Oct. 20, 2014
Folks:
Thanks to so many of you, we’ve had another great year at the library.
By all measures, it was our busiest summer ever. The kids’ collection, always a
centerpiece, benefitted from the addition of about 60 new books and a reorganization
that made all the books easier to find. Under the leadership of Head Librarian Brian
Lynch, we had a steady flow of new fiction and non-fiction and the addition of graphic
novels and speculative fiction, each with its own home. Brian reports that about 95% of
the new books were recommended by members, so don’t forget to write down your
ideas in the “suggestions” book at the front desk.
Thanks to your generosity, it has also been a good year financially. You may recall that
a couple of years ago the board decided to back away from our annual fundraising
auction. We did so in the belief that we would gradually spend down some of our nonendowment cash reserves without harming our overall finances, and with the desire to
lighten the fundraising “ask” on the island. It also seemed to make sense in such a low
interest-rate environment and at a time when the impacts of The Great Recession were
being felt by many.
Because of the success of last New Year’s Eve’s auction and raffle, memorial donations
and the ongoing support, both financial and in volunteer time, we got through our first
biennial budget significantly ahead of our expectations. As a result, we begin our
second biennial budget cycle with optimism, trusting that your support will continue. This
letter contains an opportunity for that. We’ve even provided a stamped return envelope
to make doing so even easier.
One of our missions is to bring interesting people and programs to Shaw for all to enjoy.
Through gifts earmarked for programs in memory of former board member Sandy
Walker, we’ve continued to do so. Robin Oliviera, an historical novelist (“I Always Loved
You” and “My Name is Mary Sutter”), led off this year’s programs. She was followed by
Blaine Harden, a longtime Washington Post foreign correspondent and author and the
speaker at our annual meeting. He discussed his terrific book on the Columbia River, “A
River Lost;” his best seller, “Escape from Camp 14: One Man’s Remarkable Odyssey
from North Korea to Freedom in the West,” and his upcoming book, “The Great Leader
and the Fighter Pilot: The True Story of the Tyrant Who Created North Korea and the
Young Lieutenant Who Stole His Way to Freedom.” Brian Payton was here in August
He is a Canadian whose historical novel, “The Wind is not a River,” about WWII in the
Aleutians, and whose non-fiction book, ”Shadow of the Bear: Travels in Vanishing
Wilderness,” have been quite successful.
Next up in the guest-speaker series will be Nancy Pearl, likely the only librarian ever to
have her own action figure. Pearl’s 2003 “Book Lust” captured readers from coast-tocoast, as did her “If All of Seattle Read the Same Book” program. She is famous for the
breadth of her reading and the lack of pretension she brings to her recommendations.
She’ll speak Saturday, Dec. 6. You’ll want to bring pen and paper to write down some of
her recommendations.
Between now and then, be sure to mark Saturday, Nov. 8 on your calendars. That’s the
day of our annual holiday sale and when our new cookbook, “Shaw Cooks,” will make
its debut. The 250-page cookbook has more than 300 recipes from island cooks and will
sell for $20, with all proceeds going to the library & historical society. That’s also the day
that the time-capsule, buried 25 years ago near the front entrance of the community
building, will be unearthed and opened. Both will be celebrated with a community
potluck.
We will end the year with a New Year’s Eve party -- wine, sodas and heavy hors
d’oeuvres -- to enjoy each other’s company, celebrate the year done and the year to
come. The inaugural party two years ago was great fun for all.
Look for more about each of these events on our website (shawislandlibrary.org) and in
your email in-basket.
Finally, as you renew your memberships and/or make contributions, know that we’re
just a little over a year from the library & historical society’s 50th anniversary. The Shaw
community’s initiative in creating this island treasure -- one of the very few remaining
community-funded library-historical societies in the state -- and its support sustaining
and growing over several generations of islanders is one of the measures of this
remarkable place. We will honor the founders in 2016, but we thank you now.
Sincerely,
Alex MacLeod
On behalf of the Board: Amber Borner, Carolyn Brantigan, Jan Chamberlin, Diane
Clifton, Doug Crosby, Lorrie Harrison and Barb Husted, and outgoing members Elaine
Griffin and Ditty Weinel.