Doug Bauer Draws an Appreciative Audience When Reading about "Matters of Life and Death" from His Essay Collection, "What Happens Next?"

When Doug Bauer read the essay, Tenacity, from his new collection What Happens Next: Matters of Life and Death earlier this month, you could hear a pin drop in the upstairs room at the South End library. No surprise, really, as the author's observations of tenacity illuminated and brought home forcefully the physical expression of it in this finely woven tale: the tenacity of his widowed mother living alone, who fell, and took 12 hours to crawl the 15 steps to the phone to dial for help; the tenacity of the homeless men at the Pine Street Inn he used to volunteer at who, years later, still are alive on his street corner despite the 'dog years' of abuse from alcohol, weather and drugs; and the tenacity of his own aging body shown from the inside on the doctor's office's video monitors, revealing the miraculous sloshing of his heart's rhythmic pumpings "working away on my behalf, without notice or complaint."

All of it was suffused with Bauer's delicious details of place: Iowa, where in his family's cemetery gravestones  rise up "like a bumper winter crop;" the South End, with its collection of artists-occupied warehouses right next to the scattering of homeless shelters; the doctor's office, where the "oddly intimate and deeply alien sensation" of the technician navigating a jelly-slathered device over his chest seems "like impossibly cautious sci-fi foreplay."

Doug Bauer speaking with one of his admirers

Bauer told his audience he doesn't keep journals, for the most part, but trusts his memory for the details which may not be "exactly true," he  said. Writing from memory, he had a couple of hundred pages of materials for the essays, using every scrap to make them fit cohesively into the narrative's 'collage.'  Audience questions ranged from literary technique to specific health-related questions to advice on future ventures. "Any suggestions for our mothers?" an audience member wondered after reflecting on the details of  Bauer's mother's fall and subsequent death. "It's an inspiring book on the subject of women's health," said another. "You have such a soothing reading voice: have you ever done books on tape?" a third one wanted to know.

The author is currently working on a novel, his fourth.

Local Realty Group Organizes Public-School Assignment Forum, Tuesday, November 12, with Proceeds to Benefit the South End Library

Do Your School Assignment Homework Forum, November 12

Raising funds for our local library branch is usually accomplished by an annual mail solicitation put together by the Friends of the South End Library (FOSEL), or by FOSEL making a special request from a generous donor here or there who loves libraries. As an unexpected and  happy addition to this admittedly ho-hum fundraising arsenal, a local realty firm, the Steve Cohen Team of Keller Williams Realty, has now organized  a community event in which panelists hope to explain a complicated new assignment system to public-school parents for a $10 admission ticket, the proceeds of which will benefit the South End branch library.  In an informative article on school assignment in the Boston Globe this week,  an education advocate was quoted as saying that it’s "not the easiest system to understand."

The November 12 event intends to help elementary-school parents  wade through the new process that began this month for the coming school year of 2014. Topics are new tools being made available for school-choice research and what is being done to improve the quality of public-school education. Panelists include local education and government representatives like Mark Kenen, Executive Director of the MA Charter Public Schools Association; Bill Linehan, Boston City Councilor, Distirct 2; Lee McGuire, Chief Communications Officer, Boston Public Schools; Mary Tamer, Member, School Choice Advisory Committee; Ann Walsh, Chief of Staff for John Connolly; and Josh Weis, Hurley School & Boston Latin Parent, an expert on New Choice & Assignment Policy.

South End culinary lights, Myers & Chang, will provide refreshments. It starts at 5:30 PM at the South End's Ben Franklin Institute of Technology located 41 Berkeley Street. For further info and registration,  click here.

T

Tortuous Road to a Better East Boston Library Leads to Sparkling New Facility that Offers Fewer Books (from 66,000 to 18,000) and Leaves Its WPA Murals of Sailing Ships Awaiting Restoration

BPL Trustee Paul LaCamera

It's probably safe to say that, if not for BPL Trustee Paul LaCamera, the beautiful new East Boston branch library  opening November 2 on Bremen Street would never have been built. Just like a previous plan for a new East Boston library, completed at considerable expense in 2008 and aging quickly on a dusty library shelf, was not going to be built.

LaCamera, formerly the General Manager for WBUR, who grew up in East Boston, took a stand at a BPL trustee meeting in 2010 when he refused to agree to shutter one of the two East Boston branches before a new facility would replace it. In a last-ditch effort to get LaCamera's consent to close a total of four libraries --and a unanimous vote-- before an enraged audience watching the proceedings in Copley Library, Mayor Menino, in a phone call to BPL president Amy Ryan, promised he would include funds for a new East Boston Library in his next capital budget. But LaCamera still abstained. Immediately after the other BPL trustees agreed 5 to 1 to close the four branches, including East Boston's Orient Heights. However, they passed an additional amendment that the next new library would be built in East Boston. And...here it is.

The new East Boston Library, by Rawn Architects

The graceful $17.25 million new East Boston library was designed by the same firm, Rawn Architects, now working on the renovation of the Copley Library's Johnson building. The firm was the architect as well for libraries in Mattapan and downtown Cambridge, among other places. The East Boston branch has more than twice the space of the two libraries it replaces, Orient Heights and Meridian Street, but far fewer books, about 18,000 instead of 66,000, a bone of contention for neighborhood groups who assert that, in East Boston, expensive electronic devices are not likely to replace books for a largely poor community.

Ships Through the Ages East Boston Library Murals by Edward King

Another bone of contention are some 15 Works Progress Administration (WPA) murals of 19th-Century whalers and clippers, painted by Rockport artist Frederick Leonard King in the 1930s. They all used to hang in the now-closed Meridian branch but only four will be on display in the new library. The Ships Through the Ages Series requires major restoration to the estimated tune of $150,000, an amount the Friends of the East Boston Library hopes to raise, according to an excellent report on the subject earlier this fall on WBUR, linked here. Their goal is to hang all the paintings, restored, in the new branch one day, so the series will evoke the nautical past of the East Boston neighborhood, where once these very ships were built.

BPL Executives and Community Advisors Express Excitement about Johnson Building's Proposed New Design but Face Uncertainty over Incoming Mayor's Commitment to the Renovation Project

Mock-up of Johnson building's Boylston St redesigned entrance

The long-overdue Johnson building renovation effort seemed on a roll: Mayor Thomas Menino allocated more than $14 million in what turned out to be his final capital budget for a much-anticipated facelift to the Copley Library's cavernous Johnson building on Boylston Street. Real estate interests were salivating at the prospect of  some of the library's street-level acreage being turned into retail space --as yet undetermined in focus but pledged to be 'compatible' with the library's mission. A prominent architectural firm, William Rawn Associates, was hired for the construction of Phase 2, to start in December. An engaged and lively group of local citizens, the Community Advisory Committee, met numerous times to come up with the best possible redesign to revive the moribund city block on Boylston Street where the library is located. This summer,  the BPL and its trustees made a strong presentation before the Boston Landmarks Commission for permission to remove the granite chastity belt of plinths that now encircles the building on three sides, condemning the entire block and the library to a state of perpetual chill. All good and well. The question is, with Mayor Menino leaving office in a few months, what will the new mayor, John Connolly or Marty Walsh,  think of it all?

Second Floor Johnson Building facing Boylston St, Children's Room on left; Teen Space on right

The governance structure of the BPL makes the mayor of Boston The Big Decider in the library universe. One of the side effects of this autocratic set-up is that the trustees do not have their own political or financial power base from which to defend the interests of the BPL as they diverge from the mayor's. He appoints the nine trustees, who serve at his pleasure; they are not vetted or approved by either the city council or another public entity.  The trustees hire the BPL president, keeping a close eye on the mayor's wishes; five years into the job, the current president, Amy Ryan, is likely to face contract renewal. Finally, whatever residual financial autonomy the BPL once had was wiped out in 2008 when the roughly 200 library trust funds, totaling close to $60 million, were moved from the BPL president's control to the mayor's budget office, despite vehement protestations by then-BPL president Bernard Margolis.  Therefore, in theory, the Johnson building project could grind to a halt for lack of support by the new mayor, or even his mere desire to want to review the entire project and its premise before moving forward or sideways.

