Friends of St. Thomas Public Libraries

For Immediate Release

Friends of St. Thomas Public Libraries:  Get the Smartest Card @ your library®

(Charlotte Amalie, USVI) – September is Library Card Sign-up Month, and the Friends of St. Thomas Public Libraries (FOSTPL) wants to make sure that all children in the territory have the smartest card of all – a library card.   This year’s spokesman is NBA star and Olympic medalist Dwyane Wade, who agrees that a library card is “the smartest card” in his wallet.

Public library programming and books for children make a difference in the lives of students. By providing school-age children with engaging programs and amazing collections, students from all backgrounds become excited and enthusiastic readers.

“As we all look forward to the grand opening of the St. Thomas Regional Library in Tutu,” says FOSTPL President Judy King-Edmeade,  “we’d like  to encourage everyone, young and old, to get a library card!  The library is a portal to a world filled with information, culture, history and education… and the best part is that it’s all free with a library card.”

Observed since 1987, Library Card Sign-up Month is a time when the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries across the country remind parents that a library card is the most important school supply of all.

Getting a library card is easy.  Visit your favorite branch with ID and proof of residency.  Visit www.virginislandspubliclibraries.org for a listing of libraries, hours and telephones.

Key to Knowledge @ Your Library

The Friends of St. Thomas Public Libraries (FOSTPL) organization is preparing to celebrate National Friends of Libraries Week (October 17 – 23, 2010) with the theme “Key to Knowledge @ Your Library”

FOSTPL members in good standing are asked to vote on a selection of proposed venues for the celebration location (October 17, 2010). Click here to vote on your choice for location.

National Library Week is an annual celebration promoted by the Association of Library Trustees, Advocates, Friends and Foundations (ALTAFF), formerly Friends of Libraries USA (FOLUSA).  The Friends of St. Thomas Public Libraries was established in 1982 and has hosted several community initiatives over the years while concurrently raising funds to support the Day Care Literacy Program, Hospital Library Cart, Summer Reading Program, Read on the Green and other activities.

• Read the official release at ALTAFF.org (PDF file)

Friends of St. Thomas Public Libraries (FOSTPL) is pleased to announce that the organization has won a Best Friends Award for “Special Project Publicity” (Public Library Friends Group without paid staff) from the Association of Library Trustees, Advocates, Friends and Foundations (ALTAFF) for 2010.  ALTAFF’s Best Friends Awards recognize Friends groups around the country for print and electronic materials that promote the group and its special programs and projects.

Related link:  ALTAFF official release on Best Friends Awards

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FOSTPL President Judy King-Edmeade at 2009 SRP Awards

The Summer Reading Program (SRP) will be on hiatus for 2010 due to required preparations for the debut of the St. Thomas Regional Library in Tutu.  SRP activities are supported by both the staff and facilities of the Enid M. Baa Public Library.  FOSTPL President and SRP Coordinator Judy King-Edmeade wishes all past and potential participants a healthy and happy summer filled with fun, constructive activities and looks forward to hosting the next Summer Reading Program at the new Library in Tutu.

Recommended:  Governor John P. de Jongh’s Summer Reading Challenge

Friends of St. Thomas Public Libraries (FOSTPL) is pleased to have been named a recipient of a Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands (CFVI) mini-grant for 2010 for its Books for Babies program proposal.

Books for Babies is a national initiative of the Association of Library Trustees, Advocates, Friends and Foundations (ALTAFF) that acquaints parents of newborns with the important role they play in the development of their children. Babies need human stimuli.  The Books for Babies program will be used locally to support the teaching of positive brain development through reading books and using age appropriate games and playing to develop arrange of skills to include fine and gross motor development, critical thinking and problem solving, and cooperative play. continue reading…