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Former Friends' President Receives 2020 Governor's Heritage Heritage Honor Preservation Award
The Friends of the Scottsdale Public Library is proud to announce that former Board President Joan Fudala is receiving one of this year's Governor's Heritage Honor Preservation Awards, to be awarded virtually in June.
The awards are given annually since 1982 by the Arizona Preservation Foundation and State Historic Preservation Office to recognize outstanding achievements in preserving Arizona's historic resources. They are awarded at the Arizona Historic Preservation Conference, which n 2018 took place in Scottsdale.
Fudala is also a member of the Scottsdale History Hall of Fame, and has authored numerous books on the history of Scottsdale. She served as President of the Friends' Board from 2003 to 2004, and received a Spirit of Literacy Award from the Friends in 2014.
Recently, Fudala was a pivotal member of the Scottsdale Heritage Connection (SHC) campaign committee from 2017 to 2019. This group completed a $500,000 capital campaign to build the SHC space in Civic Center Library that permanently houses the written and visual history of Scottsdale for research and documentation purposes.
You can learn more about the Governor's Heritage Honor Preservation Awards and see a list of current and former winners at the Arizona Preservation Foundation website.
This entry was posted in External News and tagged civiccenter, friends, heritageconnection, history, shc on May 1, 2020 by Trey Granger.
Thank You Scottsdale Library Volunteers for Your Hard Work
The Friends was a supporting partner of the 40th annual Scottsdale Library Volunteer Luncheon on Friday, February 7, 2020 at the Hyatt Regency Scottsdale at Gainey Ranch.
Bruce Wall presents about Scottsdale History at the 40th volunteer luncheon.
Scottsdale historical storyteller Bruce Wall served as guest speaker to discuss one of the most interesting crimes in Scottsdale history. Several City Council Members and members of the Library Board were also in attendance.
The annual lunch is a celebration of all the hard work by Library volunteers. In Scottsdale, there are nearly three volunteers for every staff member who volunteer at the Library, and their responsibilities include everything from shelving books to reading to children to running the book shops.
As an all-volunteer organization, the Friends is appreciative of the efforts of volunteers to provide the highest quality experience to patrons of Scottsdale Public Library.
This entry was posted in Internal News and tagged history, volunteer on February 10, 2020 by Trey Granger.
Former Friends Board Members Receive Historic Preservation Recognition Awards
Paul Messinger (left) and Douglas Sydnor (right) presented with Historic Preservation Awards
Two former Presidents of the Friends of the Scottsdale Public Library recently received Historic Preservation Recognition Awards from the Grand Canyon Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution on October 5.
Paul Messinger and Douglas Sydnor received the awards due to their efforts preserving the history of Scottsdale.
In addition to their time serving on the Friends Board, both Messinger and Sydnor were committee members who helped raise funds for the Scottsdale Heritage Connection, the Friends' major fundraising effort from 2017-19. They were also Gold and Silver donors, respectively, toward the new space.
The SHC will officially open to the public on Saturday, October 19 within Civic Center Library. It will preserve the written and oral history of Scottsdale, offering research opportunities and historic lectures.
"Paul Messinger is a walking encyclopedia on everything Scottsdale and very much deserves to be recognized by the Daughters of the American Revolution for his contributions to preserving history," wrote Marshall Trimble, Arizona's Official State Historian, in his letter of recommendation.
Sydnor has authored three books on Arizona Historic architecture, and in 2018 received the Governor's Heritage Preservation Honor Award.
The Friends congratulates Messinger and Sydnor on their recent honor, and thanks them for helping preserve the history of Scottsdale.
This entry was posted in Internal News and tagged civiccenter, friends, history, scottsdale, shc on October 9, 2019 by Trey Granger.
Come Learn the History of Scottsdale Sports on Thursday, September 12
The Scottsdale Public Library has announced its next free salon series events celebrating the history of sports in Scottsdale on Thursday, September 12 at 6pm.
Historian Joan Fudala will present pictures and stories covering Scottsdale's many ventures into sports, including Spring Training, golf events, and high school sports.
