“I See Jazz” Exhibit

The Hyde Park Branch Library will be hosting a new art exhibit in conjunction with BostonJazz Week (running April 29-May 8, 2011).

Artists-at-Large, Inc. and the African American Master Artist in Residence Program (AAMARP), an adjunct of the Department of African American Studies at Northeastern University, will be presenting “I See Jazz”, an exhibit featuring the work of AAMARP artists. This eclectic and energetic group of master artists and crafts people will exhibit works inspired by jazz and bring it to Hyde Park in painting, photography, sculpture and more.

Featured Artists are Don West, Hakim Raquib, Gloretta Baynes, Susan Thompson, Shea Ramone Justice, Walter Clark, and L’Merchie Frazier.

The exhibit will run from April 30 through May 30, 2011, and can be viewed during library hours. A closing reception will be held Saturday, May 28, 2011, from 2pm-4pm.

Bookmark Ball: Silent Auction

This year’s Bookmark Ball will feature a silent auction offering an eclectic line up of items and services. The auction will be run between 8:00pm and 10:00pm, and bidders may bid in person or by absentee bid forms. Winning bidders need not be present, and will be notified within 48 hours of the auction’s close if they are not attending the Ball.

All interested bidders must register their contact information to participate in the auction. On registration, every bidder will be assigned a unique Bidder Number. Each bid must match the bid increment for each item–bids not following the bid increment will be disallowed. Absentee bids will be updated on bid sheets at regular intervals throughout the evening.

Pre-event absentee bidder registration forms will be available at the branch library during the week BEFORE the Ball (April 25-30). To register via email, please send your contact information (name, address, telephone, and email), a list of the items to be bid on,and minimum/maximum bids for each item to .  A confirmation email will be sent with a unique Bidder Number; in case of duplicate minimum and maximum bids on a particular item by an absentee bidder, the time and date stamp of the registration email will determine priority.

A quick round up of some auction items (more details will be posted on this blog before the Ball) include Red Sox items, research and tutoring services, and artistic works which will be split 50/50 between the artist and the Friends. All items will have a reserve or minimum bid requirement.

Payment for successful bids may be by check made out to “Friends of the Hyde Park Branch Library”, or in cash if attending the Ball. All auction items can be picked up from the branch library at time of payment, unless alternate arrangements are made.

Friends Annual Meeting

Members gathered Saturday, March 26, 2011, for the Friends of the Hyde Park Branch Library’s Annual Meeting. Officers reported on organizational activities and finances, as well as discussed the current and immediate future of the branch library and the Boston Public Library system as a whole.

Two of the three new branch librarians spoke about their work and plans for future activities. Children’s librarian Vicky Burr comes from the Faneuil Branch, and has worked in the Boston library system for 15 years. She regularly presents up to 60 toddlers and preschoolers stories and crafts on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.  Vicky create 3 new book discussion groups for children in grades K through 6 that meet monthly on Saturday.   Adult reference librarian Jean Antoine, originally from Haiti, entered library service as a library assistant and worked his way up within the Boston Public Library to his current position.  He works closely with weeding older books and acquiring new ones for the branch collections.  Jean spoke of the branch’s receipt of laptops and a new class to teach the patrons how to sign up for and use email.  Although Young Adults librarian John Kenney could not attend the meeting, his prepared letter was read to meeting attendees, and described his gaming activities with teens at the library.  All three librarians made requests for items that would assist them in their activities.

Friends volunteer Vicky Gall received the annual Friend of the Year Award for her tireless work with sale books and membership activities.  Following the award presentation, attendees received news about the upcoming Back2Basics Bookmark Ball.

Following the day’s program Annual Meeting attendees enjoyed baked goods supplied by Friends members and directors, along with a selection of juices, water and tea.

Back to Basics Bookmark Ball

The date is set, so block out Saturday, April 30, 2011, on your calendars!  The Friends’ Back to Basics Bookmark Ball will be held between 8pm and 11pm at the Hyde Park Branch Library.  Monies raised from this event will fund the Friends’ summer concert series and other musical art programs–free and open to the public–throughout the coming year.