Proposed Fiction Section, alongside Exeter St, with stairs leading to Mezzanine

That would be too bad, as became evident at the Community Advisory Committee's meeting on October 18,  when Rawn Associates presented a mock-up proposal of a vibrant new Johnson building artfully connected to the McKim building with initial designs to become visually integrated with the street scape on Boylston Street.  The nine quadrants that form the basic design of the Johnson building are opened up to light flowing in from the enormous windows on the first and second floors, with easily navigated and color-guided pathways to browsing areas, circulation, fiction sections and Bostonia collections, as well as 21st-century spaces for teenagers, children and tots on floor two. Sets of bathrooms on the second floor alone make the entire renovation worthwhile: no bathrooms exist there now. Many details remain to be worked out, among them what art work or fountain or installation to place in the center of Deferrari Hall, the enormous lobby behind the current Soviet-style lobby on Boylston Street that dwarfs the information desk in the center of it, where  a forelorn staffer or two bravely dispense directions to bathroom and book.

The integrated street scape/library entrance on Boylston Street is still mostly a concept to be fully developed and finalized in subsequent phases of the renovation project. An immediate complication is the unfortunate location of the portable public restroom in front of the BPL, part of a large city contract that is said to bring revenue into city coffers as it injects tackiness into the library site. City representatives at the Friday meeting said it was the most popular street bathroom in Boston, exceeded in usage only by the one located in City Hall Plaza. "In that case, perhaps City Hall Plaza could use a second one next to it," was the tart response from Community Advisory Board member Meg Mainzer-Cohen, also the executive director of the Back Bay  Neighborhood Association.

The next Community Advisory Committee meeting, open to the public, will be held January 15, at 9 AM, in the Commonwealth Salon of the BPL. This meeting will focus on the exterior, landscaping and partnership spaces. For more information on the Johnson building project, click here.

Comedic Legal Wagwit Jay Wexler Takes Ed Tuttle, Associate Justice, on a Quest to Do the "Crazy Things" Job Security Should Encourage

Ed Tuttle’s mid-life crisis takes place when he’s been an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court. He’s no longer at ease with his life, questioning even the meaning of language. He recognizes this is a problematic development in general but particularly in the wordy field of law. But his wife is dead; his daughter, the famous chef, occupied with her culinary challenges, so at the end of the Court’s term, when his colleagues depart on their routine law junkets in Venice and Paris, Tuttle decides to go to Jackson Hole, where fly-fishing is the unknown attraction. He discovers that, while famous in name, his life lived outside of the judicial robe requires constant explanation of what it is, exactly, that he does inside the Court to the befuddled characters he encounters on the Snake River. Or the importance of  it, something Tuttle had begun to wonder about himself.  Take Jackie, with whom he has pretty good sex in the motel after a day spent mostly untangling fish wire: “I can’t believe,” Jackie whispers, “that I ate an elk steak and did it with a Supreme Court Justice on the same night.”

Author and BU Law Professor Jay Wexler speaking at the South End library

No surprise to hear Jay Wexler, the author of The Adventures of Ed Tuttle, Associate Justice, once had a dream to be a sit-com writer. He may yet get there, since his sharply pitched sense of comedic timing and gesture created laughter and chuckles throughout his performance on October 1, when he read from recent work at the South End Library. Wexler's work ponders the subject of people like him, a tenured professor of law at BU or, for that matter, Supreme Court Justices who have the job security to stretch themselves beyond normally acceptable boundaries but continue to live traditional lives as if nothing changed. “They could do crazy things,” Wexler commented with apparent regret, “but associate justices don’t. And I am interested in how that plays.”

Apart from his solid –“but boring” according to Wexler himself—academic writings, Wexler’s previous work includes Holy Hullabaloos, a trip to the battlegrounds of church/state wars, and The Odd Clauses, a look at, yes, the odd clauses in the US Constitution.

South End Library Has Scheduled Special Programming With Puppeteer Nicola McEldowney, Storyteller Mark Binder And Jazz Musician Pat Loomis

The South End branch has scheduled several special programs for children, aged pre-school through teen. And for the rest

of us we can look forward to the Annual Holiday Jazz Concert and Potluck with Pat Loomis and Friends. Also listed are regularly scheduled programs. For more info, check the South End branch's web site, or click here....Here are the special-event dates:

PRESCHOOL:

Puppeteer Nicola McEldowney

Wednesday, October 30, a Halloween Puppet Show, with the fabulous puppeteer  Nicola McEldowney; 10;30 AM

Wednesday, November 13, Stories of Giving and Thanks, with the excellent storyteller Mark Binder, author of  Cinderella Spinderella, 10:30 AM

TEENS:

Tuesday, October 15, Clay and Collage Artist Sabrina! Create mixed-media keepsake treasures with sculpey clay, odds and ends from the library's GREAT STASH of decorative items and any small treasures you can bring. We supply the old cigar boxes...  6:30 PM;

THE REST OF US:

Tuesday, December 17,The Annual South End Library Holiday Jazz Concert Pot Luck with the fabulous Pat Loomis and Friends. 6:30 PM. 

===================

WEEKLY PROGRAMS:

Fridays in November at 10:30: Preschool Films

All Mondays at 10:30: Toddler Story Time, nursery rhymes, song & movement, story, & simple craft.

All Wednesdays at 10:30: Preschool Story Time that will focus on:  new beginnings, fall & animals (September & October); tales of giving thanks & appreciation (November); and tales and crafts for holiday (December)

Mayoral Candidates Connolly and Walsh Both Support New Downtown/Chinatown Branch, High Standards for BPL Trustees, Expanded Hours and Stabilizing BPL Funding

Rep. Marty Walsh

Both mayoral candidates, Rep. Marty Walsh and At-large City Councillor John Connolly, have re-affirmed their commitment to a vibrant Boston Public Library system which they most recently displayed in the 2010 fight to keep Mayor Menino from closing up to ten branches. While each differs from the other in approach and expansiveness on the questions raised, Connolly and Walsh equally support re-building a new downtown library to replace the Chinatown library closed more than five decades ago; setting standards of library expertise and relevant experience for the BPL trustees who govern the public library; expanding branch library hours; and finding ways to stabilize funding for the BPL. Below are the questions posed by FOSEL and the answers of each John Connolly and Marty Walsh underneath, in bold italics.  

LIBRARY HOURS: the 25 branch libraries, which service the vast majority of 625,00 Bostonians, are closed most evenings, evenings, Sundays and, in summer, Saturdays as well. The Copley Library, however, within walking distance of the 20,000 residents of the Back Bay, is open four nights a week, Saturdays and, except in the summer,  Sundays.  In other words, most of Boston’s residents and their families whose taxes pay for the BPL, can’t use their local library when they are off work. As mayor, will you make sure all libraries in the system are open nights and weekends to reflect the specific need for local access?

At-large City Councillor John Connolly

WALSH: The Boston Public Library is a cornerstone of my vision for the future of Boston, in the sense that it represents access, information, and the potential for lifelong learning and community building.  The library represents the best of Boston’s history and its recognition of the value of education at all levels. I would support expanded hours to ensure that more people can use the library at their convenience. I also believe that this will allow the library to consider flex-time for its staff, which I believe will support a workforce that needs flexibility for child care and other needs. I would take into account public surveys and the library’s own statistics about use to ensure that staff and other resources are allocated to best use.

CONNOLLY: While I recognize that we have to manage our resources carefully, I would love to see libraries open seven days a week. I think the key is for libraries to be centers of learning and community that are well connected to other institutions so that we can ensure their vitality for generations to come. Today, when a smartphone can put a world of information at our fingertips in a way that would have been unimaginable even a few years ago, it's vital that we re-imagine the role of our libraries. With all of that readily available information comes a powerful opportunity for libraries to help people make sense of it. Libraries can be places where people not only consume content, but create it; where people not only gain knowledge, but apply it. I see libraries as community institutions of the utmost importance. I want to have a community learning model in every neighborhood, where we're connecting our libraries with our schools and community centers. I know that one of the principles outlined in Compass, the BPL’s 2012 strategic plan, calls for libraries to be centers of knowledge through enhanced collaboration with schools, institutions, and the private sector, and I think that’s how we need to think about the future of libraries. My vision is that libraries thrive through connections to other institutions.

