Supporting Lifelong Learning
Supporting Lifelong Learning
The Friends of the Scottsdale Public Library is pleased to host Arizona author Wynne Brown at the Museum of the West in Old Town Scottsdale on Sunday, March 6 from 2pm to 4pm.
Brown’s most recent book is The Forgotten Botanist: Sara Plummer Lemmon’s Life of Science and Art.
This is the story of two botanists (Sara Plummer Lemmon and her husband John Gill Lemmon) that discover hundreds of new plant species in the Western United States.
Friends is hosting this event at the Museum of the West to bring together literary and historical audiences. The presentation with include a conversation with the author and free book signing.
Friends members will receive a special meet-and-greet session with Brown in addition to her presentation.
Although this free event is taking place in the Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust theater, registration is required and attendance will be limited due to COVID-19. If you would like to reserve your spot, please contact the Museum of the West at 480-686-9539 or info@scottsdalemuseumwest.org.
The Friends of the Scottsdale Public Library was a supporting partner of the 40th annual Scottsdale Library Volunteer Luncheon on Friday, February 7, 2020 at the Hyatt Regency Scottsdale at Gainey Ranch.
Scottsdale historical storyteller Bruce Wall served as guest speaker to discuss one of the most interesting crimes in Scottsdale history. Several City Council Members and members of the Library Board were also in attendance.
The annual lunch is a celebration of all the hard work by Library volunteers. In Scottsdale, there are nearly three volunteers for every staff member who volunteer at the Library, and their responsibilities include everything from shelving books to reading to children to running the book shops.
As an all-volunteer organization, the Friends is appreciative of the efforts of volunteers to provide the highest quality experience to patrons of Scottsdale Public Library.
Two former Presidents of the Friends of the Scottsdale Public Library recently received Historic Preservation Recognition Awards from the Grand Canyon Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution on October 5.
Paul Messinger and Douglas Sydnor received the awards due to their efforts preserving the history of Scottsdale.
In addition to their time serving on the Friends Board, both Messinger and Sydnor were committee members who helped raise funds for the Scottsdale Heritage Connection, the Friends’ major fundraising effort from 2017-19. They were also Gold and Silver donors, respectively, toward the new space.
The SHC will officially open to the public on Saturday, October 19 within Civic Center Library. It will preserve the written and oral history of Scottsdale, offering research opportunities and historic lectures.
“Paul Messinger is a walking encyclopedia on everything Scottsdale and very much deserves to be recognized by the Daughters of the American Revolution for his contributions to preserving history,” wrote Marshall Trimble, Arizona’s Official State Historian, in his letter of recommendation.
Sydnor has authored three books on Arizona Historic architecture, and in 2018 received the Governor’s Heritage Preservation Honor Award.
The Friends congratulates Messinger and Sydnor on their recent honor, and thanks them for helping preserve the history of Scottsdale.
After over two years of fundraising, the Scottsdale Heritage Connection held its ribbon cutting ceremony with a private breakfast for donors on Tuesday, June 25 at Civic Center Library.
Mayor Jim Lane was present to cut the ribbon, as were valued members of the Friends of the Scottsdale Public Library and the SHC fundraising committee. Attendees were treated to a tour of the space and breakfast items catered by Creations in Cuisine Catering.
The space is in the former home of Scottsdale Public Art next to the Knowasis Teen Center. It will be open to the public later this summer, as shelving still needs to be installed to house the historical documents. Once opened, the SHC will showcase over 10,000 documents celebrating the history of Scottsdale.
For those unable to attend, here is a brief Project Narrative reviewed during the opening.
Stay tuned for more details about free historical programming in the space beginning this fall. It’s also not too late to donate if you want to help us hit our goal of $500,000. The next stage of the project will be installing kiosks at the other Scottsdale Library branches to showcase the collection.
For Immediate Release
Scottsdale, Ariz. (December 14, 2018) – The Friends of the Scottsdale Public Library presented a $101,200 donation to the Scottsdale City Council at the December 12 Council meeting to be used for the Scottsdale Heritage Connection (SHC), a 2,000 square foot modern research space to house a collection of the oral, written and visual history of Scottsdale.
The money raised is through a public-private partnership including leaders of the Scottsdale community like Paul Messinger, Honorary SHC Committee Chair. Over 60 Library supporters and community citizens have donated, in addition to contributions from area corporations and foundations.
This $101,200 is the first of several planned donations to the SHC project. It will provide supplemental funding to ensure that construction schedule will continue moving forward in the spring of 2019. The City of Scottsdale has planned for the project in its Capital Improvements Project budget for 2018-2019 fiscal year.
The permanent 2,000 square foot glass walled area, set to open in 2019, is being branded as “a window to the past, a celebration of the present and a portal to the future.” It will be a newly built space next to the Knowasis Teen Center in the Civic Center Library. The archives will include:
The Friends is grateful to the many donors of the Library’s Southwest Collection since 1973, which provided the framework for the current SHC collection. For example, in the 1980s, numerous donors honored the memory of the late Scottsdale Mayor B.L. “Bud” Tims through contributions to the Southwest Collection.
The new SHC space will expand public access and research resources regarding Scottsdale’s diverse history. It will also provide artifact display opportunities, with computers to access the online collection, a private room to conduct research, and a designated area for lectures and community meetings related to local history.
“We are so thankful for the generous donations thus far from advocates for Scottsdale history,” said Carol Damaso, SHC Campaign Committee Chair and former Director of the Scottsdale Public Library. “We look forward to the Friends making another donation soon to fund the completion of this project.”
As the official 501(c)(3) campaign partner, the Friends of the Scottsdale Public Library is accepting tax-deductible donations of all levels to support the SHC. To learn more or to donate, please visit https://scottsdalelibraryfriends.org/shc. High-resolution images of the project design are available for media use.
About the Friends of the Scottsdale Public Library
The Friends of the Scottsdale Public Library, founded in 1985, is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) all-volunteer organization whose members support Scottsdale’s Library system through public education, advocacy, and fundraising. The Friends provides funding for Scottsdale Public Library programming and resources to support lifelong learning.