OLLF Newsletter – Spring 2025

      From the President:

          The Ollf board has been busy working with staff to continue improvements to our branch.   At our January meeting, we allocated $1,000 to the purchase of new fiction books.   We are currently compiling the list to submit to the staff.  We are also spending a grant of $4,000 to improve our seed library, fund gardening programs and expand our collection of gardening books.   These books should start appearing on the shelves of our library branch by April.

          We have also funded a new banner to advertise Ollf.  This banner will be in the library, and we will take it to outdoor events and festivals in 2025.  We also have joined the North Texas LGBTQ chamber of commerce to increase awareness of our branch and our organization.    With the city facing limited budgets, we want to expand to reach potential donors for our branch.

          Finally, I encourage you to become a member of the Oak Lawn Library Friends (OLLF).   You can join online at the Oak Lawn Library Friends website at https://oaklawnlibraryfriends.com 

Also, we are seeking volunteers to be a member of the OLLF board.  We meet about 6 times a year during the week to meet with library staff and see where we can fill in the gaps where city funds aren’t available.

View our online calendar at dallaslibrary.org/events

We continue to fund a subscription to BookPage for 50 copies a month.  This magazine has news on the newest books coming out.

Our website currently has 4,917 author pages.  It covers new and old authors with author biographies and books in order of publication.  It is updated with new authors on a weekly basis.

Books read by the Novel Discussion Book Club in 2025 with links to author pages where available:

January 2025 – Mr. Texas by Lawrence Wright

https://oaklawnlibraryfriends.com/lawrence-wright/

February 2025 – Hanging the Moon by Jeannette Walls

https://oaklawnlibraryfriends.com/jeannette-walls/

March 2025 – Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng

https://oaklawnlibraryfriends.com/celeste-ng/

Shop Kroger & Benefit the Library

You must re-enroll starting August 1^st  each year.   If you have a Kroger Care card, link your card to number # 41560 and you will benefit the Oak Lawn Library Friends every time you shop at Kroger.

 

Upcoming Events in Feb. and March

 Adult: 

King of the Hill Celebration: Trivia, Party, Prizes (21+ age, ID required)  

Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025 

1pm-2pm  

Art in the style of… Lorna Simpson  

Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025 

6pm-7pm 

Sew Much Fun with Jill: DIY Cloth Patches for Women’s History Month 

Saturday, March 22, 2025 

11am-1pm 

Art in the style of… Marjorie Strider 

Wednesday, March 26, 2025 

6pm-7:30pm 

DIY Texas Wildflower Press Project Part 1 

Saturday, March 29, 2025 

1pm-2pm 

Free Tax Help (by appointment)  

Thursdays, Feb. 6- April 10 

1pm-6pm,  

Schedule appointment here 

Kids:  

Science Experiment Saturday: Marshmallow Catapults 

Saturday, March 1, 2025 

11am-12pm 

Spring Friendship Bracelets 

Wednesday, March 5, 2025 

6pm-7pm 

Bilingual Storytime  

Fridays 10:30am-11am 

Music and Movement for Pre-Schoolers & Toddlers 

Saturday March 15, 2025 

11am-11:30am 

Book recommendations for Spring 2025

Fiction:

Mr. Texas by Lawrence Wright.   This book took 30 years of research to write but it is an insightful look at how a person could be elected by chance to the Texas State Legislature.   It is also an interesting look at how the Texas Legislature works and how legislation is created and eventually passed.  There is also an insider’s view at how politicians are funded by lobbyists and special interests.   It is a timely book to read now that the Texas legislature is in session.  

Storm Watch by C. J. Box.   Set in Wyoming, Storm Watch is one of a series of novels about Joe Pickett, a game warden in Wyoming, who encounters criminal activity in the wilderness that is Wyoming.     There are 23+ books in this series and there is a tv series on Prime Video.

The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman.  This book is about a librarian who works for a vast library located between dimensions.  Librarians are set to various alternate earths to locate and retrieve books for the library.  On this mission, Irene is on a mission to retrieve a copy of Grimm’s fairy tales.   She is accompanied by an apprentice librarian, Kai, who has secrets of his own.   It is an interesting blend of fantasy, science fiction and a love of books.  There are several books in this series.

Non-Fiction

Lincoln’s Last Trial by Dan Abrams.   A day-by-day account of his last murder trial.   Lincoln was the defense attorney for a murder trial where the defendant claimed self-defense.   A fascinating look at how trials were conducted in the 1850’s.

Daughter of the Dragon by Yunte Huang.  A biography of Anna May Wong, the first Chinese American movie actress.  Her career began during the Silent Movie era and continued off and on until after WW2.   She was more successful in Europe than America due to racial prejudice.

The Damascus Events by Eugene Rogan.  A detailed look at the 1860 massacre of Christians in Lebanon and Damascus by the Druze and Muslims.  The aftermath setup the political system in Lebanon based on religion which is still part of how the country is governed.   It also had an impact on Damascus and Syria until the 2011 civil war.  

Membership for the Oak Lawn Library Friends

          In response to requests by current members, we are adding new membership for your pets.   You can get membership for your bird, cat, dog, fish or any other pet in your household.    The cost is $10 a year.    As a bonus, you can send a photo of your pet displayed on the OLLF website.

          All funds raised from pet memberships will be set aside to fund pet programming and pet related books for the library.

 Join the Oak Lawn Library Friends

Membership is quick, easy, affordable, and now ONLINE!

 

Visit our webpage https://oaklawnlibraryfriends.com/ to join online. Use this link to go to the membership page:  https://oaklawnlibraryfriends.com/membership-page/  To become a member, scroll down the page, take note of the price of your membership level, and click the yellow donate button. You can also use a downloadable editable PDF form to print a copy to mail or hand deliver to the library with your check.

Oak Lawn Library Friends Membership Form

Name(s)
Address
City, Zip		Home Phone
Email Address
Membership Status (please check one)
Student/Senior        $6
Pet Membership $10
Sustaining     $20
Household      $25
Non-profit      $50
Close Friend     $75
Corporate   $250
Other
MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO:           Oak Lawn Library Friends           4100 Cedar Springs           Dallas, Texas 75219