*****

LIBRARY GOVERNANCE: there are no required standards of professional library expertise or library advocacy to be appointed to the nine-member BPL board of trustees. There are no term limits. There is no requirement to show up at public meetings (and some trustees seldom do). There is no public vetting process for library trustees, nor a public confirmation process to make sure the public gets the best library advocates possible to meet the library’s needs. Board seats do not reflect specific library interests, either, as is the case elsewhere: for example, the interests of branch libraries differ from those of the Copley Library;  young adults have different needs than seniors; book acquisition specialists have different concerns than book or art conservators. As mayor, would you set standards for library trustees and their performance, and consider appointing those who would be qualified advocates for specific library and neighborhood concerns?

WALSH: I would strongly support a revision of standards for the BPL Board of Trustees. Accountability and transparency are key in all areas of policy for my administration. Just as I intend to seek the most highly qualified Superintendent of Schools and Chief of Police, I feel that every city department should be guided and led by people who have experience in the field, are aware of best practices, and have a vision of how to improve and support the departments they are in charge of.

CONNOLLY: I want diverse trustees who represent the whole city, who believe passionately in the future of the BPL, and who are committed to fulfilling their trustee role to the best of their ability. I will work with you to make sure we have a process for identifying and selecting the best candidates we can find.

*****

LIBRARY CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS: Which local libraries get renovated, or where new ones are built, is governed by mysterious forces. There is no transparent long-term capital plan, nor  is a specific public process in place, by which libraries are upgraded equitably, or  new ones built where needed, or handicapped-accessibility ensured.  As mayor, will you institute a transparent and fair capital plan to upgrade all BPL libraries equitably where needed, or build new ones, as part of a public process?

WALSH: The foundation of a Walsh Administration will be ethics and transparency, including financial disclosure.  Just as many schools are in need of capital improvement, the library branches in our neighborhoods, which support after-school learning and programming, need to be maintained at the highest standards with access to up-to-date technology, and safe and healthy buildings. Long-term capital improvements in both areas are critical needs, and ones that we would address as part of a comprehensive review of city property.

CONNOLLY: A capital plan for the libraries, developed with community engagement, would help us to prioritize the most critical projects and ensure that all neighborhoods have access to high quality facilities. In general, careful community planning should play a greater role in the future of our city. For example, I have long advocated for a comprehensive facilities plan for the Boston Public Schools.

*****

BUILDING NEW LIBRARIES: Downtown Crossing is increasing its residential footprint. It is also a transportation hub where many young adults from all over the city hang out with little to do. As such, they can become easy targets for unfair and unnecessary criminalization by law enforcement. Nearby Chinatown, moreover, lost its library decades ago. As mayor, would you consider building an architecturally exciting downtown library with an outstanding young-adult department and a strong Asian profile that also replaces the long-lost Chinatown branch?

WALSH: Yes. A revitalized downtown area is where we see the most potential for growth as people return to living in the city in the next decades. Providing the kinds of resources which support families and empty-nesters who live here would definitely include library services. In addition, Marty feels that each library branch has the possibility of reflecting the richness of its neighborhood and its cultural diversity. The Walsh Administration will support and support all Bostonians.

CONNOLLY: I have long supported a new library for Chinatown, and as mayor I will work to get one built. In the meantime, however, we need a solution that helps meet the community’s immediate needs. I support funding a fulltime librarian to keep a reading room open in Chinatown until a permanent downtown library can be opened.

*****

THE BPL FOUNDATION: the BPL fundraising arm was created to repair the McKim building almost two decades ago, and will target its future campaign on the long-overdue Johnson Building renovation. It does not focus on branch libraries, however, or their local Friends groups’ capital-improvement issues. But branches could use the Foundation’s help. The East Boston library, for example, has14 iconic WPA paintings that will cost $150,000 to restore before they can be installed in the new East Boston library. Their tiny Friends group is left on its own to raise the funds for it.As mayor, would you direct the BPL Foundation to expand its mission and assist local Friends groups who want to preserve cultural and historic landmarks of importance to their neighborhood libraries?

WALSH: Yes. The Boston Public Library is comprised of many parts, and its neighborhood branches are a key component of library services. Just as I intend to bring municipal services to “little city halls” throughout Boston’s neighborhoods, library services are not confined to the main branch at Copley. The Library and the City should be proud that the first branch library in the country was opened in East Boston in 1870, and we are about to open a new branch in that neighborhood. Many of the branch buildings have architectural or historical significance, and should be restored. Others are in need of considerable repair and should be upgraded or replaced. The BPL Foundation should leverage support for the library to be part of this vision of the Library’s future, and I would direct them to do so.

CONNOLLY: It is critically important to support our neighborhood libraries, so this proposal make sense to me. But in order not to turn this into a zerosum game, as mayor I will reach out to private and philanthropic partners to ask for their support in expanding the resources available to the Foundation.

*****

LIBRARY TRUST FUNDS: these are meant to enrich the public library beyond capital and operational allocations from the city’s General Fund, not to substitute for it. But in the case of the disputed Kirstein Business branch closing in 2009, two Kirstein trust funds that paid for the maintenance of that building and its collection, are now used to offset operational expenses at the Copley Library. How? Trustees approved moving the business collection out of the Kirstein’s own beautiful building and into the dank basement of the Copley Library.  The emptied Kirstein library building, located on prime real estate downtown, moreover, is used by the city for office space, at no obvious benefit to the BPL. As mayor, how will you ensure that library trust funds are used for library enrichment only, not to offset operational or General Fund expenses?

WALSH: Generous individuals who wish to support the library should feel confident that their legacy will be safely and respectfully administered by the library. While it is possible that original intentions can become no longer viable, all efforts should be exhausted prior to breaking a trust.  I feel that if Library Trustees have been carefully vetted and the process is public and transparent, there would be much less likelihood of such a process being a cause for misunderstanding and anger. Further, the Library should consider social entrepreneurship and increased fundraising efforts to offset the decrease in state and federal funding that many non-profit organizations are facing in the current fiscal climate. As Mayor, I intend to review all city property and resources to ensure the best allocation of resources throughout all the departments.

CONNOLLY: The closing of the Kirstein branch was a real disappointment for many residents who visited the library regularly. It’s important that we do our very best to honor the wishes of the trusts’ donors. Through sound budgeting and efficient management, we have got to make sure we have adequate funding for the BPL’s operations.

*****

STABILIZING LIBRARY FUNDING:Between 2008 and 2010 no one from the BPL or the city advocated for Boston’s library funding at the Legislature, so state funding declined. Trustees, moreover, who are appointed exclusively by the mayor, tend to not oppose mayoral proposals to cut the library budget, or fight for library budget increases, adding to the financial decline of the BPL. Would you support a dedicated tax for public libraries as part of the property tax, or come up with another fiscal instrument, to ensure a long-term strategy to  stabilize and expand the BPL budget to meet the exponential growth in demand for library services and community space? 

WALSH: Before considering additional taxes for the library, I would like to review the current budget of the library and ensure that it is operating in a fiscally responsible manner. Since ensuring a high quality education is key to my administration, I would not foresee considering cuts to library services. Just as I have pledged to provide universal pre-K education to all 4 year olds, I intend to make sure that libraries are open and available in all the neighborhoods to support this. While it is valuable to have lobbying services for the library, the people of Boston are the most powerful lobbyists themselves. When there was the threat of cuts to the library, they made their voices heard. I stood firm in the legislature to support the neighborhood branches, and I would do so even more firmly as Mayor. I would look forward to working with Library Administration and the Trustees to ensure a healthy and long-term plan for the expansion and success of the entire BPL system.

CONNOLLY: If we re-envision libraries as centers of knowledge and community linked to schools, colleges, and other institutions in our neighborhoods, then I believe we can ensure a strong future for the BPL. Recognizing that there are many important priorities competing for taxpayer dollars, I am committed to working with you on strategies for ensuring that libraries have adequate, stable, long-term funding in place.

Which of the Mayoral Candidates Will Give Bostonians the Best Public Library System: Candidate Rep. Marty Walsh Responds

Mayoral Candidate Rep. Marty Walsh

One of the two candidates for mayor of Boston, Rep. Marty Walsh, has responded quickly and fully to the seven public-library questions posed by FOSEL two days ago. Below are the original questions, with the answers provided by Joyce Linehan, policy director for the Walsh campaign, in bold italics. As soon as we hear from At-large Councillor John Connolly, we will post his comments, as well. And your questions will receive the same attention, too.

