A book collection at the Louisville Free Public Library focusing on African American life, history, literature, art and culture will honor former Courier-Journal columnist Betty Baye.

Louisville Metro Council member David Tandy is providing $5,000 from his discretionary account to start the fund to buy books that will be housed at the Main Library.

“I am very excited about it,” Baye said of plans for the collection. “They will include some of the books I love.”

Baye left the newspaper earlier this year after a 27-year career as a reporter, assistant city editor, editorial writer and columnist. Baye, 65, said in an interview Monday that her job was eliminated as part of nationwide cutbacks by the Gannett chain, which owns The Courier-Journal.

Tandy said Monday that he intends to “acknowledge the work (Baye) has done in our community in terms of being able to cover the different stories that are out there and providing an alternate perspective on different things that happen, espcially within the African-American community.

“Having a collection of books in the public library recognizing Betty will continue to allow for her voice, and the voices of those that need reporting on, to be heard for years to come,” he said.

The collection “will serve as a vehicle to enrich and enlighten minds,” Tandy said.

Baye said she intends to give the library a list of about 200 books. Library Director Craig Buthod said the library staff will select books from the list to buy and put in stock. They will be shelved at the Main Library under their appropriate classification or section, such as art or history.

But each book will have a label noting that it is part of the Baye collection.

Other members of the 26-member Metro Council will have a chance to add to Tandy’s donation when the full council votes, probably in mid-November, on the appropriation establishing the book fund.

Also, citizens can donate to the Baye collection. Checks can be made out to the Library Foundation, Louisville Free Public Library, 301 York St., Louisville, Ky. 40203, marked for the Betty Baye collection. Contributions also can be dropped off at any library branch.

Reporter Sheldon S. Shafer can be reached at (502) 582-7089.

• results in change, making possible experimentation, innovation, and adaptation of roles to changing needs;
• provides the margin of excellence that makes good libraries great libraries;
• provides the opportunity to leverage public dollars;
• spurs collaborations and partnerships; and
• creates a higher level of responsiveness to needs and opportunities.

Craig Buthod, Director of the Louisville Free Public Library, stated “donor dollars fund change.” He understands that private donors are “inspired by the chance to contribute to rapid improvements for the evolution of the library – not by filling gaps in government funding.”

Through private donations to the Library Foundation, the Louisville Free Public Library has been able to provide programs and services and to pursue capital projects that would not be possible otherwise.  Private funding is responsible for

• the Iroquois Project, an outreach program targeted to the immigrant community in south Louisville;
• the Digital Media Initiative, providing the library with thousands of CDs, DVDs, and audiobooks;
• the Technology 2000 campaign, providing the library with hundreds of public-access computers, software, and electronic research tools;
• the Job Shop, offering a wide range of resources to help unemployed or under-employed people find work;
• the Summer Reading program, the library’s largest and longest-running program, reaching more than 50,000 annually;
• upgraded furnishings and technology for the new Newburg branch library;
• restoration and renovation of the historic Main Library, which made possible highly successful partnerships with JCPS adult education and the University of Louisville;
• scholarships for library employees; and
• supplemental funding for the cost of taking the GED.

Thank you!

 Louisville, Ky. (September 6, 2011) –  The Shawnee Library, located at 3912 West Broadway, celebrates the re-opening of its doors to the community Saturday, September 10, after 8 months of renovations.  The $1.3 million project included a 6,000 square foot expansion, as well as extensive restoration of the original library structure – built in 1938 by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) during the Great Depression. 

“The new Shawnee Library is a valuable investment in the lifelong learning of this community,” said Mayor Greg Fischer.  “It’s exciting to bring together the old and the new, to provide a library for the next seventy-five years.”

The new light-filled addition at the back of the facility provides a comfortable reading area for adults, study rooms, twenty additional public computers and a larger book collection. The original 7,000-square-foot historic building has been transformed to showcase a large children’s area and a teen space, with plenty of room for kids to study and read.  The entire project artfully combines the historic with the modern, creating a new, open floor-plan.  

