I have often donated surplus books, especially titles for children, with the help of the URJ's (Union of Reform Judaism) Small Synagogue Group. Perhaps Conservative and Orthodox synagogue organizations have a comparable organization?
Here's the URJ contact for anyone interested in exploring this: http://urj.org/cong/small/ Ann Abrams, Librarian Temple Israel, Boston ________________________________________ From: [email protected] [[email protected]] On Behalf Of Ms. Sara Ravid [[email protected]] Sent: Sunday, September 09, 2012 9:37 AM To: Marga Hirsch Cc: Amy Turim & Larry Hershman; "Heidi Estrin; [email protected]; [email protected] Subject: Re: [ha-Safran] I'm confused about PJ Library ...and Marga's post touches on an issue that I have wondered about for a long time, namely how we can best partner with PJ Library on an Institutional level. This discussion shifts my thinking a little... perhaps we might advocate for a consultant on their Board to help them think larger-picture strategically -- solicit a list of starting points from our membership, such as that of maximizing the potential of the gently-used books, and draft a letter. Start off with the closed SSC lists, of course... It had been my understanding that, like AVI CHAI, you don't approach Grinspoon, but I was reading in the Boston Jewish Advocate about the late Jonathan Samen at the JCC here who had reached out to Grinspoon and started some awesome programming. (Their two most recent issues are available for free, so click soon: http://www.thejewishadvocate.com/news/2012-08-24/ Read both the article and the obituary.) Of course, it is possible that this happened through an institutional partnership relationship. In PJ's case, institutional partnership means the group that does the distribution. It's a tough balance -- we don't have the infrastructure for that, or even to get local Federation grant funding to take on that role, and that role is not what we want to be doing since it's all about the paperwork and distribution, but those are the groups that end up the programming and strategic outreach, which is where we shine. This has been even more on my radar of late, as I've been seeing all of this from the vantage point of Jewish communal outreach to new parents, which includes things like PJ Library storytimes. These could easily be done in synagogue libraries, by librarians. (In full honesty, I have not been keeping up with HaSafran, and surfaced this thread when searching my e-mail to follow up on my 7th month old's pending membership...) Maybe since DC is just starting out this is a good place to get in on the ground level? Glad to be a data-on-the-ground provider of Boston-area intel, but, like Marga, no time to work on this... Thank you Sara On Thu, Sep 6, 2012 at 2:57 PM, Marga Hirsch <[email protected]> wrote: > Jane’s post touches on an issue that I have begun to be concerned about, > namely, the developing glut of gently used PJ Library books. Park Avenue > Synagogue families with children aged 6 months to 8 years may all sign up > for PJ Library thanks to the generosity of a synagogue family. The first > child in the family receives his/her monthly age-appropriate books, and then > the subsequent children in the family receive copies of the same books. When > the children outgrow the books, many families bring them to the library. I > have lost count of the number of copies of The Shabbat Box I have received. > Other titles are accumulating close behind. > > > > I have been thinking for a while that it would be a good idea for us as a > community of librarians to develop a plan and purpose for all these books. > Send them to libraries in communities that don’t have PJ Library? To > libraries in Israel that want children’s books in English? Ideas, anyone? > > > > Note: I’m interested in there being an answer to this question, but I don’t > have time to take on a book redistribution project myself. > > > > Marga > > > > ********************************* > > Marga Hirsch > > Librarian & Publications Editor > > Park Avenue Synagogue > > 50 East 87th St. > > New York, NY 10128 > > 212.369.2600, x127 > > [email protected] > > > > > > > > From: [email protected] > [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Jane > Pasternak > Sent: Thursday, September 06, 2012 1:07 PM > To: Amy Turim & Larry Hershman; [email protected] > Cc: Susan Lentini > Subject: Re: [ha-Safran] I'm confused about PJ Library > > > > Hi Amy > > > > I am the coordinator of PJ Library for the greater Hartford area. You are > correct that