*****

LIBRARY HOURS: the 25 branch libraries, which service the vast majority of  625,000 Bostonians, are closed most evenings, Sundays and, in summer, Saturdays as well. The Copley Library, however, within walking distance of the 20,000 residents of the Back Bay, is open four nights a week, Saturdays and, except in the summer,  Sundays.  In other words, most of Boston’s residents and their families whose taxes pay for the BPL, can’t use their local library when they are off work. As mayor, will you make sure all libraries in the system are open nights and weekends to reflect the specific need for local access?

WALSH: The Boston Public Library is a cornerstone of my vision for the future of Boston, in the sense that it represents access, information, and the potential for lifelong learning and community building.  The library represents the best of Boston’s history and its recognition of the value of education at all levels. I would support expanded hours to ensure that more people can use the library at their convenience. I also believe that this will allow the library to consider flex-time for its staff, which I believe will support a workforce that needs flexibility for child care and other needs. I would take into account public surveys and the library’s own statistics about use to ensure that staff and other resources are allocated to best use.

*****

LIBRARY GOVERNANCE: there are no required standards of professional library expertise or library advocacy to be appointed to the nine-member BPL board of trustees. There are no term limits. There is no requirement to show up at public meetings (and some trustees seldom do). There is no public vetting process for library trustees, nor a public confirmation process to make sure the public gets the best library advocates possible to meet the library’s needs. Board seats do not reflect specific library interests, either, as is the case elsewhere: for example, the interests of branch libraries differ from those of the Copley Library;  young adults have different needs than seniors; book acquisition specialists have different concerns than book or art conservators.

As mayor, would you set standards for library trustees and their performance, and consider appointing those who would be qualified advocates for specific library and neighborhood concerns?

WALSH: I would strongly support a revision of standards for the BPL Board of Trustees. Accountability and transparency are key in all areas of policy for my administration. Just as I intend to seek the most highly qualified Superintendent of Schools and Chief of Police, I feel that every city department should be guided and led by people who have experience in the field, are aware of best practices, and have a vision of how to improve and support the departments they are in charge of.

*****

LIBRARY CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS: Which local libraries get renovated, or where new ones are built, is governed by mysterious forces. There is no transparent long-term capital plan, nor  is a specific public process in place, by which libraries are upgraded equitably, or  new ones built where needed, or handicapped-accessibility ensured.  As mayor, will you institute a transparent and fair capital plan to upgrade all BPL libraries equitably where needed, or build new ones, as part of a public process?

WALSH: The foundation of a Walsh Administration will be ethics and transparency, including financial disclosure.  Just as many schools are in need of capital improvement, the library branches in our neighborhoods, which support after-school learning and programming, need to be maintained at the highest standards with access to up-to-date technology, and safe and healthy buildings. Long-term capital improvements in both areas are critical needs, and ones that we would address as part of a comprehensive review of city property.

*****

BUILDING NEW LIBRARIES: Downtown Crossing is increasing its residential footprint. It is also a transportation hub where many young adults from all over the city hang out with little to do. As such, they can become easy targets for unfair and unnecessary criminalization by law enforcement. Nearby Chinatown, moreover, lost its library decades ago. As mayor, would you consider building an architecturally exciting downtown library with an outstanding young-adult department and a strong Asian profile that also replaces the long-lost Chinatown branch?

WALSH: Yes. A revitalized downtown area is where we see the most potential for growth as people return to living in the city in the next decades. Providing the kinds of resources which support families and empty-nesters who live here would definitely include library services. In addition, Marty feels that each library branch has the possibility of reflecting the richness of its neighborhood and its cultural diversity. The Walsh Administration will support and support all Bostonians.

*****

THE BPL FOUNDATION: the BPL fundraising arm was created to repair the McKim building almost two decades ago, and will target its future campaign on the long-overdue Johnson Building renovation. It does not focus on branch libraries, however, or their local Friends groups’ capital-improvement issues. But branches could use the Foundation’s help. The East Boston library, for example, has14 iconic WPA paintings that will cost $150,000 to restore before they can be installed in the new East Boston library. Their tiny Friends group is left on its own to raise the funds for it. As mayor, would you direct the BPL Foundation to expand its mission and assist local Friends groups who want to preserve cultural and historic landmarks of importance to their neighborhood libraries?

WALSH: Yes. The Boston Public Library is comprised of many parts, and its neighborhood branches are a key component of library services. Just as I intend to bring municipal services to “little city halls” throughout Boston’s neighborhoods, library services are not confined to the main branch at Copley. The Library and the City should be proud that the first branch library in the country was opened in East Boston in 1870, and we are about to open a new branch in that neighborhood. Many of the branch buildings have architectural or historical significance, and should be restored. Others are in need of considerable repair and should be upgraded or replaced. The BPL Foundation should leverage support for the library to be part of this vision of the Library’s future, and I would direct them to do so.

*****

LIBRARY TRUST FUNDS: these are meant to enrich the public library beyond capital and operational allocations from the city’s General Fund, not to substitute for it. But in the case of the disputed Kirstein Business branch closing in 2009, two Kirstein trust funds that paid for the maintenance of that building and its collection, are now used to offset operational expenses at the Copley Library. How? Trustees approved moving the business collection out of the Kirstein’s own beautiful building and into the dank basement of the Copley Library.  The emptied Kirstein library building, located on prime real estate downtown, moreover, is used by the city for office space, at no obvious benefit to the BPL. As mayor, how will you ensure that library trust funds are used for library enrichment only, not to offset operational or General Fund expenses?

WALSH: Generous individuals who wish to support the library should feel confident that their legacy will be safely and respectfully administered by the library. While it is possible that original intentions can become no longer viable, all efforts should be exhausted prior to breaking a trust.  I feel that if Library Trustees have been carefully vetted and the process is public and transparent, there would be much less likelihood of such a process being a cause for misunderstanding and anger. Further, the Library should consider social entrepreneurship and increased fundraising efforts to offset the decrease in state and federal funding that many non-profit organizations are facing in the current fiscal climate. As Mayor, I intend to review all city property and resources to ensure the best allocation of resources throughout all the departments.

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STABILIZING LIBRARY FUNDING:Between 2008 and 2010 no one from the BPL or the city advocated for Boston’s library funding at the Legislature, so state funding declined. Trustees, moreover, who are appointed exclusively by the mayor, tend to not oppose mayoral proposals to cut the library budget, or fight for library budget increases, adding to the financial decline of the BPL. Would you support a dedicated tax for public libraries as part of the property tax, or come up with another fiscal instrument, to ensure a long-term strategy to  stabilize and expand the BPL budget to meet the exponential growth in demand for library services and community space? 

WALSH: Before considering additional taxes for the library, I would like to review the current budget of the library and ensure that it is operating in a fiscally responsible manner. Since ensuring a high quality education is key to my administration, I would not foresee considering cuts to library services. Just as I have pledged to provide universal pre-K education to all 4 year olds, I intend to make sure that libraries are open and available in all the neighborhoods to support this. While it is valuable to have lobbying services for the library, the people of Boston are the most powerful lobbyists themselves. When there was the threat of cuts to the library, they made their voices heard. I stood firm in the legislature to support the neighborhood branches, and I would do so even more firmly as Mayor. I would look forward to working with Library Administration and the Trustees to ensure a healthy and long-term plan for the expansion and success of the entire BPL system.

Which of the Mayoral Candidates Will Give Bostonians the Best Public Library System? Seven Public-Library Questions for the Mayoral Candidates: What Are Yours?

Boston is fortunate to have two contenders in the mayoral race who denounced  the branch library closings proposed by Mayor Menino in 2010. 

Mayoral Candidate John Connolly

John Connolly spoke out against the proposal to shutter up to a third of the BPL’s branches when he was at-large city councillor. And Marty Walsh, as state representative of the 13th District, was part of the Boston delegation that threatened to cut millions in state funding to the BPL should any branch libraries be closed. And none were closed. However, the BPL is still a weak system, battered by decades of neglect, opaque decision-making, under-funding, and a leadership structure that is largely dependent on the good graces of  the mayor of Boston. So here are  seven questions for John Connolly and Marty Walsh, the answers to which may help you decide who could be the BPL’s knight in shining armor and give Bostonians the stellar library system they deserve.

