An Angel with $50 for 50 Libraries

February 6, 2009

Got a fax yesterday from Ken Miller, director of the Bayliss Public Library in Sault Sainte Marie, located in Michigan's Upper Peninsula near the Soo Locks. Ken and I were pages together a long time ago at the Detroit Public Library. "We received the attached letter with a $50 check," Ken said. "I thought you might be interested in it because she said that she donated a like amount to one library in each state. That amounts to a $2,500 nationwide donation to libraries. It is one of the most unique things I have ever seen." He went on to say, "And she thanks us! Wow." I agee with Ken's "wow" factor. Indeed, it is we who should be thanking her. So I've sent her story over to ALA's Office for Library Advocacy, where we are collecting stories for "I Love Libraries". And out goes a big Inside Scoop thank-you to the library angel who understands how one person makes a difference. Her letter to the Bayliss Library, in full: Dear Librarians, Today is my 50th birthday and I decided that rather than spend a lot of money on a party, I would mark this milestone by acknowledging some of my favorite things: the 50 states that make up our country, children, nature, and books (and of course, libraries!). To accomplish this goal, I am sending a check for $50 to a library in each state, and I am asking that the money be spent on nature books for children. If you can't decide what to get, may I suggest one of my favorite subjects in nature: birds, or space-related topics/! Thanks you for helping make this day extra special for me. Sincerely, Mary Alice Howard Roslindale, Massachusetts PS: A few years ago I had a wonderful visit to your town. I had wanted to see the locks since I was a kid and read my dad's copy of Paddle to the Sea by Holling C. Holling.

Stephanie Vance of AdvocacyGuru.com discusses the three points ALA members need to keep in mind when advocating for libraries with the new presidential administration. Vance talked with AL Focus after speaking at the Washington Office Update at ALA's 2009 Midwinter Meeting in Denver. More ALA videos available at alfocus.ala.org.

Midwinter 2009: Steve Vander Ark Interview

AL Focus caught up with Steve Vander Ark, author of The Lexicon: An Unauthorized Guide to Harry Potter Fiction and Related Materials, and co-author Lisa Bunker, in the exhibit hall at the 2009 Midwinter Meeting. More ALA videos available at alfocus.ala.org.

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