As in previous Balls, a quilt exhibition as well as a jazz music art exhibit will adorn the branch library walls for our event.  Light refreshments and a cash bar (beer & wine) will entertain the palate, while the Ralph Rosen Trio appears as the Bookmark Band to offer straightahead classics for your listening and dancing pleasure.  This year the Ball will feature items from the community for raffle and silent auction.

More details about Ball features coming soon.  Ball contact at 617-364-1507 or

 

Haven’t gotten your invitation in the mail yet?  Our e-invitation with return form can be found here:  BBBB_e-invite.

Friends Meeting Date Change

The Board of Directors for the Friends of the Hyde Park Branch Library voted at its March 3rd meeting to change the date of the Friends’ monthly meetings. Monthly meetings of the Hyde Park Friends will now be held on the FIRST MONDAY of every month. If the branch library is closed for a holiday, the meeting will be held on the following Monday. Start time and location remain 6:30pm in Menino Hall, unless noted otherwise.

A schedule of upcoming Hyde Park Friends meetings is:

April 4
May 2
June 6
July 11
August 1
September 12
October 3
November 7
December 5

Hyde Park Friends meetings are open to Friends members and the general public, however, only Board Directors may vote.

Friends’ Annual Meeting

The Friends of the Hyde Park Branch Library will hold its Annual Meeting on Saturday, March 26, 2011, 1:30pm, in Menino Hall, Hyde Park Branch Library. The Hyde Park Friends membership is invited to attend this annual meeting to receive reports on the organization and to approve 3 Board of Directors members to new two-year terms. The annual Friend of the Year award will be presented to Victoria Gall.

At the conclusion of the organization’s business, the branch library’s newest librarians–Adults Librarian Jean Antoine, Children’s Librarian Vicky Burr, and Teen Librarian John Kenney–will speak about their roles and plans. Light refreshments will be served at the end of the Annual Meeting.

For more information, please call 617-361-2524.

Free Tax Help Returns to Hyde Park Branch

Massachusetts AARP Tax-Aide is again offering free tax help to ALL low – moderate income taxpayers on Tuesdays, February 1 through April 12, 2011, between 10am and 5pm, at the Hyde Park Branch Library. Four to five IRS-trained and -certified preparers will be on hand in Weld Hall (second floor) to assist in preparing 2010 tax returns.

Please call ahead to the branch (617-361-2524) to make an appointment–last appointment time is 3:30pm. To facilitate tax preparation, please bring all 2010 tax forms (that is, W-2s, 1099’s, dependent care provider information, senior homeowner information, water/sewer for 2010, etc.), as well as last year’s tax records, and social security cards/ITIN’s for self and dependents.

This free program is funded in part by the IRS and the AARP.

Honor Enough: Sergeant Horatio Homer

The Friends of the Hyde Park Branch Library are pleased to sponsor on Saturday, March 5, 2011, at 2pm, Margaret R. Sullivan’s illustrated, historical lecture on Horatio Homer, the first black officer with the Boston Police Department.   Appointed in 1878 and promoted to Sergeant in 1895, Homer served with distinction for more than 40 years. A lover of music and poetry, Sgt. Homer was a political activist and a quiet leader of a long forgotten cohort of 19th century African-American Boston officers. Ms. Sullivan is the Records Manager and Archivist of the Boston Police Department, as well as the volunteer instructor for Crochet Workshop for Kids.  Light refreshments will be offered at the program’s end.

Back to Basics Bookmark Ball — Save the Date!

 The Bookmark Ball returns on Saturday, April 30, 2011!

The Friends of the Hyde Park Branch Library will again play host to the Hyde Park community and beyond to raise funds for the Friends’ summer concert series and other musical programs for all ages throughout the year. Join the fun and meet your neighbors as they gather for music, dancing, refreshments and cash bar, and a raffle and silent auction on Saturday, April 30, 2011, 8pm-11pm at the branch library. Stay tuned for more updates!

Embracing the New

The Friends of the Hyde Park Branch Library arrive at another milestone in 2011 with this, our very first blog post!

The Board of the Hyde Park Friends are very excited to bring news and information about the branch library to Friends members and the general public alike with timely postings on this blog site.  We also look forward to seeing your comments and suggestions for programs at the branch library using the blog’s comment system (publicly visible when posted) or at the email address below.

So look around our blog site, bookmark us or subscribe…more postings and pages are coming!

-Alice