LIBRARY HOURS: the 25 branch libraries, which service the vast majority of  625,000 Bostonians, are closed most evenings, Sundays and, in summer, Saturdays as well. The Copley Library, however, within walking distance of the 20,000 residents of the Back Bay, is open four nights a week, Saturdays and, except in the summer,  Sundays.  In other words, most of Boston's residents and their families whose taxes pay for the BPL, can't use their local library when they are off work. As mayor, will you make sure all libraries in the system are open nights and weekends to reflect the specific need for local access?

Mayoral Candidate Marty Walsh

LIBRARY GOVERNANCE: BPL trustees can approve budgets, hire or fire BPL presidents, close libraries or keep them open. Yet, there are no required standards of professional library expertise or library advocacy  to be appointed to the nine-member BPL board of trustees. There are no term limits. There is no requirement to show up at public meetings (and some trustees seldom do). There is no public vetting process for library trustees, nor a public confirmation process to make sure the library gets the best advocates possible to meet the public's needs. Board seats do not reflect specific library interests, either, as is the case elsewhere: for example, the interests of branch libraries differ from those of the Copley Library;  young adults have different needs than seniors; book acquisition specialists have different concerns than book or art conservators. As mayor, would you set standards for library trustees and their performance, and consider appointing those who would be qualified advocates for specific library and neighborhood concerns?

LIBRARY CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS: Which local libraries get renovated, or where new ones are built, is governed by mysterious forces. There is no transparent long-term capital plan, nor  is a specific public process in place, by which libraries are upgraded equitably, or  new ones built where needed, or handicapped-accessibility ensured.  As mayor, will you institute a transparent and fair capital plan to upgrade all BPL libraries equitably where needed, or build new ones, as part of a public process?

BUILDING NEW LIBRARIES: Downtown Crossing is increasing its residential footprint. It is also a transportation hub where many young adults from all over the city hang out with little to do. As such, they can become easy targets for unfair and unneccesary criminalization by law enforcement. Nearby Chinatown, moreover, lost its library decades ago. As mayor, would you consider building an architecturally exciting downtown library with an outstanding young-adult department and a strong Asian profile that also replaces the long-lost Chinatown branch?

THE BPL FOUNDATION

: the BPL fundraising arm was created to repair the McKim building almost two decades ago, and will target its future campaign on the long-overdue Johnson Building renovation. It does not focus on branch libraries, however, or their local Friends groups' capital-improvement issues. But branches could use the Foundation's help. The East Boston Meridian library branch, for example, has 14 iconic WPA paintings that will cost $150,000 to restore before they can be installed in the new East Boston library. Their tiny Friends group is left on its own to raise the funds for it.

As mayor, would you direct the BPL Foundation to expand its mission and assist local Friends groups who want to preserve cultural and historic landmarks of importance to their neighborhood libraries?

LIBRARY TRUST FUNDS: these are meant to enrich the public library beyond capital and operational allocations from the city's General Fund, not to substitute for it. But in the case of the disputed Kirstein Business branch closing in 2009, two Kirstein trust funds that paid for the maintenance of that building and its collection, are now used to offset operational expenses at the Copley Library. How? Trustees approved moving the business collection out of the Kirstein's own beautiful building and into the dank basement of the Copley Library.  The emptied Kirstein library building, located on prime real estate downtown, moreover, is used by the city for office space, at no obvious benefit to the BPL. As mayor, how will you ensure that library trust funds are used for library enrichment only, not to offset operational or General Fund expenses?

STABILIZING LIBRARY FUNDING:Between 2008 and 2010 no one from the BPL or the city advocated for Boston's library funding at the Legislature, so state funding declined. Trustees, moreover, who are appointed exclusively by the mayor, tend to not oppose mayoral proposals to cut the library budget, or fight for library budget increases, which further destabilizes the financial picture at the BPL. Would you support a dedicated tax for public libraries as part of the property tax, or come up with another fiscal instrument, to ensure a long-term strategy to  stabilize and expand the BPL budget to meet the exponential growth in demand for library services and community space? 

BPL Trustees Vote to Accept More Than Half a Million in Gifts to Library System, Including a $6,700 Donation by FOSEL to Make the SE Branch Fully Handicapped Accessible

At their most recent public meeting at the Adams Street Library in Dorchester, the BPL trustees voted to accept $503, 078.96 worth of donations during the 2013 fiscal year from different sources, including the MA Library Commissioners' Board ($147,350), Harvard University ($5,900), library patrons and many library Friends groups. Among them was a gift of $6,700 raised by FOSEL to make the South End branch fully handicapped accessible. FOSEL's was the next-to-largest gift to the BPL in the fiscal year, exceeded only by a donation from the Citywide Friends of the BPL for more than $28,000 for a variety of goals, including museum passes and audio-visual equipment.

Head librarian Anne Smart and FOSEL board member Glyn Polson at newly refurbished library counter; library clerk Deborah Madrey is behind the counter.

The official gifts to the BPL are only part of the story of local contributions to neighborhood libraries, suggesting a fertile source for fundraising should the BPL Foundation suddenly wake up and decide to partner withbranch libraries on matters of concern to neighborhood patrons. For example, a previous FOSEL board member paid more than $7,000 to have the library's oak tables restored several years ago, something that was never entered in the BPL's Gifts Received book. FOSEL also installed and maintains plantings in the tree pits around the library to the tune of thousands of dollars. FOSEL had the rugs cleaned. We refurbished the very popular seating area for yet more thousands. We purchased a lectern, book displays and computer tables, among other items. (We have asked the BPL several times to replace the broken pavement in front of the library, thus far without results. We also requested the five oaks in Library Park be trimmed, as their dead limbs and branches present a danger to park users. So far, no results.)

Most recently, FOSEL paid for a complete refurbishing of the South End branch's library counter. The wooden surface not only looked old and worn but also caused splinters in the hands of the staff  when checking books in and out. The red vinyl upholstery facing the patrons was faded and torn, with the foam backing hanging out. Thanks to the excellent work  of local contractor Jack Crane and long-time South End upholsterer John Egan, the counters are gleaming and smooth, the upholstery beautifully installed, and  the staff is thrilled. FOSEL spent about $3,000 for the project, funds raised from you, our neighbors and supporters. A special thanks to long-time library volunteer Virginia Eskin, who brought the deteriorated counter to our attention and pushed us to get it done.

Danielle Legros Georges's Reading of her Recent Work Ranged Far and Wide, Including Translations from the French of Haitian Poet Ida Faubert

The first South End Writes guest of the season, Danielle Legros Georges, found a small but attentive audience that, by the time the reading was over, had become mesmerized by the poet's performance. Novelist Sue Miller, who introduced the Haitian-born writer she first met while serving with her on the Pen New England board, characterized the poet's 2001 book, Maroon, as one "it was necessary to have,"  the poems giving her "more pleasure each time I read them." Miller described Legros Georges's poems as deeply varied in both tone and subject, ranging from the ironic to the elegiac to the openly political; from the diaspora of the immigrant experience to the simple act of showering with a lover. Legros Georges read from Maroon, as well as newer work, including poetry by the 19th-century Haitian poet, Ida Faubert. Legros Georges, who is also an essayist and translator, read these first in French, then in English. Faubert was a daughter of a colonial Haitian president in the late 19th century, and is considered a major author in Haiti's literary cannon. She received the prestigious Chevalier de l'Ordre Honneur et Merite from the French government in 1956.

DLG

A powerful rendition of a poem Legros Georges composed about the catastrophic 2010 earthquake in Haiti, Intersection, consisted of one phrase, read some dozen times at varied intensity, with the poet's hands slowly rising. The phrase was, The earth shook; a portal opened; I walked though it. For those few minutes, the audience walked through the portal with Legros Georges, known for her dynamic performances, into the ash and earth.

The South End Writeshas booked another poet, Colin D. Halloran, who served with the U.S. Army in Afghanistan in 2006.  A former public school teacher, Colin works with students and teachers to find ways in which poetry can inform the media’s and historians’ portrayals of war. His debut collection of poems, Shortly Thereafter, won the 2012 Main Street Rag Poetry Book Award. His reading is scheduled for Tuesday, April 8, 2014.

