Meeting Minutes: December 19, 2005

Minutes of December 19, 2005 Meeting at St Vincent De Paul University, Boynton Beach

Present: Ethan Allen, Marilyn Altschule, Linda Anton, Debbie Bergson, Steven Bergson, Ben Bolton, Kathy Boyes, Sandy G. Breger, Barbara Cooper, Muriel Efron, Heidi Estrin, Phyllis Gutmann, Harriet Kaplan, Lester Kaplan, Sue Kirshner, Wilma Kosow, Cindy Krueger, Diane Malakoff, Charles Meyers, John J. O'Toole, Art Quinn, Arlene Robert, Rabbi Tobias Rothenberg, Sara Schandelson, Stephanie Schoenberger, Edith Sherman, Idell Shore, Miriam Shulman, Donna Smith, Arlene Stein, Ruth Weiner, Marci Wiseman, Lee Wixman

I. Heidi opened the meeting with Ha Motzi and by welcoming everyone and thanking Art Quinn for such wonderful and delicious hospitality.

II. SFAJL Business:

BLOG: Sunshine State Safranim - A Blog is an online newsletter/journal. Heidi encourages all SFAJL to interact and participate in our Blog with reviews, comments and other appropriate information. Our Blog can be found at www.sfajl.blogspot.com and all are welcome to visit!

WEST COAST AJL (Linda Kruger from Temple Shalom of Naples - www.naplestemple.org) has invited us to meet with them on either March 2 or March 9 - Heidi is polling for the better date, please let her know. Naples is about 1 1/2 hours away -we could meet at a central location such as Sawgrass Mills and carpool from there.

JEWISH TREASURES AT ST PAULS : Art thoughtfully prepared a bibliography (which he distributed) of a sample of newly acquired items of Jewish interest now available at SVDP Library. The purpose of the collection is to meet Jewish related course requirements for Seminary students. 15% (11,000 vols) are in Spanish, including such titles as: El Diario de Ana Frank, by Anne Frank; El Shabbat: Su Significado para el Hombre de Hoy, by Abraham Joshua Heschel, El Librio Judio del Por Que, by Alfred Kolatch and many more!

III. Kathy Boyes of the Palm Beach County Library Association (AND System!), along with colleague Donna Smith for the Green Acres County Library, presented information about the Association which is open to all librarians, media specialists, school information centers and anyone else might be interested. Its purpose is to promote professional growth of its members, cooperation, good PR for library matters and to promote books, authors, events and the READ TOGETHER Campaign. The Association has been dormant for some time, but has bee re-activated and even was able to offer a $500.00 scholarship to a student currently working towards an MLS. The Association offers workshops on Google vs. Electronic Database, Blogs and has partnered with the County school district to offer what is available through their own website. Upcoming events include: January 23 Brown Bag discussion on Wi-Fi @ 12:30, Main Library on Summit; January 30 unveiling of new READ TOGETHER title @ City Place; March 23 READ TOGETEHR Palm Beach County Program. There is a $10.00 Membership fee to join the Association and all are welcome!

Marilyn Altshule of Mahrwood Press gave a brief, impromptu presentation on some new titles available for children in Hebrew, English and Spanish, details of which can be found at www.mahrwoodpress.com.

IV Guest Speaker Steve Bergson from Toronto AJL maintains that Jewish Comics (graphic novels) should be included as a format in our libraries and gave a detailed and explicit presentation on the history, past, present and future of this unique genre and educational/information tool.

V YOUR News included:

Marci Wiseman of CAJE-Miami presented two great resources: The JGirl's Guide, by Penina Adelman, Ali Feldman and Shulamit Reinharz which is a wonderful resource for programming for Girls and their mothers, ages 10 and up and available at www.jewishlights.com ; and The Judaism in Pictures Kit which is a collection developed for the Early Childhood classroom and features photos of young children participating in Jewish ceremonies. Produced by the Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism, this kit includes hard-to-find egalitarian scenarios and comes with a cd of texts and sources for you to copy and reproduce. Now available exclusively through the Miami CAJE at an introductory price of $59.95 (plus $5.95 s/h) this is a MUST HAVE for early childhood classrooms! Contact Marci at marciwiseman@caje-miami.org

Heidi Estrin presented a book, not of Jewish content, but by a local author, Saltwater Adventure in Florida Keys, now available, contact Heidi.