“Our goal is to support the children and families in this neighborhood with state-of-the-art library resources that will supplement their schoolwork and provide constructive after-school opportunities,” said Library Director Craig Buthod.  “That’s exactly what the new Shawnee Library delivers.” 

The expansion and renovation of the Shawnee Library was funded through a federal Community Development Block Grant.  In addition, the Library Foundation has provided new books, furniture, and technology, thanks to the generosity of donors, including The James Graham Brown Foundation, The C. E. & S. Foundation, The Gheens Foundation, and The Humana Foundation. 

Come celebrate the grand opening with Mayor Fischer and the community on Saturday, September 10, at 11 a.m.  There will be tours of the library, refreshments, and fun activities for the whole family.  At 12:30, Blaine Hudson, Merv Aubespin, and Ken Clay, will discuss their book Two Centuries of Black Louisville: A Photographic History.  Then at 2 p.m., children and families are invited to a special “International Family Storytime” featuring the tales of Hans Christian Andersen and some Danish Pancakes. For more information, please visit LFPL.org or call 574-1611.

understanding – and to explore the diversity of Louisville

Louisville, Ky. (August 30, 2011) –  As Louisville prepares to celebrate its diversity at WorldFest, the Library is launching Read Your Way Around the World, an initiative encouraging reading groups and all readers across Louisville to explore books with roots in different countries and cultures.  The program includes activities at every branch in September, a new Mayor’s Book Club and a book list of 50 titles.

“In a city and nation that are becoming increasingly diverse, it’s a way to celebrate our international roots and expand our horizons,” said Mayor Greg Fischer.

The Library’s 18 locations are preparing to celebrate International Month throughout September. Each library has selected a country and is planning programs all month – from children’s storytimes to book discussions to food-and-culture activities.  A complete listing of the Library’s International Month programs can be found online at LFPL.org, or in the September issue of Library News. 

The Main Library will host a new Mayor’s Book Club on the third Wednesday of the month from noon – 1p.m., beginning September 21. The Mayor’s wife, Alex Gerassimides, an avid reader, will attend the book club as often as she can – and the Mayor hopes to stop by occasionally as well. The Mayor’s Book Club will select titles in the coming year from the library’s Read Your Way Around the World book list.  At least a dozen are books families can read together. The complete list is available online at LFPL.org, along with background and discussion questions.  

“We hope a lively mix of readers will join us, including downtown workers with brown-bag lunches,” said library director Craig Buthod.  “It will be relaxed – a way to enjoy reading a book every month and hear different perspectives.” 

The first book will be Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese – for September 21. For more information on Read Your Way Around the World or the Mayor’s Book Club, visit LFPL.org or call 574-1611. 

Also part of International Month, LFPL welcomes Ingrid Betancourt to its Authors at the Library series. Betancourt, a former Colombian senator, will discuss her kidnapping and years in prison in Even Silence Has an End: My Six Years of Captivity in the Colombian Jungle at the Main Library, September 26, 7 p.m..  Tickets for this event will be available beginning at 10 a.m., August 24. Order online at LFPL.org, or by calling 574-1644.

These September programs are part of a wide range of ongoing international programming at the Library. The library’s collection includes books and movies in many languages and more than 500 learn-a-language CD sets from Arabic to Urdu. The Iroquois branch, in the heart of a diverse part of the city, offers a rich mix of international activities, including multilingual story times, cultural showcases, conversation groups, foreign films and literary “salons” in several languages.   Downloadable audio selections also include foreign language courses.

For more information:

The reading list for Read Your Way Around the World is at LFPL.org.  You will find background information on each book and some discussion questions. Some books on this list have book kits with 10 copies.  Others have multiple copies.

The Mayor’s Book Club: To join in, just come to the first meeting at noon, Wednesday, September 21. Brown-bag lunches are welcome.

For details on branch activities during International Month please go to LFPL.org and click on “International Month.”