“The Florida Library Association presented Sarasota County with the 2012 Library of the YearAward. Congratulations to Libraries General Manager, Sarabeth Kalajian, all the library managers, staff, Friends, and volunteers who made this wonderful award possible for the Sarasota County Library System!
What a wonderful VOLUNTEER LUNCHEON! The Friends of Gulf Gate Library honor our volunteers at a special luncheon each year. The luncheon was held at Prestancia Country Club on Monday, April 16, 2012. As President of the Friends of Gulf Gate Library, I welcomed everyone and proceeded to introduce Linda Widner, Volunteer Coordinator, Jim Mitchell, Manager of Gulf Gate Library, and Sarabeth Kalajian, Director of Sarasota County Libraries. We all praised the volunteers for their hard work and dedication to Gulf Gate Library.
THE NEW LIBRARY DESIGN PROCESS BEGINS!
The public is invited to join the architects from Harvard Jolly and be involved in designing our new Gulf Gate Library. All meetings will be held at 4:00 p.m.
(Tent.) May 24 - Presentation of refined site and floor plan
(Tent.) August 9 - Presentation of finishes and refinements
COME JOIN THESE EXCITING DISCUSSIONS.
Teen Advisory Board - A Thanksgiving Party
On November 18th, the Teen Advisory Board hosted its annual Thanksgiving party. This year’s event was called “Pilgrims vs. Native Americans: A Thanksgiving Reenactment Gone Wrong.” Twenty-seven teens attended, and, as usual, everyone had a great time. They kicked off the night with a turkey leg relay. Thankfully, the pilgrims and the indians made peace and had a delicious dinner complete with turkey and all the fixings. After savoring their dinner, they headed off for one final sacrifice a turkey piñata. The night ended with everyone heading home with fond memories of “A Thanksgiving Reenactment Gone Wrong Right.”
Upcoming Computer Courses…
Every Tuesday 1pm-3pm the Computer Help Desk is open for all your questions about computers. Bring your laptop, or use the computers donated by the Friends!
Pirates, Zombies, and Ice Cream…Oh My!
The teen summer programming started off with a blast - the blast of pirate cannons that is. On May 13th, the teen pirates took over the library. They hunted for hidden treasure, played games of cannonball dodgeball, tug-of-war, and Manhunt. All attending had a great time swashbuckling through the evening.
Next came, the zombie invasion of the library. The undead walked among the living on Friday, June 10th. During the night’s festivities, the teens played the game of manhunt with a twist. Half of the teens attending the party were zombies, and the other half were charged with hunting them down and mercilessly taking them out with Nerf dart guns. However, the zombies just weren’t going to let the hunters have all the fun. They lied in wait for the hunters and attacked without warning, turning the hunters into zombies. Victory in the end went to the hunters, and the world was saved from the wrath of the undead. However, the zombies may return so be on guard in the month of October for the Teen Halloween Lock-in Party.
To celebrate their victory over the undead and their pirate conquest of the library, the teens had a Bon Voyage Ice Cream Social. A total of 117 teens and tweens joined the fun. Attendees also kicked off the summer reading program at the event. Teens who keep a log their reading over the summer have a chance at winning a gift card every week and a grand prize of a $50 Best Buy gift card at the end of summer. The grand prize winner will be announced at the End of Summer Ice Cream Social on August the 18th.
To see more photos of the teen events, go to the Teen Advisory Board’s Facebook page (keyword: gulfgate-teens). A complete list of their future events can be picked up at the library or online via the Gulf Gate Library Calendar of Events at HYPERLINK “www.sclibs.net” www.sclibs.net.
Dancers Make Volunteer Luncheon a Special Event
What a delightful time we had at Prestancia Country Club for the Gulf Gate Library Volunteer Luncheon on Monday, April 11, 2011! Deanie Erb, President of the Friends of the Library, and Linda Widner, Volunteer Coordinator praised volunteers for their hard work and dedication to Gulf Gate Library. Volunteers enjoyed a delicious lunch of tuna fish and chicken salad with fresh fruit.
Volunteers were then presented with the exciting dance team, Dana Tiner and Sergio Raiz from The Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Sarasota, with two dances—The Argentine Tango and The Rumba. A dessert of ice cream with chocolate sauce was served while the dancers changed costumes.
When the dancers returned they performed the Cha Cha and Salsa. Their dancing was amazing and our volunteers were enthralled with their performance. We felt as if we were part of the audience of Dancing with the Stars.
How lucky we are in Sarasota to have beautiful weather, wonderful restaurants, and outstanding talent!
Love Letters to the Commissioners
On the morning of February 8, 2011, representatives from all eight Sarasota County Libraries attended the weekly Commissioners’ meeting and received a proclamation from the Commissioners designating February as Library Lovers’ Month. Commissioner Christine Robinson read the proclamation to the audience.
After the reading, Lisa Backer, President of the Venice Friends, and Deanie Erb, President of the Gulf Gate Friends, presented a decorated basket of love notes to Commissioner Robinson. The love notes were written by patrons and staff of the eight Sarasota County Libraries telling the Commissioners why they love their libraries and thanking them for their support. The Commissioners also received buttons saying,
“We Love Our Sarasota County Libraries.”
Representatives of the eight libraries and Sarabeth Kalajian, Director of the Sarasota County Libraries, form an Alliance which meets every month. Members of the united group share ideas and learn from one another. All eight libraries participated in the month’s celebration of February as
Library Lovers’ Month.
Quotes from some of the Love Notes:
“I am able to find Best Sellers and DVDs at my library.”
“There are so many wonderful programs for children and adults.”
“The staff is friendly and helpful.”
“When you go to your libary, you become part of an extended family.”
Asolo Readers: A Yearly Tradition and Smashing Success
Once again, the Friends of Gulf Gate Library’s Outreach program had the pleasure to present The Asolo Readers. This year’s presentation “Going Home” portrayed scenes taken from Neil Simon’s comedy, London Suite.
Barbara Knowles, well known to patrons of the library, and Alice Cotman, an Asolo Reader for some ten years, played mother and daughter respectively vacationing in London. The daughter encouraged her widowed mother to go out with a wealthy Scotsman on their last night in London.
The date starts off with pre-theatre dinner, a play and an expected return to the hotel by 10:00 p.m. to pack for the journey back to America in the morning. The mother arrives back to the hotel room at 2:00 a.m. and the mayhem begins…..
The Friends Outreach strives every month to have interesting and varied events which hopefully will appeal to all the patrons. If your interest hasn’t been peaked by this season’s programs, please make any suggestions to the staff, for future events.
Notes from the Youth Department
There are many wonderful summer programs available for young people of all ages. Baby Rhyme and Sign Time for children 0-24 months features sign language with songs, stories, and play. For ages 2 to 6, there are multicultural programs with stories, activities, and crafts. For ages 6-11, The Friends of the Library have invited guests to present programs including John Storms and his World of Reptiles, a musician, and puppeteer Stephen Knight. For the tweens and teens, there will be workshops and book clubs as well as art, science, and music programs. Some of the youth programs require registration, so parents should check flyers available in the youth area or inquire at the youth desk.
Once again, we encourage young people to participate in the library’s Summer Reading Program. The participants should pick up their reading log on June 4th in the Youth Department, read for 20 or more minutes every day, and keep a record of their reading in their log. Reading incentives will be given out at the end of each week.