Contributions to the Joe Coller Memorial Scholarship Fund (Joe was the 27 yr old son of fellow AJL member Robin Coller, who was recently and tragically killed in a car accident) can be mailed c/o Coller & Rockman PA, 8500 SW 92nd St, Ste 106, Miami FL 33156.

Fellow AJL Member (from the West Coast Florida chapter) Miriam Miller's husband, Seymour passed away, Contributions can be made to AJL's Doris Orenstein Fund

Sandy Gottesman Breger of the Temple Beth Tikvah library in Lake Worth asked for support in offering information about library computerization.

Arlene Stein announced the publication of her 3rd book called, My Eye of the Apple, letters between her and her parents between 1953-1957. Information on how to obtain this book and/or to bring Arlene to your institution for a presentation is forthcoming.

Meeting Adjourned at 2:15 pm.

Meeting Minutes: December 7, 2005

Minutes of December 7, 2005 meeting, Temple Dor Dorim, Weston.

Present: Kathleen Clotfelter, Marge Congress, Eleanor Ennis, Lorelei Ennis, Robert Ennis, Heidi Estrin, Etta Gold, Michelle Gold, Alice Hoffman, Joanne Jaffe, Sue Kirschner, Meta Lee, Julie Levisman, Rabbi Norman Lipson, Arthur Quinn, Miriam Shulman, Marci Wiseman

I) Heidi Estrin called the meeting to order at 1:00pm. The host of the meeting, Lorelei Ennis, welcomed the attendees, then introduced Rabbi Norman Lipson and President Michelle Gold. Heidi then presented a certificate and mug to the president and rabbi in recognition of the library's achieving Pre-Certification for AJL Accreditation. Heidi thanked Lorelei for hosting the meeting and lunch.

II) Heidi discussed the processes of pre-certification and accreditation of AJL member libraries. She said that pre-certification is a process offered by the chapter to assist in accreditation. Etta Gold, chair of the AJL accreditation committee, specified that accreditation is for a period of three years and then must be renewed. Heidi announced that Robin Coller's son was killed in a car accident and distributed a card for members to sign. She also arranged for a tree to be planted in Israel in memory of him.

III) Heidi discussed the chapter's new blog. Members can add information to the blog or send information to Heidi to post. Questions and suggestions were exchanged by members at the meeting. The blog can be viewed at www.sfajl.blogspot.com.

IV) Robert Ennis gave a presentation on Jewish postage stamps from around the world and the stories they tell. See the December issue of Headlines & Footnotes for an article describing this presentation.

V) Heidi then opened discussion of epistolary novels (novels in the form of letters) and distributed examples. She also distributed business cards of a resource called Sippurim, dedicated to Jewish childrens' books (see www.sippurim.org.

VI) Announcement time:

Marci Wiseman of CAJE in Miami announced events at CAJE and at FAU.

The next meeting will be at St. Vincent de Paul Seminary in Boynton Beach, December 19.

Heidi announced an exhibit, Through the Eye of a Needle, at Alper JCC in Kendall through the end of January. Heidi is trying to organize a group to attend the exhibit, so email heidi@cbiboca.org if you are interested.

The meeting adjourned at 2:10pm.

Meeting Minutes: September 22, 2005

Minutes of September 22, 2005 meeting, B'nai Torah Congregation, Boca Raton.