FOSEL's Final Summer Concert on Aug. 27 with WeJazzUp and Vocalists Pat Loomis and Wali Ali Had a Large Crowd Dancing in Library Park

Dancing with WeJazzUp in Library Park

There couldn't have been a better ending to the four jazz and blues concerts in Library Park last Tuesday. The weather was Vintage South End Summer Night: balmy bordering on the sultry. Locals hung out on their roof decks, back decks, stoops and sidewalk benches. Well over a hundred people were sitting on boulders and chairs, standing around clapping to the beat, hanging over the fences. Some just got off the Number 43 bus going down Tremont Street to find out what the fuss in the park was all about.

Others came down from their roof decks when they heard the music start up with WeJazzUp, featuring pianist Frank Wilkins and vocalists Pat Loomis and Wali Ali. When Loomis started to sing On Broadway, the crowd became electrified; by the time Wali Ali --formerly the lead guitarist for The Temptations-- got around to the last song of the evening, Let's Stay Together, a crowd was dancing on the worn-out pavement of Library Park.

WeJazzUp with Pat Loomis and Wali Ali

Two young women who brought over platters of delicious wraps and sandwiches, free, from California Pizza Kitchen: They had spent many happy hours in the South End Library as children; now they wanted 'to give back.' FOSEL volunteers sliced up four watermelons. Measured by the number of watermelons consumed starting with the first performance on July 9 (two watermelons) to the second and third (three watermelons), the final concert was, among other things, a four-watermelon night.

Apart from the WeJazzUp appearance on August 27, the series featured Pat Loomis and Friends (July 9), Zeke Martin and Oracle (July 23), and the Charlie Brown Blues Band (August 13).  It was sponsored by FOSEL and funded by the Ann H. Symington Foundation. We thank the staff of the South End Library and head librarian Anne Smart for their support. And we thank the volunteers who set up the chairs, put them back, plugged in extension cords, cleaned up the debris, purchased the watermelons and passed slices around.

And special thanks to graphic designer Mary Owens who produced the beautiful posters for the concerts. Next year....more concerts

Tonight's Concert with WeJazzUp and Vocalists Wali Ali and Pat Loomis Will Take Place Outdoors in Library Park OR Indoors, Inside the Library

WeJazzUp with Frank Wilkins

Today's variable weather will not deter WeJazzUpfrom performing tonight's gig, the last in the series of four Jazz and Blues concerts sponsored by FOSEL. The band, with pianist Frank Wilkins, will have the first two vocalists of the season, one none other thanWali Ali, whose musical credits in addition to singing include having been the lead guitarist for The Temptations, Eddie Kendricks, Teena Marie, Rick James  Patrice Rushen, Marvin Gaye, The Jacksons, Aretha Franklin, The Undisputed Truth and Norman Connors. The second singer is the musically versatile saxophonist Pat Loomis,who helped organize the summer series. His son, Antonio, performed two weeks ago in Library Park with the award-winning Charlie Brown Blues Band, which showcased five Boston Arts Academy music students. 

The concerts are free. Bring chairs. Enjoy the sliced watermelon provided by FOSEL. The Jazz and Blues series is funded by a generous donation by the Ann H. Symington Foundation. The park is located on Tremont Street between West Newton Street and Rutland Square. Seating is limited. The music starts at 6:30 PM and ends around 8:00 PM. Restrooms are available inside the library which is open on Tuesday nights. The South End branch is fully handicapped accessible. 

Finally: a Self-Checkout Machine Will Come to the South End Library Soon, to Be Combined with Patrons' Shelves for "Holds"

Self-checkout for Kids in the Minneapolis-Hennepin County Library System

Self-checkout machines will be coming to the BPL's branches at last, and to the South End branch specifically, within the next few months. "We'd hoped to have one installed by July," reported Christine Schonhart, BPL's Director of Branch Library Services, "but the bidding process stalled because the machine that was offered didn't work with our new Integrated Library System." Schonhart hopes a compatible self-checkout can be installed this fall, and to combine it with a 'self-hold' shelf where patrons can pick up the materials they ordered on-line. Among other advantages, a 'self-hold' area increases patrons' personal privacy about what materials they check out.  The news about the acquisition of self-service equipment is part of the BPL's recent Branch Facilities Review, which focuses on the extent to which the branches are equipped to provide library services.

Why it took so long for the BPL to get up to speed with self-service technology can be attributed, in part, to the cost of the machines and the persistent under-funding of the public library system in Boston. Many other cities endowed their libraries with self-checkouts years ago, freeing up staff to do more high-octane tasks. The arrival of Amy Ryan as president of the BPL in 2008 may have pushed the issue to the fore since her previous employer, the Minneapolis-Hennepin County Library system, had self-checkouts in all its locations, including pint-sized versions in the Children's Departments, where the littlest generation learned self-checkout as they learned to pull favorite books off the shelf.

Two BPL trustees, current chair Jeff Rudman, and former trustee  A. Raymond Tye --who passed away in 2010,-- generously paid for the first few BPL self-checkout machines from their personal funds a couple of  years ago. These  self-checkout machines are located in the Johnson building's entrance hall, sometimes hard to notice in the cavernous space that makes up that  part of the downtown library, a problem that will hopefully be remedied soon with BPL plans to renovate the Johnson Building. At the time, the trustees were told each machine would cost about $25,000 but the price tag ranges anywhere from $20,000 to more than one million dollars, according to industry information. This YouTube video link explains how to use them.

The BPL  self-checkouts in the Johnson Building, too, are combined with a self-hold area where library users can pick up the library treasure they ordered. Self-checkout systems that enable patrons to pick up their own holds during regular library hours are among the most popular self-service offerings, according to a 2010 article on self-service options inLibrary Journal. The article also mentioned that shifting tasks to users freed up staff to do other responsibilities, including a chronic backup from growing circulation.

The Third of the Summer's Library Park Jazz-and-Blues Concert Will Take Place Tuesday, August 13 at 6:30 PM, Featuring the Award-winning Charlie Brown Blues Band

the Charlie Bown Blues Band Concert August 13

FOSEL ordered dry weather for the Charlie Brown Blues Band concert on Tuesday, August 13, something  we forgot to do for the Zeke Martin and Oracle performance on July 23, with the predictable result. We were rained out. The event had to move inside the South End library where drummer Martin's high-octane performance may have left the book shelves slightly out of place.But since the alternative was no music at all, some two dozen jazz-and-blues aficionados braved the branch's cookbook section, chick-lit paperback displays, librarians' desks and  DVD racks to squeeze themselves into the make-shift rows of chairs. Then they sat back as the library turned into a sound stage. It was worth it.

In addition to drummer Zeke Martin, the Oracle band showcased bass player Joseph Sumrell; guitarist Scott Tarulli; and Rusty Hughes on keyboard.  The playlist included one of the band's favorites, "In the Middle," composed by Sumrell, followed by "Traffic," a creation by Hughes, featuring the sensational Martin drumming segment that left the library's furniture slightly ashake. It was followed by a nice rendering of Bob Hebb's "Sunny," which led into "Skinny," from Martin's first CD, Landscapes.  "Shade Dance," which came next, is another number composed by a band member, guitarist Tarulli; the final two were "In Motion." from the Martin CD Funky Stuff; and "It Ain't You," from their latest CD, Four. No, there were no copies available for sale. "I forgot. Don't tell my wife," said Zeke Martin. "She'll kill me."

Joe Sumrell and drummer Zeke Martin

The Charlie Brown Blues Band, playing at 6:30 PM on Tuesday, August 13, is made up of  a group of five highschool students from the Boston Arts Academy.They include Faraday Julien Fontimus, Christoff Glaude, Leshawn Harris, Antonio Shiel-Loomis and Joshua Sutherland. This year, the band won the 2013 Fidelity Investments Young Artists Competition and played with the Boston Pops at Symphony Hall on May 29. You may recall Antonio Shiel-Loomis, the son of saxophonist Pat Loomis, who played guitar for the first summer concert performance in Library Park on July 9.

The concerts are free. Bring chairs. Enjoy the sliced watermelon provided by FOSEL. Check this web site for weather-related changes. The Jazz and Blues series is funded by a generous donation by the Ann H. Symington Foundation.