Back by popular demand, additional salon series events will soon be announced to cover numerous historical topics. They are led by Fudala and Doug Sydnor, former members of the Friends of the Scottsdale Public Library Board, in conjunction with the Scottsdale Heritage Connection (SHC).
The salon series originally began in February 2018, with continuations in fall 2018 and spring 2019. While they have traditionally rotated throughout Scottsdale Library branches, the hope is that they will soon be housed within the SHC space, scheduled to open to the public this fall.
This entry was posted in Events and tagged civiccenter, history, shc on August 27, 2019 by Trey Granger.
Scottsdale Heritage Connection Unveiled With Ribbon Cutting
After over two years of fundraising, the Scottsdale Heritage Connection held its ribbon cutting ceremony with a private breakfast for donors on Tuesday, June 25 at Civic Center Library.
Mayor Jim Lane and Paul Messinger cut the ribbon for the Scottsdale Heritage Connection
Mayor Jim Lane was present to cut the ribbon, as were valued members of the Friends and the SHC fundraising committee. Attendees were treated to a tour of the space and breakfast items catered by Creations in Cuisine Catering.
The space is in the former home of Scottsdale Public Art next to the Knowasis Teen Center. It will be open to the public later this summer, as shelving still needs to be installed to house the historical documents. Once opened, the SHC will showcase over 10,000 documents celebrating the history of Scottsdale.
For those unable to attend, here is a brief Project Narrative reviewed during the opening.
Stay tuned for more details about free historical programming in the space beginning this fall. It's also not too late to donate if you want to help us hit our goal of $500,000. The next stage of the project will be installing kiosks at the other Scottsdale Library branches to showcase the collection.
This entry was posted in Internal News and tagged civiccenter, history, knowasis, shc on July 1, 2019 by Trey Granger.
Scottsdale Library Friends Donates Over $100K to Preserve Scottsdale History
December 14 — Scottsdale, AZ — The Friends of the Scottsdale Public Library presented a $101,200 donation to the Scottsdale City Council at the December 12 Council meeting to be used for the Scottsdale Heritage Connection (SHC), a 2,000 square foot modern research space to house a collection of the oral, written and visual history of Scottsdale.
Scottsdale Heritage Connection Architect Doug Sydnor addresses Scottsdale City Council with a presentation on the SHC before the money was donated
The money raised is through a public-private partnership including leaders of the Scottsdale community like Paul Messinger, Honorary SHC Committee Chair. Over 60 Library supporters and community citizens have donated, in addition to contributions from area corporations and foundations.
This $101,200 is the first of several planned donations to the SHC project. It will provide supplemental funding to ensure that construction schedule will continue moving forward in the spring of 2019. The City of Scottsdale has planned for the project in its Capital Improvements Project budget for 2018-2019 fiscal year.
The permanent 2,000 square foot glass walled area, set to open in 2019, is being branded as "a window to the past, a celebration of the present and a portal to the future." It will be a newly built space next to the Knowasis Teen Center in the Civic Center Library. The archives will include:
Over 10,000 photographs and images of Scottsdale, its buildings, events and residents
More than 450 video and audio recordings highlighting the City's rich history
700 books, phone directories, local media and Scottsdale high school yearbooks
Local newspaper clippings from as early as the 1950s
The Friends of the Scottsdale Public Library is grateful to the many donors of the Library's Southwest Collection since 1973, which provided the framework for the current SHC collection. For example, in the 1980s, numerous donors honored the memory of the late Scottsdale Mayor B.L. "Bud" Tims through contributions to the Southwest Collection.
The new SHC space will expand public access and research resources regarding Scottsdale's diverse history. It will also provide artifact display opportunities, with computers to access the online collection, a private room to conduct research, and a designated area for lectures and community meetings related to local history.
"We are so thankful for the generous donations thus far from advocates for Scottsdale history," said Carol Damaso, SHC Campaign Committee Chair and former Director of the Scottsdale Public Library. "We look forward to the Friends making another donation soon to fund the completion of this project."
