Geneva library honors volunteers for their service

Volunteers for the Geneva Public Library received a tribute and recognition for their efforts at a brunch March 29 at Riverside Receptions.

The volunteers help the library realize its mission of contributing to the intellectual, social, cultural, and recreational growth of individuals in Geneva, said library director Christine Lazaris.

Activities of Friends of Geneva Public Library, Geneva Library Foundation, and the Geneva Library Board of Trustees include: sorting books and running book sales; raising money; organizing educational programs; providing governance to the library; making deliveries to homebound residents; helping library staff with data entry and inventory; and cleaning the stacks.

The Friends, for instance, have funded numerous technology requests such as iPads, projectors, flat screens, green screens, and more.

The Friends also funded a request for newspaper and magazine acrylic display boxes, which are popular with library patrons.

The foundation raises money to build a permanent fund for the library and also organizes educational programs for the community. Recent programs have covered topics ranging from Frank Lloyd Wright's work in Geneva, to how to interpret cemetery art symbolism, travel to Australia, and black holes.

The trustees govern day-to-day operations, provide financial stewardship, and work to plan for the future of the library. Next month, the library will begin drafting a three-year strategic plan and will work with an architectural firm that specializes in library planning to conduct an objective, demographic based Library Needs Assessment. The analysis will help the board identify long-term space requirements related to providing services, programs, and technology to library district residents in the 21st century.

As part of the event, Martina Mathisen portrayed Marie Antoinette in a dramatization of the book, "Marie Antoinette The Journey" by Antonia Fraser.