PJ Library is for families only. This program is funded in > part by The Grinspoon Foundation and some very generous local > philanthropists. We have been extremely fortunate in our area. I do not > know of anyone else involved in the funding for this program. > > > > This past year, I gave a gift to 12 synagogues in our community a book rack > with a box of PJ Library selections which came out of our marketing budget. > I know that some books were put in the libraries and that librarians have > read the books to groups that come in. Othes have the books available for > families to read while in the synagogue. > > > > You may want to contact the PJ coordinator for your area and see if they are > willing to do the same. You can also ask your synagogue families to donate > duplicate books they may have gotten at home. Many parents have offered > their duplicate books to us in the Family Room at our JCC. > > > > I hope this helps a little. If you have other questions, please feel free > to contact me. > > > > Jane > > > > Jane Pasternak > Family Room Parenting Center Director > Mandell Jewish Community Center > Zachs Campus 335 Bloomfield Avenue > West Hartford, CT 06117 > Å 860.231.6342 > [email protected] > Ê fax 860.233.0802 > > > > > > ________________________________ > > From: Susan Fried [mailto:[email protected]] > Sent: Thursday, September 06, 2012 8:53 AM > To: Amy Turim & Larry Hershman > Cc: Jane Pasternak; Susan Lentini > Subject: RE: [ha-Safran] I'm confused about PJ Library > > Dear Amy, > > > > My colleagues next door help run the PJ library. I’m including Susan and > Jane on this email, so hopefully they can give you some guidance. > > > > All the best, > > > > Susan Fried > > Koopman Senior Librarian > > 860-231-6375 > > > > ________________________________ > > From: [email protected] > [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Amy > Turim & Larry Hershman > Sent: Wednesday, September 05, 2012 9:23 PM > To: [email protected] > Subject: [ha-Safran] I'm confused about PJ Library > > > > This may be very old news to many of you, but I’d like to understand the > role my synagogue library could play in supporting PJ Library. According to > what I see on the website, their funding comes from the Harold Grinspoon > Foundation and other monies donated by libraries. The money from the HGF > and the “Implementing Partners” goes to purchase books that are then free > for participating member families. Is this correct? Are any AJL libraries > involved? As great as this idea is, I don’t have a budget for this purpose, > though perhaps our congregation would support a fundraiser. I have a > feeling that I’m missing a crucial piece, and I’d appreciate any > clarification. > > Thanks – > > Amy Turim > > Temple Emanuel > > Kensington, MD > > > __ > Messages and opinions expressed on Hasafran are those of the individual > author > and are not necessarily endorsed by the Association of Jewish Libraries > (AJL) > ================================== > Submissions for Ha-Safran, send to: > [email protected] > To join Ha-Safran, update or change your subscription, etc. - click here: > https://lists.service.ohio-state.edu/mailman/listinfo/hasafran > Questions, problems, complaints, compliments send to: [email protected] > Ha-Safran Archives: > Current: > http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran%40lists.service.ohio-state.edu/maillist.html > Earlier Listserver: > http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran%40lists.acs.ohio-state.edu/maillist.html > AJL HomePage http://www.JewishLibraries.org > -- > Hasafran mailing list > [email protected] > https://lists.service.ohio-state.edu/mailman/listinfo/hasafran __ Messages and opinions expressed on Hasafran are those of the individual author and are not necessarily endorsed by the Association of Jewish Libraries (AJL) ================================== Submissions for Ha-Safran, send to: [email protected] To join Ha-Safran, update or change your subscription, etc. - click here: https://lists.service.ohio-state.edu/mailman/listinfo/hasafran Questions, problems, complaints, compliments send to: [email protected] Ha-Safran Archives: Current: http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran%40lists.service.ohio-state.edu/maillist.html Earlier Listserver: http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran%40lists.acs.ohio-state.edu/maillist.html AJL HomePage http://www.JewishLibraries.org -- Hasafran mailing list [email protected] https://lists.service.ohio-state.edu/mailman/listinfo/hasafran
