May Meeting - Monday the 4th

The Friends will holds its next meeting on Monday, May 4, at 9 a.m. in the library's Community Room. All are welcome to attend. Topics to discuss include events for the remainder of the year, as well as planning into the fall. Following the meeting, a subcommittee will meet to discuss next year's membership materials.

Special Thursday Afternoon Tea Honoring Ellie Herd on May 7

Few can remember a time when Ellie Herd was not a presence at the Dover Library. For 30 years, Ellie, who is Head of Technical Services, has been helping library patrons and enriching their lives. Please join the Board of Library Trustees, the Friends of the Dover Library and the library staff as they honor Ellie at a special Thursday Afternoon Tea on May 7, from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. In addition to a presentation chronicling her contributions and experiences at the library, the public is invited to come share memories of Ellie. Please join us as we honor and celebrate a woman who has given so much to the Dover Library and is an integral part of the our community.

GIFT BASKET DETAILS

The silent auction for the baskets ends on April 30, just in time for Mother's Day. The one exception is the end date for "Send in the Clowns", which ends April 16 due to ticket dates - a great school vacation distraction! Check them out at the library!

KIDDING AROUND - Est. Value $110

• 2 Passes to Santa's Village ($48 value)
  
• Dinosaur 
  
• The Grapes of Math by Greg Tang
  
• Fun Book
  
• 365 TV-Free Things to Do With Your Child
  
• Ugly Doll Card Game
  
• Hot Chocolate (for when all else fails!)
  

A-MAZE-ING DIVERSIONS - Est. Value $160

• 2 one-day passes to Six Flags ($83.98 value)
  
• Pass for 4 to Davis Farmland and Mega Maze ($68 value)
  
• Transformers 3D Puzzle
  
• CD Game Collection: Atari Arcade; Ms. Pacman; I Spy Set - Spooky Mansion, School Days, Spooky Mansion Deluxe, Fantasy 
  
• 365 Outdoor Activities You Can Do With Your Child
  
• Brain Quest, 4th Grade
  

STAY-CATION IN BOSTON - Est. Value $130

• 2 Boston Duck Tours tickets ($60 value)
  
• 2 Passes to New England Aquarium ($38 value)
  
• Boston T-shirt (kids' size)
  
• Freedom Trail Guide
  
• Autographed copy of William Martin's Harvard Yard
  
• The Tourists by Jeff Hobbs
  
• Romantic Days and Nights in Boston
  

KITCHEN COLLECTION - Est. Value 140

• "Warm Weather is on the Way" dish towel
  
• 5 Bertucci's Bucks ($5 gift certificates)
  
• Italian kitchen garden
  
• Bumble bee scrubby
  
• The Fig Eater by Jody Shields
  
• Think Like a Chef by Tom Colicchio
  
• Kitchen Edition (the Library's own masterpiece cookbook)
  
• Flavored coffee sampler
  
• Set of 4 mini-souffle cups
  
• Winnie the Pooh baby dining set
  

TAKE CARE OF THE CAREGIVER! - Est. Value $160

• Day of pampering at Salon Mario Russo - hair cut, dry and manicure ($90 value)
  
• The Women's Encyclopedia of Health and Emotional Healing
  
• Zadie Smith on Beauty by Zadie Smith
  
• Organic Soy Candles in Jasmine Vanilla and Butter Cream (no calories!)
  
• Legacy Edition: The Stranger by Billy Joel (2 CD set with narrative)
  
• Nirvana Chocolates in a gold tote
  

BREAKFAST IN BED - Est. Value $60

• Trader Joe's Toasted Whole Grain O's
  
• Trader Joe's Smooth Mellow Blend whole bean coffee
  
• Trader Joe's Fresh Strawberry Preserves 
  
• Trader Joe's 100% Pure Maple Syrup, Medium Amber Grade A
  
• Nonni's Biscotti, Mint Chocolate
  
• Twinnings of London ceramic teapot in presentation case (great for storing your favorite teas)
  
• Three Cups of Tea: Jeni Fleming and Amira Mortenson's benefit CD for the school children of Pakistan and Afghanistan
  

KODAK MOMENTS - Est. Value $195

• Portait Simple portrait session and 6-sheet photo package ($135 value)
  
• 2 photo albums
  
• Wood and pewter photo frames
  
• Legacy Edition: The Stranger by Billy Joel (2 CD set with narrative)
  
• Nirvana Chocolates to put a smile on your face (who says "cheese" anyway?)
  

SEND IN THE CLOWNS - Est. Value $175

• 4 tickets to the Big Apple Circus ($156 value)
  
• Stuffed elephant that makes elephant noises
  
• Nirvana Chocolates
  

New Gift Baskets at the Library

The gift baskets are up! More details to follow but in the interim, check out the goodies - they are on display and can be bid on at the library. The Circus pack has an April 16 deadline (due to tickets - just in time for school vacation!) but the others have an end date of April 30 - a great Mother's Day opportunity or treat for yourself!

Ben Franklin at the Library

No joke!
A Benjamin Franklin impersonator came to the library on April 1 to perform "The Adventures of Benjamin Franklin" as part of the Friends' "Bringing History to Life" series for kids. Next week is Abigail Adams. The series is coordinated by the Friends and sponsored in part by a grant from the Dover Cultural Council, a local agency supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

$67.87: what makes 29th in expenditure rank #1 in quality.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2009/03/26/Book_values/

The Globe ran this as a graph last week, and compiled it from the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners' website. It looked better in the bar chart print version of the Globe, but what it is showing us is the per capita dollar spent by each town on its library.

The Dover Town Library ranks 29th for per capita expenditures in the state, but it's the top library for its size in the state. (The top of the range is $192.90--in Chilmark--which is quite a bit higher than $67.87) This tells us a couple of things: first of all, your tax dollars are getting VERY good value at the Dover Town Library. Second, your Library is making excellent use of its resources--you're getting a lot of bang for your buck. You can thank the staff, Director and Trustees for those advantages. And you should go to Town Meeting on the first Monday in May to support the Library's lines in the municipal budget.

The other thing that comes to mind when looking at statistics like these is the value--monetary and otherwise--contributed to the town through community involvement: by a strong Friends of the Library organization. This is where your support can make the biggest difference. Membership in the Friends is an easy way to support one of the best institutions in town, from the inside out.

Together, through civic engagement and private support, we've made the Dover Town Library a first-quality institution, at a remarkably lean cost. It pains me to say this, but it looks like your hard-earned dollars do better at the Library than they do in the Dow!