Present: Linda Anton, Helen Beloff, Robin Coller, Barbara Cooper, Paula Dropkin, Lorelei Ennis, Heidi Estrin, Inez Feingold, Jackie Fine, Lisa Furst, Etta Gold, Phyllis Gutmann, Joanne Jaffe, Les Kaplan, Sue Kirshner, Sheila Korinow, Wilma Kosow, Donna Luxemburg, Marian Malkin, Ava Phillips, Art Quinn, Arlene Robert, Ann Rosenberg, Rabbi Tobias Rothenberg, Barbara Samuels, Sara Schandelson, Stephanie Schoenberger, Barbara Share, Zelda Sherman, Idell Shore, Evelyn Slotkin, Kathy Slutsky, Walter Spielman, Arlene Stein, Harry Stein, Alice Warren, Ruth Weiner, Elayna Weisel, Lee Wixman

I) Heidi Estrin called the meeting to order at 12:40pm. She thanked Sue Kirshner for hosting the meeting.

II) Heidi announced that she could provide a list of organizations by e-mail that accept donated books for victims of Hurricane Katrina. NOTE: These organizations have stopped accepting book donations.

III) Future dates for meetings are in the newsletter. Today's meeting will focus on discussion of best new books. The November 2 meeting in Weston will have discussion of Jewish postage stamps. The December 19 meeting in Boynton Beach will feature Jewish comic books and graphic novels. The February 23 meeting in Miami will have discussion of award winning reference books. The April 4 meeting in Kendall will feature a speaker on Hebrew illuminated manuscripts.

IV) Andrea Kalish will no longer be able to prepare copies of the newsletter and mail them. Heidi would like another member to volunteer to take over this work.

V) Convention in Review: Heidi passed around photos from the 2005 AJL convention in Oakland. She talked about some authors that were met by chapter members. Etta added that convention is a great experience to meet people and exchange information. Lee Wixman spoke of agreements with airlines that offer discounts to AJL members for travel to mid-winter meetings and conventions. Reservations should be made 60 days in advance. Lee also mentioned the Doris Orenstein Fund, which provides grants to members attending their first convention. Heidi added that papers are being solicited for the 2006 convention in Boston and the deadline for submission is October 28. For convention details, visit www.jewishlibraries.org.

VI) The Best New Jewish Books for Adults: Etta passed out lists of adult fiction and nonfiction, and spoke of discussions on books that took place at convention. Other members also discussed books they recommend. The handout was from an excellent session at the 2005 AJL convention and will eventually be on the convention proceedings section of the national AJL website (www.jewishlibraries.org).

VII) The Best New Jewish Books for Children: Heidi led a discussion of recommended children's books. She distributed the Sydney Taylor Book Award list for 2004 (available at www.SydneyTaylorBookAward.org), as well as her own favorite Jewish children's books of 2005 (available from Heidi upon request).

The meeting adjourned at 2:10pm.

Meeting Minutes: May 10, 2005

Minutes of May 10, 2005 Meeting, Books & Books, Coral Gables

Present: Sandy Birch, Robin Coller, Heidi Estrin, Inez Feingold, Jackie Fine, Etta Gold, Sue Kirschner, Phyllis Levy, Annette Rindner, Rabbi Tobias Rothenberg, Sara Schandelson, Barbara Share, Walter Spielman, Lee Wixman

We opened the meeting with a discussion of potential locations and topics for next year's meetings.

Possible hosts include B'nai Torah Congregation in Boca Raton (Sue Kirschner), The South Miami Branch of the Miami-Dade Public Library (Phyllis Levy), the Alper JCC (Inez Feingold), Temple Anshei Shalom in Delray (Walt Spielman & Rabbi Rothenberg), and Temple Shaarei Shalom in Boynton (Lee Wixman).

Possible topics include: contemporary Jewish fiction, how to increase circulation, Jewish music collections, Jewish stamp collecting, the newest Jewish books for kids and adults, a "how to" session on booktalking, and sharing ideas for Jewish Book Month.

Meribeth Shank of the Books & Books staff addressed the group. She took over the Children's Literature Roundtable begun by AJL member Annette Goldsmith when Annette moved away. Meribeth explained that Books & Books provides a 20% discount to libraries and that they can ship materials to the customer. She noted that if a school assigns summer reading, the store can try to have those titles in stock if they are given adequate notice. She provided BookSense handouts that recommend the best children's books and the newest hot books, and pointed out that people can shop through BookSense.com online as an alternative to Amazon.

