SELECTIONS FROM THE FEBRUARY 2003 LIBRARY LOOKOUT

Library Director’s Corner

By Blynn Currier

With the rush of the holiday’s behind us, and the approach of the budget approval, I’d like to thank people that have been helping us.
Marcia Granville is busy, typing an annotated bibliography of over 350 large print books. The bibliographies will be available to schools, nursing homes, patrons and anyone with a sight problem. Next comes a bibliography of audio books and video tapes.
Ruth Blood and Carol Lam have been helping out with the Genealogy Room. Ruth will begin four sessions on genealogy beginning Thursday, January 30th. Carol Lam has recently prepared a wonderful bibliography of materials in our genealogy collection.
Jim Foster, our computer guru, will be offering six sessions beginning Tuesday, January 28th, on using the computer.
We have recently received a $2000.00 gift from the Elizabeth Sealy Estate to purchase nonfiction books.
Dottie LaCasse, Corilla Hastings, and Maureen Calder have been coming in weekly to give us a hand.
Thanks to the great work of Françoise Labonte, Katherine Connell, Mary Turbyne, and Angela Gancarz, the fiction books are organized, labeled, weeded and standing up for all to see.
Beginning in February, the Skowhegan Regional Vocational School’s electrical program, under the direction of Ed Mathieu, will be rewiring the library in order to add technology. Also, Semper Fidelis will paint and redecorate the Children’s Room.
With the help and cooperation from all of the above, it makes me look good. Keep it up!

News From the Children’s Librarian

By Katherine Connell

Happy 2003! I Hope you all had a safe and enjoyable holiday season. With the New Year in full swing the library is buzzing with activity.
February 14th we will be having a Valentines Party in the Children’s area from 3:30 to 4:30. Please join us for snacks and crafts.
February 15th we will be participating in the Getting to Know You Fair at the Skowhegan Area High School. We would enjoy the opportunity to speak with you if you get the opportunity to attend. We will be making book marks with the children, and info about our future programs will be on hand.
During February school vacation there will be daily activities held in the children’s area to keep the kids busy. Each day a different activity will be scheduled for all age groups. Our schedule is as follows:
Tues Glitter Globes and Polar Plunge 1-3
Wens Hovercrafts and Hand prints 1-3
Thurs Homemade Slime 1-3
Fri Dino Day 1-3 (but may take longer)
Sat Treasure Hunt 11-1
I hope you will be able to join us on these days, be ready to get messy and have fun!
Thanks as always to Kathy Hughes, Tina Burns and Maureen Caulder for doing a wonderful job with story hour on Wednesdays.

LATEST NEWS

Executive Board Meeting

The next Friends of the Library Executive Board meeting will be held at 6:00, Wednesday, February 26th. The meeting is at the library and is always open to the public. Among topics for discussion this month will be future fund-raising ideas. Some of these are: canvas tote bags with a library logo, a cookbook – to be ready for the holidays and wall tiles to be decorated by the purchaser. We are always looking for more ideas, so if you are interested in any of these or have other ideas, please attend the meeting.

Programs

There will be more programs at the library in the near future, at least one per month. There will be Maine authors, poets and other speakers. There may be musical evenings as well as retirement planning sessions. Watch the papers for more information.

Lawn Sale

While you’re cleaning out your closets on these cold winter days, please remember the Library Lawn Sale to be held on May 17. As always, we welcome useable items of all kinds: furniture, dishes, kitchenware, tools, toys, clothes, etc. You may deliver them to the Hastings’ barn on the Malbons Mills Road any time. Call 474-3949 for more information.

Introducing Our Assistant Librarian

For many of you, Françoise LaBonte needs no introduction. She has been working at the library in one capacity or another for 22 years. But not everyone knows what an interesting life she has had. Françoise’s family originated in France, but because of her father’s job as an officer in the French Gendarmerie, she grew up in French Morocco. She was teaching French to 100 students each day. A class of 50 boys learned French in the morning, Arabic in the afternoon. Those who studied Arabic in the morning learned French in the afternoon.
Teachers’ salaries were also divided. One half was paid by Morocco, one half by France. When Morocco gained her independence, the French portion stopped, so the teachers had to work for half pay. Many of the French citizens returned to France at that time, but Françoise elected to stay. Morocco was home to her mother and her father had just died. Françoise didn’t want to leave her mother alone.
Independence brought many changes to the country. Some citizens didn’t fully understand what the term meant. One instance was of a man who went to the dentist. Because he needed more work, the dentist set up a new appointment. The man said, “Oh no, we’re independent. I can come any time I want.”
The number of French teachers in the school dropped from forty to three. Françoise was the only woman in the entire school, which was located in a slum. It became too dangerous to walk to and from her home, so she applied for a job with Air France. Of the 106 who applied, two were hired. Françoise was one of the lucky ones who passed the exam and was accepted.
The new job, at the reservations desk, was very different than it would be today. There were no computers to store information and print tickets. Everything had to be looked up and recorded accurately. A seemingly small mistake could result in sending a passenger to the wrong country.
It was while she was still teaching that Françoise met her marine husband, Roger. There were many American bases in Africa and servicemen returning from Vietnam were sent there. Because of her job with Air France, she was able to travel to America for frequent visits. Her first home as a new bride was right here in Skowhegan where she has lived ever since. What a difference! From a warm country to one that can get very cold and from an Arabic speaking world to New England. She knew nobody. Fortunately she had a wonderful mother-in-law who made things easier.
After her son became old enough, she started volunteering at the Margaret Chase Smith School. Later she met a friend who suggested she volunteer at the library. She helped out upstairs in the children’s section and substituted when necessary. When Mrs. Simeone retired, she worked full time for about six months. However, because her son was young enough to require a babysitter, she wasn’t earning enough to make it worth while. When Lois Moody was hired, she was again able to do volunteer work and substitute on occasion. When Miss Buxton retired, Françoise was offered the job of assistant librarian and has remained in that capacity ever since.
Recent years have brought changes to the library. Former Librarian Helen Shaw and Children’s Librarian Lois Moody have retired. Blynn Currier and Katherine Connell have taken their places. Computers have been introduced and attract many users every day. Françoise has become proficient in their use and has just completed a class in cataloging on line. When the library has acquired the proper software, all the titles will be entered into the computer system. The job will take two or three years to be completed, but will make it much easier to locate books on a particular subject, by a certain author or genre, etc.
With 22 years of experience, Françoise knows the reading habits of her customers -- what they will like and what they will dislike. Some of them don’t care for paperbacks, as the print is so small. Others find the hard cover books too heavy for reading in bed. Many times in the past, people have called and asked, “What do you have for me”? Then they would come to the library to get it.
She likes working in the library. It is a quiet place to work. She meets a lot of nice people. And she enjoys reading. Like many library patrons, she enjoys mystery writers, but not the scariest ones.