Volume XX | March 2019
MARCH 2019
Shaker Library: Strengthening our community and transforming lives
by bringing together people, information, and ideas.
Imagine. Discover. Connect.
Get LinkedIn, learn how to Tweet, or improve your Excel skills at one of our free computer classes this March. Read more here.
More than books, movies, music, information, and computers, Shaker Library is a place for people to gather, to explore, to interact, and to imagine. The Library is a community builder, a community center, a center for the arts, a center for learning, and a champion of youth. Visit us in person or online . We have something for everyone.
Renovation Update

The Library has hired RFC Contracting, Inc. as the Owner’s Representative for the Main Library renovation. RFC has extensive experience providing Owner’s Representative services on public projects, including for public libraries. In the coming weeks, we will issue the RFQ to hire an architect. We anticipate beginning the design process in June and seeking community feedback over the summer, with construction to begin in 2020.

Free Tax Prep for Seniors
9 am-4:30 pm Tuesdays & Fridays at Main Library
Representatives from AARP will be on hand to help seniors with low to moderate incomes complete their federal and state income tax returns.

Make an appointment by calling the Community Building at 216-491-1360.
20th Annual Barbara Luton Art Show Entry Dates
3-5 pm Friday, March 1 and noon-4 pm Saturday, March 2
Artists interested in entering the 20th Annual Barbara Luton Art Competition can drop off their artwork in the Boardroom, located on the second floor of the Main Library. Entry fee is $30 for up to two pieces of art.  Checks should be made payable to Shaker Heights Public Library. The awards ceremony and gallery-opening reception will be held from 2-4 pm Sunday, March 31.

Babywearing 101: 3-4 pm Saturday, March 2 at Main Library
Certified instructors from Babywearing of Northeast Ohio will demonstrate different ways to wear your baby in a carrier and offer safety tips. Try some provided carriers or bring your own.

Game Night for Adults: 6-8:30 pm Tuesday, March 5 at Main Library
Coffee & Conversation: 10:30 am-noon Thursdays, March 7 and March 21 at Main Library
Join friends and library staff for informal community conversations on topics of mutual interests with coffee and sweet treats.
March 7: Julie Kaufmann talks about Shaker Makers, a group that works to promote positive interactions among school children of different backgrounds in an afterschool setting.
March 21: Desmond Davis, Outreach & Education Coordinator discusses Verb Ballets.
No registration required.
Young Travelers Discover Japan: 4:15-5 pm Wednesday, March 13 at Main Library
Konnichiwa! Discover The Land of the Rising Sun  where sushi, origami, Hello Kitty, and ninja warriors began. Join us for Japanese folk tales, create an origami animal, and sample some yummy Japanese snacks and tea.
For grades K-3.

Books We're Discussing in March
  • A sweet story about loneliness and the importance of friendship
  • Historical fiction about Martha Gellhorn, Ernest Hemingway’s third wife
  • A mystery set in Paul’s Episcopal Church, a place of history, worship—and murder
  • Richard Shakespeare, the estranged younger brother of The Bard, tells the story of the first production of A Midsummer Night's Dream.

These are the books we're reading this month. Our book discussions offer opportunities to meet new people from all walks of life. Click on the book cover to reserve your book, and then click on the link to reserve your place and join in the discussion.
7 pm Monday, March 11 at Woods Branch
Enjoy poetry written and performed by regional poets, including Lee Chilcote, author o f How to Live in Ruins.
Award Winners Book Discussion with the Author: 2-3 pm Saturday,
March 16 at Woods Branch
Read and discuss Await Your Reply , by Dan Chaon and then meet the author who will attend the end of the discussion to meet his readers and answer their questions.

Chaon details the lives of three strangers who interconnect in unforeseen ways - and with unexpected consequences - in the gripping novel that won the 2010 Ohioana Award and was selected as an ALA Notable book the same year. 

Chasing Coral: 6-8:30 pm Thursday, March 14 at Main Library
Watch the screening of the award-winning documentary, Chasing Coral. Anna Kolesar Eaton, PhD, will provide interactive programming before and after the film. Film description: Coral reefs around the world are vanishing at an unprecedented rate. Follow a team of divers, photographers, and scientists to discover why.

Sounds of Shaker: 2-3 pm Sunday, March 17 at Main Library
Enjoy an afternoon of live music at the library! Local musician Mike Goldstein will perform a variety of music on the bassoon, saxophone, and recorder.

Introduction to Tai Chi: 10-11 am Monday, March 25 at Main Library
Learn the health benefits and movements of Tai Chi, an ancient martial art that is generally safe for all ages and fitness levels. Please wear loose clothing and comfortable shoes for this introduction to Sun-style Tai Chi exercises.

Underground Railroad: Beloved Community Dialogue: 7-8:30 pm Tuesday, March 26 at Main Library
Restore Cleveland Hope presents the story of Lucy Bagby, the last fugitive from slavery to come through Cleveland before the Civil War. In January 1861, Lucy Bagby's master had located her in Cleveland and come to retrieve her. Would the local abolitionists be able to save her? What were the ethical and political issues that affected her plight? Would they resort to civil disobedience? How do these issues resound in our lives today? There's a lot to talk about.


Parent-Child Book Club: 7 pm Wednesday, March 27 at Woods Branch
Connect with your kids through reading. Middle graders (Grades 5-8) and their parents can read (or listen to) Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk and discuss it. Set in the 1930s, this coming-of-age story is about human nature and how we judge things and people who are different.


Call the Library 216-991-2421 to reserve your place.
20th Annual Barbara Luton Art Competition Awards Ceremony and Gallery-Opening Reception

2-4 pm Sunday, March 31
Main Library Second floor
Meet the artists whose work has been juried into this year's show and celebrate their art. Special thanks to Anna Arnold, director of the Florence O'Donnell Wasmer Gallery at Ursuline College who juried the show.
Malcolm & Martin: “By Any Means Necessary” to “The Promised Land” with Donna Whyte 3- 4:30 Sunday, March 31 at Main Library
Dr. Donna M. Whyte, Cleveland State University Instructor and Shaker resident, will examine Dr. King's and Malcolm X’s speeches, especially the two given four years apart to see why these two leaders have had such a profound and lasting impact on American society.

Check our March Calendar
for More Events and Activities
Please share our Library eNews with your friends. The programs listed above are just a few of many interesting Library offerings this month.