Friends, As many of you may know, Siegal College morphed--in 2012--into a fine adult learning program under the aegis of Case Western Reserve University(CWRU): The Laura & Alvin Siegal Lifelong Learning Program. The college's Aaron Garber is about to close and is making way to serve the students and staff of the Agnon School.
CWRU will purchase $3000 books and disposition of the rest of the collection is under the direction of the facilities manager of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland. I retired in 2013 after a 30-year run. Among the good memories and highlights of my professional life is the warm collegiality I found in AJL. Jean Lettofsky ***************************************************************************************** The Aaron Garber Library in Beachwood – the central library of the Greater Cleveland Jewish community for nearly 40 years at that location – will close at the end of August, the Jewish Education Center of Cleveland announced Aug. 8. The library was part of the former Laura and Alvin Siegal College of Judaic Studies, now known as the Siegal facility, at 26500 Shaker Blvd. It is adjacent to The Agnon School, and its closing will make way for a new library space for that Jewish community day school and its 340 students. “The Aaron Garber Library has been an important part of our community,” said Seymour Kopelowitz, executive director of the JECC. “We conducted an audit of usage by the community, and we learned that the library’s usage patterns have changed now that books are digitalized and available in online, public and synagogue libraries.” The demand for those academic books ended after Siegal College closed in 2012, Kopelowitz said. “We recognized that The Agnon School’s current library facility could be more conducive for the number of children attending the school,” he said. “We are delighted that The Agnon School will be able to use the library space to benefit a new generation of students.” Jerry Isaak-Shapiro, head of school of The Agnon School, said he’s excited about the new space for his school’s library. “For a school, a library is an essential space, not only geographically but conceptually,” he said. “A library is more than a repository of books; it’s a representation of learning. “So for us it’s a beautiful space. It really represents libraries as they used to be. The Garber Library has a very important history in the Jewish community. Our hope is we’ll both embrace that history and build a new future with our students as they begin to use the library.” Isaak-Shapiro, entering his 12th year as head of The Agnon School, said the school was “outgrowing the space” in its current library, which will be used as a classroom starting this fall. “This (new space) will gave our librarian room to expand the book collection and to conduct larger reading groups and other activities related to library science,” he said. “It’s an opportunity for us, and I certainly hope the spirit of those who built the library will still be maintained with our students.” The library first opened in the 1950s and was located at the Bureau of Jewish Education – which later became the JECC – in Cleveland. In 1976, the library moved to Shaker Boulevard in Beachwood to be part of Siegal College, then called the Cleveland College of Judaic Studies. The college was renamed the Laura and Alvin Siegal College of Judaic Studies in 2002. Traffic at the library slowed after Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland partnered with Siegal College to create a new adult education initiative, the Laura and Alvin Siegal Lifelong Learning Program at CWRU, in 2012. With the closing of Siegal College in Beachwood, the JECC, an agency of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland, became responsible for the library. “The library was known for its strong collections on Israel, the Holocaust, Hebrew and the field of education,” said Jean Lettofsky, who served as its librarian from 1983 to 2013. “It grew to include well-rounded academic collections for student use as well.” The university will now acquire a section of the library’s academic collection to support the Siegal program, including its Hebrew and Jewish studies divisions. The JECC will acquire the Jewish education collection. Friends of the Garber Library will continue to host activities that support adult Jewish education in the community. [email protected] __ 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
