/category/johnson-building-study/.

(Be sure to access “April 10 program” within the link). 

Thank you for your interest and we look forward to seeing you on April 10.

For the CWF Board,

David J. Vieira, President

Join the City Wide Friends for a booksale on Saturday, April 6, 2013 from 10 am to 4 pm.  Lower level of the McKim building, Copley Square.

Most hardcovers $2, most paperbacks $1.  All sorts of genres, including history, mystery, sci-fi, romance, biography, classics, cooking, childrens, young adult.

All proceeds benefit the library.

Don’t miss our great booksales on the first Saturday of even months from 10 am until 4 pm, lower level McKim building, Copley.

February 2     (co-Sponsor Friends of the Hyde Park Branch)
April 6th         (co-Sponsor Friends of the Adams Street Library)
June 1
August 3
October 5
December 7

Overdue books, CDs, DVDs returned from November 1 through Thanksgiving will have associated fines cleared

BOSTON – October 24, 2012 – During November, the Boston Public Library will run a three-week drive to encourage the return of overdue materials to its shelves. Any overdue book, CD, or DVD returned to a Boston Public Library location from November 1 through Thanksgiving will have the associated fine cleared.  This is in effect for library users of all ages whether a book is one day late, one year late, or more. If an item is permanently lost, users will be responsible for paying only the replacement cost.

“The Boston Public Library offers something of value to everyone, and this overdue book drive makes one of the best deals in town even better,” Mayor Thomas M. Menino said. “I encourage Boston residents to visit their local branch, return any overdue items they may have, and continue to take advantage of the Library’s excellent programs and services.”

“Sometimes fines stop people from using their library,” said Amy E. Ryan, President of the Boston Public Library. “This campaign is about welcoming our books back and about welcoming people back. We see it as an opportunity to say thank you to our users and to make it easier for them to be part of the everyday library community.”

The overdue book drive applies only to the actual return of physical materials from November 1 through Thanksgiving. Library users with outstanding fines on already-returned books will be asked to clear their record the usual way: by paying their fines.

This is the largest overdue book drive in Boston Public Library history. In January 2002, the City of Boston offered a “duty-free” weekend in honor of Mayor Thomas M. Menino’s third inaugural celebration to encourage the return of overdue materials. During the blizzard of 1978, overdue fines were temporarily lifted following intense storms. In November 2008, all youth fines were wiped from the library’s records, but that effort did not require the return of materials as the 2012 overdue book drive does.

The overdue book drive comes in advance of the Boston Public Library’s planned computer upgrade in December which involves changes to its acquisitions, cataloging, and lending system. “Having these overdue books come back to the library in November will be of great help to us in transferring the most accurate data to the new system in December,” said Michael Colford, Director of Library Services. “Even as our users may be thanking us for clearing a fine when they bring back an overdue book, we’ll be thanking them for helping update our information.”

The CWF will host a booksale on October 6, 2012 from 10 am – 4 pm in the lower level of the McKim Building Copley.

We’ll have thousands of books priced $1-$2, in all types of genres (sci-fi, mystery, romance, history, biography, novels, young adult, kids, foreign language, reference, and more).  “Special” new and collectible items for a bit more.  VHS tapes, albums, art catalogs.

All proceeds benefit the Boston Public Library.