Great Nonprofits

I just found out about the Great Nonprofits site this past weekend. Its like Amazon.com, but for nonprofits. People can sign in and leave reviews of a nonprofit's work, their experiences, etc.

So, here's our profile:

I'll keep working on it, but you can check it out!

Also, thank you very much to everyone who has emailed me or contacted me in some way! I really appreciate all of the support! If I haven't gotten back to you yet - I will!

Thanks everyone! Have a great week!

The Arts Academy at Benjamin Rush

I spent the morning at The Arts Academy at Benjamin Rush. The principal there invited me to come by and see the school and their library space.

I had looked at their website before going, but I didn't really know much about the school.

Here's a rundown:

- Benjamin Rush School used to be a middle school, but it was shut down, and the School District began a multi-million dollar renovation of it.

- In 2008 it opened as The Arts Academy at Benjamin Rush.

- It is a college prep high school, and a site select (not a neighborhood school), so students from all over Philadelphia can apply in the 8th grade to attend Rush.

- This is the first year that they have a senior class, because they have added a grade each year since 2008.

The school is beautiful. Here's the entrance (with Halloween decorations):

But, then there's the library:

New furniture and bookcases.

It's beautiful too! It was fully renovated and refurbished. The District put in beautiful book shelves and furniture, and brand new carpet, when the renovation was complete.


But, true District-style, what did they not give The Arts Academy at Benjamin Rush?

Empty.

Books. 



The shelves are empty. The principal has very little budget for the school (just like all principals in this city), and has been unable to truly put a library into the school. They have been able to raise some money in the last few years to get a very small collection, and they have received book donations, but nothing that fills the space.

The beautiful librarian's desk that was put in during the renovations.

I'm trying to think of ways that Library Build can get involved with The Arts Academy at Benjamin Rush. It seems like a truly great opportunity for us because the space is already beautiful, and the principal is very dedicated to getting the best for her school.

Stay tuned!

New Pictures of Rowen School's Library

I spent the day at Rowen School on Wednesday. Here are some new pictures of some of the more challenging features of Rowen's library:

This door is by the librarian's corner. It leads to a creepy basement area of the school - obviously it needs to be fixed and then locked so kids don't go through it. 

Yeah, this is nasty. 

I'm not really sure whats under the grating here. Probably pipes of some sort that need to remain accessible in case of school repairs. 

The delightful drop ceiling. Probably not much we can do about that, but this picture also illustrates the terrible lighting fixtures in the library. 

General clutter.

I sent out newsletters today to everyone who has donated to Library Build in the last year! Look for yours in the mail soon! Make sure you read the newsletter for news about our exciting new project which I will be announcing next week (after those who have donated see it - more reasons to donate!). 

School District Shortfall (Again)

Kristen Graham's article today in The Philadelphia Inquirer, "Philadelphia schools face additional $39 million budget shortage" illustrates why Library Build's work is so important, and also why Library Build can not rely on the School District to pay the salaries of our librarians. 


I think people assume that because Teach for America was able to convince school districts to not only hire un-certified teachers, but to also pay them full teaching salaries, that it must be fairly easy. Wrong. The whole reason we are in this mess is because school districts (not just Philadelphia), have been laying off librarians (and support staff, and music teachers, etc) for decades. 

The current shortfall merely just says to me that there really is no way even in the future that the School District will pay for librarians. This must be something that Library Build provides to the schools it works with. 

MLK Day of Service Director

Have some time? Interested in working with Library Build?

MLK Day of Service Director

On Monday, January 16, 2012, Library Build will be working in Rowen Elementary's library in NW Philadelphia.
Scheduled activities include, but are not limited to:
-painting walls
-going through the existing collection and throwing out old books
-getting rid of old furniture
-putting together new furniture

The MLK Day of Service Director will be responsible for the following:
1. Marketing the Day of Service on Facebook, Twitter, on campus, online, etc.
2. Procurring paint, furniture, trash bags, boxes, and other necessary supplies with the support of the CEO
3. Working with local restaurants to obtain low-cost or donated lunch for volunteers
4. Managing online MLK Day of Service sign-ups, tracking T-shirt sizes
5. Answering questions directed to Library Build about MLK Day of Service at Rowen School

Qualifications:
- Desire to "own" the service project for the next two months
- Excited about the opportunity to lead a project in a city-wide service event 
- Be hard-working and enjoy taking initiative
- Be successful with little overhead
- Be capable of connecting with, and reaching out to volunteers
- Have an interest in service or education
- Be reliable

Email Callie at calliehammond@librarybuild.org

Facebook and Twitter

We are trying to get 100 "likes" on facebook, so go ahead and visit our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Library-Build-Inc/321156862120

Spread the word about the need for school libraries in Philadelphia's public schools!

Also, I will admit that I am not very good at Twitter... looking for a multi-media intern to take it over!


Enjoy this Friday morning! I am on my way to Whole Foods to pick up the last two boxes of books from our book drive with them! It was amazingly successful! I am going to count the books and post a total either today or this weekend!

Getting Involved

Our website, www.librarybuild.org, does not necessarily have ways for interested people to get involved, so here are a few things I need help with right now. Let me know if you are interested!:

1. MLK Jr. Day on January 16. We will be working all day at Rowen School to paint, take out books, put together furniture, etc.

2. Book Fair at Barnes and Noble Rittenhouse December 12 through the 17. We need volunteers for three days of gift wrapping (all proceeds go to Library Build). Even an hour on one day would make a HUGE difference! (Because right now, its just me gift wrapping for 10 hours, so help me out!)

3. Have free time, and clearances? I will be working in Rowen's library to go through their collection, and interested volunteers are welcome.

These are our big needs right now, but feel free to email me with other thoughts and suggestions at calliehammond@librarybuild.org

San Fran and Back!

I have been in San Francisco, running the Nike Women's (Half)Marathon - it was a great time, but now I am back, and excited about continuing onward with Library Build!

Beautiful San Francisco

In better news, the article is up on The Philadelphia Inquirer, and Philly.com, check it out!

Laid-off Philadelphia teacher sets sights on rebuilding school libraries

Short Update

I've been hard at work on the not-so-exciting parts of running a nonprofit: grant applications, printing off board packets, interviewing board members, making phone calls, researching (so much researching.)

The article with the Philadelphia Inquirer should come out soon - this week, maybe? Can't wait!

I think that the development of the board is coming along quite nicely, and I am pretty excited for the changes.

I sent in a grant application last Thursday for which I have been sweating for three months. Yes, three months of editing, researching, more editing, many prints and recopies. It was finally finished. Pray that it goes well! It won't help my anxiety over grant applications if it doesn't go well - but its all a learning process!

Reopening Libraries One School at a Time

While the article is about another organization that is redeveloping school libraries (but only in West Philadelphia, and without the same staffing structures as Library Build), I think its great to see articles about why kids need libraries in their schools.

A good quote from the CEO of the Free Library System here in Philadelphia:
"Schools work on the rigors of reading. Libraries work on the love of reading," she says. "If a child struggles with reading, then the last place they would go outside of school would be a library. Introducing them to what worlds they can explore in a school library makes them more comfortable exploring the broader universe that exists in all libraries."