Most of my volunteer time involves the Friends and Foundation of the Albany Public Library. I’ve been on the Board since the merger of the Friends of the APL and the APL Foundation in 2020. Before that, I served on both the Foundation board and as an officer off and on for the Friends.
The purpose of the FFAPL is to provide “critical financial support to the Albany Public Library in order to help the Library provide education, literacy, career development, cultural enrichment, and lifelong learning.” The Friends and Foundation can do things that the library cannot. For instance, the library can inform the public about a library budget vote, but the FFAPL can advocate for a YES vote.
Books
Every Tuesday, there is a book review or author talk. I’m one of the people looking for speakers. If you are in the area and want to consider this, contact my email or IM me on Facebook (Roger Owen Green, the one with the duck). Here are talks for the rest of the month, Tuesdays at noon, 161 Washington Avenue in the auditorium.
August 9 |Book Review | Legacy of Violence: A History of the British Empire by Caroline Elkins. Reviewer: Karl K. Barbir, Ph.D., professor emeritus of history, Siena College.
August 16 |Book Review | How To Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi. Reviewer: Roger Green, MLS, former librarian & past president of the Friends of Albany Public Library.
August 23 | Book Review | The Man Who Understood Democracy: The Life of Alexis de Tocqueville by Olivier Zunz. Reviewer: John McGuire, Ph.D., professor of history, Siena College.
August 30 | Book Review | Her Honor: My Life on the Bench . . . What Works, What’s Broken, and How to Change It by LaDoris Hazzard Cordell. Reviewer: Bonita Sanchez, MSW, retired academic & lifelong social worker.
ROGER GREEN? Yikes, I better read the book!
Gala
For the last decade, there has been a Literary Legends gala. This year’s honorees are Sylvie Kantorovitz and Edward Schwarzschild. Sylvie is the illustrator of many picture books. Ed has been a novelist, but his next book is “a non-fiction, interview-based documentary.”
The gala is the primary way the FFAPL makes money to provide to the Albany Public Library. You could be a sponsor, offer auction items, buy ads, and/or attend the event on Saturday, October 1, 2022, at the Delaware Branch of the APL, 331 DELAWARE AVENUE, from 7-9 pm.
Recruitment
Part of my specific task involves recruiting new people to the board. We can use help working on events such as book sales, the gala, talks, and even things no one is doing now. We could also use help with the prosaic but important tasks such as finance, organizational structure, and board recruitment.
Hey, if you live in the Albany area and want to know more about participating in this manner, please let me know.