The next item on the agenda was a brainstorm session on promoting our libraries. Heidi explained some background about marketing, the "four P's: product, place, price, and promotion." Several suggestions for promotion had been mailed in by people who couldn't be at the meeting – see handout. Ideas suggested at the meeting included:

Etta: Piggyback on other programs in your organization. For instance, when Temple Beth Am had the Scholar in Residence, Etta made sure they held events in the library and promoted the scholar's books.

Sue: Because her library is in an inconvenient location, she has successfully started a program of bringing a cart of library books to Saturday morning services. Because it's a Conservative synagogue, they have a card prepared for every member, which they clip to the book card when a book is checked out, thus avoiding writing. She also displays seasonally relevant books to promote circulation.

Walt: Tie in with the most active parts of the congregation. In Walt's case this is Sisterhood. One of his library volunteers who is active in Sisterhood sets up a table at Sisterhood meetings with duplicate books the library doesn't want and sells them for a dollar apiece. This service gets Jewish books into people's home and keeps the library uppermost in their minds.

Sara: On her desk she has a large sign saying "Welcome to the Library" and listing the services they provide: circulating books, teaching research skills, etc. This educates users about the library's function.

Etta: On t he URJ web site's Significant Jewish Books list, you can also find discussion questions that can be used for book club meetings.

Heidi: If you're in a student-centered situation, you can send a welcome letter in the fall either to all students or just to the youngest grade that's new to the school, personally welcoming them and inviting them to use the library.

Annette: This same personal welcome letter or brochure concept could be used with new members of a synagogue.

Sara: In the public library when kids could write their name and get a card they used to sign "The Book" a big impressive ledger. It was a memorable moment for them. Perhaps something like this could be implemented to build the customers' relationship with the library. Also, copying a teacher she knows, librarians could give pre-addressed postcards to kids at the end of the school year and say "if you read a good book this summer please write to me and I will write you back."

Heidi: When new staff joins your organization you could have a library orientation session for them. (and a review for old staff!)

Robin: At her public library the graphic novel club is very popular. Have clubs on popular literary themes.

Rabbi Rothenberg: Public displays outside of the synagogue, about Jewish Book Month (November) or Jewish Music Month (February), can be effective.

Annette: if you offer audio in your collection, set up a listening station or offer Walkmans so people can listen to music while using the library or test items before borrowing them.

In the YOUR NEWS portion of our meeting, Lee Wixman reminded everyone that airline discounts are available for flying to Oakland, CA for the AJL convention. Barbara Share announced the formation of an Association of Independent School Libraries, which our members are invited to join. Contact her at bshare@ransomeverglades.org.

We wrapped up the meeting by browsing the wonderful bookstore! The meeting adjourned at 2:30pm.

Meeting Minutes: March 15, 2005

Minutes of March 15, 2005 meeting, Temple Anshei Shalom, Delray Beach.

Present: Sandy Birch, Robin Coller, Barbara Cooper, Paula Dropkin, Heidi Estrin, Etta Gold, Phyllis Gutmann, Sue Kirshner, Diane Malakoff, Charles Meyers, Arthur Quinn, Annette Rindner, Arlene Robert, Ann Rosenberg, Rabbi Tobias Rothenberg, Millicent Salant, Pete Savarese, Miriam Shulman, Walter Spielman, Lee Wixman, Lauren Wohl

Heidi Estrin called the meeting to order at 12:35pm. She thanked Walter Spielman for hosting the meeting. She also asked the temple association's president, Bernie Saklad to speak to the group.

Heidi encouraged chapter members to attend the AJL convention in Oakland, June 19-22. Room rates are $129 per night, which is reasonable if shared. The registration fee is $385 and includes kosher meals. Lee Wixman provided a list of airlines offering discounts on airfare.

Heidi spoke about the Children's Literature Comprehensive Database, a subscription based product. AJL is contributing book reviews to this database, and AJL libraries that meet certain criteria may have free access to the database. In order to find out if your library qualifies, send your name, the name of your library and institution, and the amount of your budget to Barbara Sutton at bsutton@san.rr.com.