The final concert will be on Tuesday, August 27 at 6:30 PM with  pianist Frank Wilkin's group, WeJazzUp.

Phil Gambone's June 18 Talk Tracing His Father's WWII Route Concluded the 2012-2013 SE Writes; New Season to Resume September 10 with Poet Danielle LeGros Georges

Among the bric-a-brac left by author Phil Gambone's  father, a soldier in the Fifth Armored Victory Division that landed in Normandy in July 1944, were a handful of souvenir maps of the route the soldiers took when they fought themselves across occupied Europe, from Utah Beach to Berlin. But when they actually did the fighting and dying, they didn't know where they were. It was a closely held secret until they received the souvenir maps when the war was over in May 1945. War secrets ended, but silence about the war took its place. The father was unable to speak of what he experienced during that war; the son acquired silences of his own, as a gay man, and a student at Harvard during the 1960s who was opposed to the Vietnam War. Unfolding the story embedded in his father's war mementos and the unfinished business of who father and son were as men became the subject of Gambone's latest book-in-progress, As Far As I Can Tell: Retracing my Father's WWII Route Across Europe. 

Phil Gambone -2-

As the last author of the 2012-2013 South End Writes series, Gambone described his father as a man of few words, even before the war. He was too shy to ask the vivacious young woman who became  Gambone's mother to marry him: she had to ask (and he immediately accepted). While other GIs sent copious mail home, Gambone's dad left a paltry record of six greeting cards. Gambone since discovered that the reluctance to talk about the war is universal among veterans, even those who fought the so-called good war that brought victory. "There seemed to be no way to connect the carnage they had seen with the civil life they lived afterward," Gambone told the spell-bound audience at the South End Library in June. "Your father said the war was horrible," his mother told him. But in retracing the route of the Fifth Armored in Europe during several trips in the last few years, Gambone said his  father revealed himself  as a man of courage and stamina, and the author began to berate himself for the lack of attention he had paid paid to his dad.

They would meet regularly at The Wursthaus in Cambridge for lunch, but Gambone said he felt they didn't have a lot in common. "The lunches were uncomfortable, stiff," he said. "I wish now we'd talked more but then our conversations were perfunctory." The quest to understand his father became one about finding himself and discovering his own values. He reminded himself that despite the vast destruction that played out in Europe during the Second World War, the same continent was also known for what it had built in previous centuries: transportation networks, exquisite buildings, museums, cathedrals, bridges. Following in his father's steps, he also had to acknowledge what it was that he himself valued, what he one day might want to fight for, thereby, as he put it, " unlocking the silence of each of the men we came to be."

=============

Poet Danielle Legros Georges

The next SOUTH END WRITES series will resume Tuesday, September 10, with a reading by Haitian-American poet Danielle Legros Georges.  The essayist and translator is the author of a book of poems, Maroon (Curbstone Press, 2001). Her work has appeared

in numerous literary journals and anthologies, and been featured on National Public Radio, The Bill Moyers Journal (PBS), and The Voice of America programs. Her awards for writing include MacDowell Colony and LEF fellowships, and the PEN New England Discovery Award. She is a visiting faculty member of the William Joiner Center, University of Massachusetts Boston, and leads the Greater Brockton Society for Poetry and the Arts Poetry Workshop.

FOSEL HAS ALSO BOOKED THE FOLLOWING AUTHORS:

Tuesday, October 1: George Cuddy, who wrote the e-book Where Hash Rules, about Charlie's Sandwich Shoppe  on Columbus Avenue, famous for many reasons, most recently the visit by President Barack Obama who ordered a cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato,  mustard and fries to go, while in town for a fundraiser.

Tuesday, October 22: bestselling thriller writer Joe Finder, author of among other books Paranoia, Company Men, Killer Instinct and Power Play. The movie version of Paranoia is scheduled for release in a theater near you in August.  It is directed by Robert Luketic and stars Liam Hemsworth, Gary Oldman, Harrison Ford, Lucas Till, Amber Heard, Embeth Davidtz, Julian McMahon, Josh Holloway and Richard Dreyfuss.

Wednesday, November 13: Megan Marshall,  author of the award-winning The Peabody Sisters, will read from her most recent biography, the widely praised Margaret Fuller: a New American Life. Those of you who attended the dynamic SEWrites reading by April Bernard(Miss Fuller) in February may recall her admiring comments about the upcoming Fuller biography by Marshall.

Tuesday, December 3: J. Courtney Sullivan, bestselling author and former New York Times writer whose novels include Commencement,Maine  -- winner of the Best Book of the Year by Time magazine-- and, most recently, The Engagegements.

Tuesday, January 14, 2014: South Ender Christopher Castellani, whose recent novel All This Talk of Love got a great review in the New York Times Book Review earlier this year. Previous work includes A Kiss from Maddalena, winner of the 2004 Massachusetts Book Award, and The Saint of Lost Things, a BookkSense Notable Award. Castellani is the artistic director of Boston's creative-writing center Grub Street.

Tuesday, February 25: novelist, short-story writer, editor and teacher of creative writing, Michael Lowenthal will read fromhis most recent The Paternity Test, which describes the voyage of a gay couple trying to save a marriage by having a baby. His previous work includes Charity Girl and The Same Embrace. During Lowenthal's valedictorian speech at Dartmouth College in 1990, he revealed he was gay, prompting The Dartmouth Review to editorialize that he had 'ruined the ceremony.' The New York Times reported he received a standing ovation, however, so all was not lost.

Library Pop Quiz: Which of Five Activities Took Place at the South End Branch Last Tuesday, July 9?

Written and reported by Ruth Rothstein, FOSEL board member  

POP QUIZ!

Quick, take out a sheet of paper and number one through five. Which of these activities were taking place Tuesday night July 9 at the South End Library?

A Library Park crowd for Pat Loomis on July 9

1. A Jazz concert featuring a well-known local jazz band

2. A Shakespeare reading from an upcoming production of the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company

3. An Art Opening Reception of new paintings, old masters’ style

4. A meeting of local politicos strategizing for the upcoming city-wide elections that includes a once-in-two-decades mayoral race

5. All of the Above!

Did you get an A? Yes, all of these activities were taking place under one roof of the BPL’s South End branch Tuesday evening on Tremont Street, each one free and accessible to the public: the Pat Loomis jazz concert took place in the library’s park next door; Zen O’Connor’s art exhibit was on display on the first floor; Judith Klau’s talk about Two Gentlemen of Verona settled in the upstairs community room; and the politicos’ Ward 4 Democratic meeting featuring Rep. Byron Rushing and at-large City Council candidate Michelle Wu, among other luminaries, brainstormed in the Children’s Room.

“A plethora of riches,” said Helaine Simmons of East Springfield Street.

“Something for everyone,” Margie Cohen of West Brookline Street observed.

“Every corner, crack and cranny, there was something going on,“ cracked  library regular John Jones of West Newton Street.

Whether your cultural tastes skew towards music, theater, art or politics, that night of July 9 the South End library offered residents a taste of all of these: and you didn’t have to leave the neighborhood. Once again, our local library proves itself an invaluable resource for all. As this month continues, on Tuesday, July 16th artist Zen O'Conor will give a gallery talk illuminating his work. The next FOSEL-sponsored jazz concert with Zeke Martin and Oracle is scheduled for 6:30 the evening of July 23rd. Don’t miss out, be sure to include the SE Library in your summer plans.

Tuesday Night, July 9, at the SE Library Means: Jazz with Pat Loomis in Library Park; an Artist Talk by Painter Zen O'Conor Inside; and Henna Tatoos with Nimmi Sehgal, if This Is Still Not Good Enuf

Tuesday July 9 by 6:30 PM the South End branch should be hopping: Pat Loomis and his band will kick of FOSEL's first steps into the summer-concert scene at Library Park, weather permitting. Check this web site for last-minute cancelations should the  thunderstorm system roving over New England  decide to hit on defenseless library patrons..

Zen Conor at his easel

Indoors, also at 6:30 PM, Scottish artist Zen O’Conor will open his show of oil paintings with a talk about his work. O'Conor, who lives in the Piano Craft Guild artist building, was trained in classic French and Flemish oil painting techniques and will show his work at the library during July. In August, he'll return to Scotland to teach at the Gallery of Realist Art.

