AAUW’s announces Library Family of the Year

Published 11:12 am Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Special to The Leader

The Orange Branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) presented its 22nd Annual Library Family of the Year Award to Janice and Russell Simmons at a ceremony at the Orange Public Library on Saturday. The award recognizes a family each year that makes frequent use of the resources offered by the library.

The family is selected by the staff of the library, who are very aware of patrons who utilize various library resources.

In a recent interview, Janice Simmons mentioned that she loves container gardening and uses the library to find resources on that topic. She and Richard have been such successful gardeners that they are able to give away their ‘extras.’ She also does canning and makes things such as blackberry jelly.

Janice is also an avid quilter and seamstress, so she uses the library to find books on those interests. She volunteers to quilt at the Thrift and Gift Shop, helping raise funds for their projects. She and Richard have also volunteered to help with the library book sale.

Richard is interested in genealogy and history, especially military history. Janice reported that her husband has read every autobiography in the library.

AAUW recognized Janice and Richard with a permanent plaque that stays at the library, a certificate for them to take home, and a Barnes and Noble gift card in the unlikely event that the library is not able to find what they need.

The Orange Branch of the American Association of University Women was founded 66 years ago. Its mission is to promote equity and advancement for all women and girls through advocacy, research, lifelong learning, and positive societal change. Full membership is open to anyone, men included, with an associate degree or higher, and Friends’ memberships are available to anyone who supports its mission. Contact Mary Ann Fetchin at 779-0203 for information.

The Orange Public Library, located on 5th Street in the downtown Orange, is an important community resource. In their annual report, staff report that there are 11,651 members who made 62,700 visits. Over 7800 utilized the library for reference questions. There were 48 programs for children and young adults, with about 1150 participants. There are approximately 90,000 books and other resources, and total circulation was over 199,000.