Heidi introduced the first speaker, Dr. Charlotte Schwab, author of Sex, Lies and Rabbis. Dr. Schwab has been a guest on radio and television shows about sexual abuse perpetrated by rabbis and other clergy. She pointed out that the more this issue is discussed openly, the more can be done to prevent it.

After a short break, Heidi introduced the second speaker, Peter Savarese of Brodart. Mr. Savarese spoke about book ordering services offered by Brodart. He also shared a discount code with the members, SRO7, which yields a 15% discount on furnishings and supplies through the end of 2005.

Heidi then asked members to share any news of their own.

Dade County Book Fair is March 16. Admission is $5.00.

Temple Beth Am in Miami is having two book talks April 1.

FAU in Boca Raton currently has a photo exhibit on Cuban Jews in South Florida.

Broward County Library has a free children's literature conference April 15.

Sandy Gottesman Breder announced that five authors of manuscripts who won the Sydney Taylor Manuscript Award in the past are now being published.

Heidi suggested that members think of ideas to promote their libraries and increase usage, and be ready to discuss them at the next meeting. Those that cannot attend should e-mail suggestions to Heidi at heidi@cbiboca.org

The meeting adjourned at 2:30pm.

Meeting Minutes: January 20, 2005

Minutes of January 20, 2005 meeting, Alper JCC, Kendall.

Present: Heidi Estrin, Inez Feingold, Jackie Fine, Beverly Mach Geller, Philip Geller, Sam Geller, Etta Gold, Andrea Kalish, Adele Katz, Phyllis Levy, Arthur Quinn, Barbara Samuels, Schlomit Schwarzer, Walter Spielman, Marci Wiseman, Lee Wixman

Heidi Estrin called the meeting to order at 12:20pm. She thanked Inez Feingold for hosting the meeting.

Heidi introduced Suzy Breitner of Alper JCC who spoke of the calendar of events at the center, including an exhibit, "Women of the Book" beginning February 6. She later gave the membership a tour of the current exhibit of Maurice Sendak, author and illustrator, which was displayed in the Lisa Ann Watson Children's Discovery Museum on the JCC campus. After the tour, a copy of an article from Jewish Culture website on Maurice Sendak was distributed.

Heidi then resumed the meeting with discussion of the Sydney Taylor awards for 2004. Heidi is chair of the committee and distributed a list of books that received medals or were named as Notable Books.

Lee Wixman requested that the membership send a greeting by e-mail to AJL member Brenda Yee of Hong Kong. Brenda's e-mail address is jcclib@jcc.org.hk The message should include "Gung ho fot toi" which is Chinese for Happy New Year and should be sent February 7 to coincide with the Chinese new year and Brenda's birthday. At the 2004 AJL Convention, Brenda Yee roomed with SFAJL's Alice Warren, and was "adopted" by the South Florida chapter. Lee also distributed a list of airlines offering discounts on fare to Oakland for the 2005 convention.

Heidi then introduced author Beverly Mach Geller, author of several children's books, which include The Mitzvah Girl, The Mystery of the Missing Pitom and The Upsherin. .

The next meeting will be March 15 in Delray Beach at Temple Anshei Shalom, hosted by Walter Spielman. Please note that this is a change in date from that which appears in your newsletters.

Heidi distributed copies of an article about the chapter published in the Jewish Journal, December 21. Heidi then asked about the possibility of scheduling meetings on evenings or Sundays with the hope of accommodating members that may not be able to attend meetings on weekdays. Some expressed reservations about evenings.

Heidi proposed creating a traveling exhibit of Jewish children's literature sponsored by the chapter and used to promote this body of literature to more people. Walter suggested including adult books. Marci Wiseman distributed packets from Brodart for book processing and ordering. Marci also announced that CAJE in Miami is having its Miami Jewish Film Festival throughout the year instead of during a particular season.

The meeting adjourned at 2:05pm.