Friends of the Edison Public Library

We are pleased to announce that our website now features a store! Items purchased from this new page will benefit The Friends. Check back often for new additions.

We will include fundraising items, such as our splendid canvas tote bags, and special items like collections of books, for example.

Click on the Store link at the top of the page to visit.

Do you love the wonderful music of George M. Cohan, Irving Berlin, the Gershwins, Cole Porter, Rodgers and Hammerstein? If so you will enjoy Skip Ungar’s program, The American Musical Comedy, at Clara Barton Branch Library, 141 Hoover Avenue, Edison at 2pm on Wednesday April 14.

Ungar plays the music of these musicians and other Broadway music from 1895-1965 on his keyboard and shares humor about their lives and careers.

Seating is limited, and advanced registration is required. Reserve your seat by calling (732)738-0096 ext. 1, going on-line at www.lmxac.org/edisonlib (clicking on Programs and Displays), or signing up at the circulation desk at the Clara Barton Branch Library. This is a free program sponsored by the Friends.

Just to get you in the mood, have a listen to this collection of tunes from classic American musical comedies:

Let’s start with the apology: Sorry to those who have been following this website. It has been a while since we posted. We have been stretched a little thinly, and it has been difficult to get ourselves organized to a point where we could post updates.

Which brings us neatly to some upcoming programs. Eva Abreu, a professional organizer, is in the process of presenting a series of three workshops on de-cluttering and organizing.

Whether you need help with clearing the top of your desk, tackling a cluttered closet, emptying the “junk drawer”, reclaiming your dining room table, preserving your photos and memorabilia, or even organizing your entire home or business from top to bottom, Eva can help you get started.

One of these programs has already been presented, but there are two still to come:

De-Cluttering & Organizing: Attics, Garages & Closets, Oh My!
Thursday, April 8, 7:00 p.m.

Is your attic a mess? Garage stuffed with…stuff? Closets crammed? We’ll discuss where to start, how to sort, how to decide what to keep, provide a resource list for items you no longer want, plus explore custom storage options.

De-Cluttering & Organizing: Piles of Papers
Thursday, April 22, 7:00 p.m.

Are you buried under papers? Learn how to carve out time from your busy schedule to work on your personal documents, cut through the piles of piles, decide what to keep, what to toss, what to shred and what to organize and have on hand in case of an emergency.

Eva Abreu is an organizing consultant, community volunteer, and former technology manager. Visit her website Sort-Things-Out.com for more information.

These free workshops will be held at the Edison Main Library, 340 Plainfield Ave., Edison.

Seating is limited. You must sign up for each workshop individually. Reserve your seat(s) by calling 732-287-2298, ext. 1, sign up at the circulation desk or on-line at www.lmxac.org/edisonlib, click on Programs and Displays.

Sponsored by The Friends of the Edison Public Library.

The Friends of the Edison Public Library holds its monthly board meeting in the large meeting room of the Edison Main Library on Plainfield Ave., Edison, NJ

Meeting starts at 7pm ET.

This is an open meeting. All members or prospective members welcome. We would welcome some fresh ideas with open arms!

Contact foledisonnj@gmail.com or call 732-738-4586 for more details.

We had a very successful Fall Booksale this year. Far from the poor economy keeping people away, we think that many people were buying used books rather than new ones!

More photos of the sale can be seen in an album on our Facebook page (you don’t need to be a Facebook member to view them).

Thanks to everyone who came out to support us. If you have a 2010 calendar handy, please make a note of the dates of next year’s sale: Saturday and Sunday, November 13th and 14th, at the North Edison Branch Library, Grove Ave., Edison, NJ. See you there!

Just a reminder that our next board meeting, which is open to Friends members and prospective members, will take place this Wednesday, December 2nd, at Main Library. Please refer to the Calendar page for further details.

This is a reminder that our Fall Book Sale is just one week away! Here are the basic details:

Saturday, Nov. 14, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 15, 12 noon – 4 p.m.
North Edison Branch Library
777 Grove Avenue, Edison

Thousands of books in many categories – fiction & nonfiction, hardcover & paperback, including children’s books & large print. Also DVD, VHS, Audiobooks, games, etc.

Most books 50¢-$1.50.

More details can be found on our Calendar page.

We are no longer seeking book donations right now, as we are scrambling around in preparation for the sale. We will be accepting donations in the New Year, however.

We are still looking for volunteers to help with set-up and break-down of the sale (set-up is Friday Morning, break-down is Sunday from 4pm-6pm and on Monday Morning) and with the sale itself. Please contact us at foledisonnj@gmail.com

Hope to see you at the sale!

Customers at a previous Fall Book Sale browse through some of the many categorized books.

Just a reminder that our next board meeting, which is open to Friends members and prospective members, will take place this Wednesday, November 4th, at Main Library. Please refer to the Calendar page for further details.

Paranormal Investigator Garrett Husveth

On Sunday, October 18th, a full-house attended “Ghosts & The Paranormal,” a free program presented by Garrett Husveth and sponsored by the Friends of the Edison Public Library.

A court-approved forensic examiner with a background in forensics and computer systems, Husveth uses the latest technology to help investigate paranormal phenomena. He has appeared or been a consultant on many TV shows about ghosts and hauntings.

He started by explaining the different types of paranormal activity, and went on to talk about his main interest, which is EVP, or Electronic Voice Phenomena. These are voices believed to be that of the dead that appear on audio recordings. Typically, electronic voice recorders are hidden in an area being investigated, then the results are analyzed. Husveth talked about the history and background of this field, mentioning major figures such as Konstantin Raudive.

Garrett went on to talk about local hauntings he has investigated and played recordings that he and others have made. One characteristic of EVP is that the voices recorded often seem to respond to human questions and statements. Examples included a conversation between him and another investigator in a warehouse building, where a louder third voice could clearly be heard in the recording. These recordings were sometimes a little disturbing, yet fascinating.

After talking about some related fields, such as ITC (Instrumental TransCommunication), where sounds or pictures have been heard or seen on other electronic equipment, such as telephones and televisions, Husveth talked a little about “Spiricom,” equipment built by psychic William O’Neil to communicate with the dead. He then took questions from the lively audience. Following the program, the audience was invited to help themselves to refreshments provided by The Friends.

Thanks to Garrett Husveth for the interesting and entertaining program, and to everyone who attended.

Friends of the Edison Public Library Exhibition 2009

To celebrate National Friends of Libraries Week 2009 (October 18-24), we are exhibiting some memorabilia from the history of The Friends of the Edison Public Library. The exhibition can be seen at Main Library, Plainfield Ave., Edison. More photos can be seen on our Facebook page.