{"id":107,"date":"2014-02-08T20:20:37","date_gmt":"2014-02-08T20:20:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/readingplfoundation.org\/rf\/?page_id=107"},"modified":"2023-05-08T18:34:55","modified_gmt":"2023-05-08T18:34:55","slug":"happenings","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/readingplfoundation.org\/rf\/happenings\/","title":{"rendered":"What We Do"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

Lectures and Guest Speakers<\/h2>\n

The Foundation has funded multiple guest speaker visits to the library including Pulitzer Prize winner Doris Kearns Goodwin, Tracy Kidder, Nathaniel Philbrick, Dennis Lehane, Roland Merullo and award-winning historians Dr. William M. Fowler and Dr. Robert J. Allison.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Children\u2019s Writing and Art Contest<\/h2>\n

The Foundation sponsored the Children\u2019s Writing and Art Contest as part of the Children\u2019s Summer Reading Program. The contest allowed students ages 5 to 11 to express their creativity and to encourage continued use of writing skills through the summer months.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Pledge For New Building<\/h2>\n

The Foundation pledged $200,000 to the library for refurbishment and expansion.<\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Global Eats, Summer Beats<\/h2>\n

The Foundation was a co-sponsor of the library \u201cBeats and Eats\u201d celebration. With several bands and food trucks, the library parking lot was transformed into an outdoor concert festival.<\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The Book Bike<\/h2>\n

The Foundation funded the purchase of the library\u2019s new mobile book bike. Designed with a cargo trike frame that opens and turns inside out, the bike serves as a mobile library outpost, and it is ready to greet residents around town. Residents can sign up for a Reading Public Library card, browse, borrow, and return books and learn about RPL programs and resources.<\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Microfilm Project<\/h2>\n

The Foundation funded the digitization of historic, primary source microfilm. Now 550 rolls of the Daily Times Chronicle and other local papers are easily searchable from any computer. The newly launched digital archive website provides a simple and priceless historical research tool for all members of our community. The collection dates back to 1870 and contains decades of news, articles, and advertisements that will delight residents, businesses, and armchair historians. <\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Upgraded Personal Computers<\/h2>\n

The Foundation funded the purchase of new personal computer systems for the library, including several for the Teen Room.<\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Expanded Large Print Collection<\/h2>\n

The Large Print Collection grew substantially thanks to funding from the Foundation. The library now holds over 2,000 copies of large print books to meet the needs of our residents.<\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Purchased New Books For All Age Groups<\/h2>\n

The Foundation has routinely provided funds to enhance the book collection across all age groups. <\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Support Continuing Education For Staff<\/h2>\n

The Foundation supports the continuing education and professional development of library staff. <\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Hush Phone Booth<\/h2>\n

The Foundation funded the purchase of a hush phone booth for patron use. This box is a dedicated space for making calls, complete with a fold down laptop desk, WiFi capability and power sources. <\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Enhanced The Media Collection<\/h2>\n

Long before the days of streaming, the Foundation provided funding to establish the library\u2019s robust DVD collection. The Foundation also provided a new sound and projection system for the large meeting room. <\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

RPL Hold Lockers<\/h2>\n

The Foundation funded the purchase of \u201cGrab and Go\u201d lockers. The Lockers are available for easy after-hour or quick pick-up. Patrons can send items to the locker and access materials at their convenience. The new RPL Hold Lockers are located to the right of the main entrance of the library.<\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Virtual Author Chat<\/h2>\n

The Reading Public Library hosted a live virtual chat with Dirtbag, Massachusetts author Isaac Fitzgerald. It was sponsored by the Reading Public Library Foundation.<\/p>\n

\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lectures and Guest Speakers The Foundation has funded multiple guest speaker visits to the library including Pulitzer Prize winner Doris Kearns Goodwin, Tracy Kidder, Nathaniel Philbrick, Dennis Lehane, Roland Merullo and award-winning historians Dr. William M. Fowler and Dr. Robert J. Allison.   Children\u2019s Writing and Art Contest The Foundation sponsored the Children\u2019s Writing and Art Contest as part of the Children\u2019s Summer Reading Program. The contest allowed students ages 5 to 11 to express their creativity and to encourage continued use of writing skills through the summer months.     Pledge For New Building The Foundation pledged $200,000 to the library for refurbishment and expansion. Global Eats, Summer Beats The Foundation was a co-sponsor of the library \u201cBeats and Eats\u201d celebration. With several bands and food trucks, the library parking lot was transformed into an outdoor concert festival. The Book Bike The Foundation funded the purchase of the library\u2019s new mobile book bike. Designed with a cargo trike frame that opens and turns inside out, the bike serves as a mobile library outpost, and it is ready to greet residents around town. Residents can sign up for a Reading Public Library card, browse, borrow, and return books and learn about RPL programs and resources. Microfilm Project The Foundation funded the digitization of historic, primary source microfilm. Now 550 rolls of the Daily Times Chronicle and other local papers are easily searchable from any computer. The newly launched digital archive website provides a simple and priceless historical research tool for all members of our community. The collection dates back to 1870 and contains decades of news, articles, and advertisements that will delight residents, businesses, and armchair historians. Upgraded Personal Computers The Foundation funded the purchase of new personal computer systems for the library, including several for the Teen Room. Expanded Large Print Collection The Large Print Collection grew substantially thanks to funding from the Foundation. The library now holds over 2,000 copies of large print books to meet the needs of our residents. Purchased New Books For All Age Groups The Foundation has routinely provided funds to enhance the book collection across all age groups. Support Continuing Education For Staff The Foundation supports the continuing education and professional development of library staff. Hush Phone Booth The Foundation funded the purchase of a hush phone booth for patron use. This box is a dedicated space for making calls, complete with a fold down laptop desk, WiFi capability and power sources. Enhanced The Media Collection Long before the days of streaming, the Foundation provided funding to establish the library\u2019s robust DVD collection. The Foundation also provided a new sound and projection system for the large meeting room. RPL Hold Lockers The Foundation funded the purchase of \u201cGrab and Go\u201d lockers. The Lockers are available for easy after-hour or quick pick-up. Patrons can send items to the locker and access materials at their convenience. The new RPL Hold Lockers are located to the right of the main entrance of the library. Virtual Author Chat The Reading Public Library hosted a live virtual chat with Dirtbag, Massachusetts author Isaac Fitzgerald. It was sponsored by the Reading Public Library Foundation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-107","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/readingplfoundation.org\/rf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/107","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/readingplfoundation.org\/rf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/readingplfoundation.org\/rf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readingplfoundation.org\/rf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readingplfoundation.org\/rf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=107"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/readingplfoundation.org\/rf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/107\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":586,"href":"https:\/\/readingplfoundation.org\/rf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/107\/revisions\/586"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/readingplfoundation.org\/rf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=107"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}