Nimmi Seghal's Henna Tatoos

Finally, should neither music nor art exhibits catch your fancy, how about a henna tatoo from Nimmi Seghal? Check this link for details. Ms. Seghal has delivered tatoos at the branch previously and, should you miss her on Tuesday July 9,  is scheduled to return to the South End Library on August 27 at 6:30 PM.

Both the jazz concert and the henna tatoo event have been sponsored by FOSEL, that means YOU, and many thanks for that. The art exhibit was organized by members of the Piano Factory, a group that supports local artists, with support of the staff of the South End Library. All events are free. For further questions, call the library staff at 617 536-8241.

LAST MINUTE ADDITION: South End resident and Shakespeare fan Judith Klau will talk about Two Gentlemen of Verona on Tuesday, July 9 at 6:30 PM in the upstairs conference room, which is wheelchair accessible.  This play will be performed at the Boston Common until July 26 in a production by the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company.

BPL Leadership Tells Landmarks Commissioners its Johnson Building's Protected Design Stands in the Way of Delivering 21st-Century Library Services

BPL Central Library's building, encased by a chastity belt of granite plinths, creating an unwelcoming, defensive street image

The BPL campaign to dramatically revamp Copley Library's evil twin, otherwise known as the Johnson building,  gathered significant steam last Tuesday when the Library's executives, trustees and hired architects pleaded with the Boston Landmarks Commission to not have the building's landmark designation stand in the way of critically needed changes. The cavernous 1972 addition to the beloved and mostly restored McKim Building of the Central Library in Copley Square has long been criticized for its unwelcoming, gloomy and hard-to-navigate space. The BPL recently requested public comments about the building; hundreds were received, mostly negative, some scathing, others thoughtful and expressing hope for a better library.

That hope may be rewarded or quashed by the 17-member Boston Landmarks Commission in whose hands rests the landmark status of the four areas of the Johnson building targeted for change. They include most of the 97 vertical plinths strapped around the site  like a granite chastity belt; the Boylston Street lobby, visually maimed by both Soviet-style security apparatus and walls that prevent easy interior access to the McKim building; Deferrari Hall, located in the center where a lonely BPL reference desk librarian holds sway; as well as the entire Central Library block --including its landscaping, now squeezed between the plinths and the building-- where the one-million-square-foot structure designed by acclaimed late-modernist architect Philip Johnson is located on Boylston Street at Exeter.

"The Johnson building never worked," BPL president Amy Ryan told the Landmark commissioners. "It doesn’t engage the

visitor, it is not connected to the streetscape, it needs to improve navigation and create a space that is inviting. It should make itself into a true destination for people from Boston, the state and all over the world. There aren’t enough restrooms, there’s a lack of connection between the buildings, the lobby isn’t good. For a city of the this stature, we can do better. This is the moment to make the Boston library the best in the world."

William Rawn Associates, the architects working with the BPL to breathe new life into the Central Library,  hopes to get approval for proposed changes that, while early in the design process, have already been received enthusiastically by the BPL which has held a handful of public meetings on the subject since late last year.  The renovations include taking down the granite plinths on Boylston and Exeter streets --leaving the ones on Blagden Street-- so as to visually reconnect the interior of the library  to the exterior life on the streets; replacing the Boylston-Street  mullioned single-pane windows of the so-called Boston Room with high-performing clear glass without mullions; and removing the lobby's interior walls to open up the space for, among other improvements, easy access to the McKim building and newly designed book-browsing and exhibit areas. Initial digital designs of the reconfigured street-level space showed a bustling area transformed by clear signage, warm-colored materials, numerous informational meeting points and even a wavey ceiling.

Both the chairman of the Library Board, attorney Jeff Rudman, and trustee Rep. Byron Rushing, who as a South End legislator represents the largest Victorian landmark district in the country, made the case to the Landmark commissioners that the Library's mission, "Free to All," is undermined by the current design of the Johnson building. "There are two landmarks before you,"  Rudman told the commissioners. "One is the Johnson building; the other is the tradition of a democratic education as envisioned by the founders of the library. The Johnson building in its current state does not fulfill the intent of the library’s founders. It’s not welcoming. It says, ‘stay back.'” Rudman, who several years ago spearheaded Mayor Thomas Menino's unfortunate's efforts to close up to a third of the BPL's branches, eloquently completed last Tuesday's testimony by pointing out that in today's era of growing economic inequality, the library can be the 'first responder.' “I am asking you to join with us to fight inequality. It can’t be done if you won’t come in. Preserving the tradition of self-education is more important than plinths,” he suggested to the commissioners.

Johnson Building Improvement Project's Graphic Design of Hundreds of Public-Comments

For their part, the Landmark commissioners listened respectfully but expressed concerns about design elements that mattered 'should not be thrown away.' "Buildings are landmarked for a reason," one commissioner pointed out, adding that the plinths, for example, matched design elements of the McKim building. But Boston Architectural College president, Ted Landsmark, testified in response that a number of Philip Johnson's iconic buildings were subsequently modified for 'utilitarian and esthetic reasons,' including the Elmer Holms Bobst library at New York University. Commissioners also focused on the future of libraries in general, to which BPL president Ryan responded  that both digitization and foot traffic had vastly increased in libraries everywhere. Replacing mullioned glass windows with glass walls that has no mullions brought some questions, and having functional and  programmatic unity for the different elements of the proposed uses of space  inside the library was another issue.

The Johnson Building Improvement Project has thus far benefited from full-throated political and budgetary supported by outgoing Mayor Menino. Also in play is the deep public-library expertise of the architectural firm of William Rawn  (Cambridge Public Library, Mattapan, East Boston, and even the New York Public Library in the 1980s) as well as an engaged and well-connected eight-member Community Advisory Committee of downtown residents established under the BPL's strategic plan.

An important and controversial aspect of the project involves unresolved details surrounding the commercialization of some of the street-level publicly owned space in the Johnson building on Exeter and Boylston Streets. Lower-level areas around the Rabb Lecture Hall are also seen as possibilities for functions that could generate income for the BPL. So far, the word has been that any commercialization has to be "mission compatible" with the library's. The Children's Library, currently located at street level target for commercialization, will be more than doubled in size and move to the light-flooded second floor, with its own elevator access. An up-to-date teen space would be moved to that level, as well.

The BPL's application for approval to landmarked spaces will take up to five months. Regular updates will be available on both the BPL and  the FOSEL web sites. Previous FOSEL coverage includes these links, one and two. The illustrated word posters were created by the BPL based on the many public comments received about the Johnson building. 

Four Jazz and Blues Concerts Will Be Coming to Library Park in July and August, Starting Tuesday, July 9, at 6:30 PM, with Pat Loomis and His Band

Jazz and Blues in Lbrary Park 2013

Last summer's outdoor jazz concert with saxophonist Pat Loomis received such enthusiastic response that FOSEL decided to organize a small jazz and blues music series with two concerts each in July (the 9th and the 23rd) and August (the 13th and the 27th). Loomis himself recruited three other bands. A generous local donor paid for the concerts. The Boston Parks Department issued the permits. A long extension cord  will allow the bands to move from the space-with-the-cracked-sidewalk between the South End Library and Library Park into the park itself. All  you have to do is come when the music commences and...enjoy.  Loomis will play the first concert on July 9.

The second July performance will feature Oracle, with drummer Zeke Martin. The son of American jazz drummer Stu Martin, Zeke claims he was born with drumsticks in his hands but further developed his technique in the Jazz & Percussion Ensembles and Band when he attended Cambridge Rindge & Latin High School. He received the Pasquale and Mary Reale Music Award and performed the percussion solo at the CRLS Graduation. His band, The Zeke Martin Project, won Best Jazz CD at New England Urban Music Awards in 2009. Zeke coaches drumming and teaches at Music and Arts Center in Newton and Milford, and at Northeastern University.

The August concerts on the 13th and 27th are showcasing, respectively,  The Charlie Brown Blues Band and WeJazzUp with Frank Wilkins at the keyboard. The Charlie Brown Blues Band, a group of five highschool students from the Boston Arts Academy, won the 2013 Fidelity Investments Young Artists Competition and played with the Boston Pops at Symphony Hall on May 29.

The four events are free and open to all. They will take place on Tuesdays when the South End library is open at night, which means restroom facilities will be available.