As the official 501(c)(3) campaign partner, the Friends of the Scottsdale Public Library is accepting tax-deductible donations of all levels to support the SHC. To learn more or to donate, please visit https://scottsdalelibraryfriends.org/shc. High-resolution images of the project design are available for media use.
About Friends of the Scottsdale Public Library
The Friends of the Scottsdale Public Library (FSPL), founded in 1985, is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) all-volunteer organization whose members support Scottsdale's Library system through public education, advocacy, and fundraising. FSPL provides funding for Scottsdale Public Library programming and resources to support lifelong learning.
This entry was posted in Internal News, Politics and tagged friends, heritageconnection, history, scottsdale on December 13, 2018 by Trey Granger.
Scottsdale Library History Salon Series is Back in January
The Scottsdale Public Library has announced its next round of free salon series events celebrating the history of Scottsdale beginning in January.
The first event on Thursday, January 10, 2019 will feature Golf in Scottsdale at Arabian Library at 6pm, just in time for the annual Phoenix Open golf tournament.
Join us at Civic Center Library on Thursday, February 14, 2019 for History of Scottsdale Housing at 6pm.
The March event will delve into How Scottsdale Evolved as a Health & Wellness Center. It will take place Thursday, March 14, 2019 at 6pm in Appaloosa Library, which will turn 10 years old in 2019.
In April, we'll explore Why Scottsdale Looks the Way It Does at Mustang Library Auditorium on Thursday, April 11, 2019 at 6pm.
Lastly, on May 2, 2019 we hope to celebrate the opening of the Scottsdale Heritage Connection (SHC) with Preserving Scottsdale's Stories: Publications and Oral Histories in the SHC Collection. This event will take place in Civic Center Library's Copper Gallery at 6pm.
All events are hosted by Scottsdale historians and authors Joan Fudala and Doug Sydnor. They will include photos, videos and other historic documents that will be featured in the SHC when it opens in 2019.
The SHC is being funded through a capital campaign by the Friends of the Scottsdale Public Library.
For more information on the series or the City's historical collection, please visit http://www.scottsdalelibrary.org/historical.
This entry was posted in Events and tagged appaloosa, arabian, authors, civiccenter, heritageconnection, history, mustang on November 1, 2018 by Trey Granger.
Scottsdale Library History Salon Series to Continue This Fall
The Scottsdale Public Library will be continuing its salon series celebrating the history of Scottsdale in September with three free events.
While the previous salon series showcased all its events at the Civic Center branch, this fall's series will offer programming at three different Library branches.
Just in time for the new school year, the event on Thursday, September 8 will feature A History of Scottsdale's Schools at Mustang Library from 6pm to 7pm.
Join us at Civic Center Library on Thursday, October 11 for Celebrate 68! 50th Anniversary of Scottsdale's Civic Center from 6pm to 7pm. This will also include a salute to the Civic Center Architect, Bennie Gonzales.
The last event will help prepare for Scottsdale's winter visitors with Scottsdale's Tourism & Resort History. It will take place Thursday, November 15 from 6pm to 7pm at Appaloosa Library, which will turn 10 years old in 2019.
All events are hosted by Scottsdale historians and authors Joan Fudala and Doug Sydnor. They will include photos, videos and other historic documents that will be featured in the Scottsdale Heritage Connection (SHC).
The SHC is a permanent exhibition opening set to open in 2019 to showcase all of the City of Scottsdale's historical documents. It is being funded through a capital campaign by the Friends of the Scottsdale Public Library.
This entry was posted in Events and tagged appaloosa, authors, civiccenter, heritageconnection, history, mustang on August 1, 2018 by Trey Granger.
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Author Karen Odden Entertains Friends Members at Exclusive Event November 19, 2020
Friends Sponsor 2020 Summer Reading Program May 19, 2020
Former Friends' President Receives 2020 Governor's Heritage Heritage Honor Preservation Award May 1, 2020
Scottsdale Libraries to Go Fine-Free Starting July 1 April 8, 2020
Thank You Scottsdale Library Volunteers for Your Hard Work February 10, 2020
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