YES! I want to change more lives at the library in 2016 and beyond!

Support the Library you love with your year-end gift!

Your tax-deductible gift by December 31 will help fund critical Library programs and help reach our $250,000 December fundraising goal.

[ $25 for new books

[ $60 for Homework Help tutoring

[ $120 for preservation of local history

[ $240 for senior outreach

[ $600 for children’s programming

[ $1,000 for a membership in the Minerva Leadership Circle

Your gift is a gift to everyone who uses our beloved Hennepin County Library!

o$25 o $60 o $120 o $240

o $600 o $1,000 o$_______________

Name: __________________________

Address: ________________________

City: ___________________________

State:_______________ Zip: ________

Give by mail: Use coupon or enclosed envelope Friends of HCL, 300 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., MN 55401Please postmark by December 31, 2015. Give by phone: 612-543-8108 Give online: supporthclib.org

Give the Gift of Extraordinary Literary ExperiencesSpring Subscriptions Available for Pen Pals Author Lecture Series

You’re Spreading Generosity

ANONYMOUS IN HONOR OF

To learn more about the Gratia Legacy Circle, contact Adam Breininger at abreininger@hclib.org or 612-543-8106

Ticket OptionsOrder by phone at 612-543-8112 or online at supporthclib.org.

Flex-Subscriber - Save 20%Get access to priority seating and attend all 3 lectures as a subscriber. Subscribers save 20%, and Friends of HCL members receive an additional $10 discount per subscription. Daytime or Evening Season Subscriber (Save 20%):

Level 1 - $150 $120 Level 2 - $120 $96

Buy Individual Tickets Daytime or Evening Reserved Seating:

Level 1 - $50 Level 2 - $40 Add on an Evening Wine Reception Meet the author face to face after the Thursday evening lecture!

Tickets - $25 each

PEN PALS SPONSORS:

Terry Tempest WilliamsAPRIL 21/22, 2016

Anthony DoerrMAY 5/6, 2016

Final tickets available only with subscription!

Why Sandy Plans to GiveAs a member of the Gratia Legacy Circle, she is an irreplaceable FriendThe Gratia Legacy Circle honors individuals who have made a bequest in a will or other planned gift to Friends of the Hennepin County Library. Anyone can make a planned gift! Contrary to popular belief, you do not need to be wealthy to leave a meaningful legacy. Even a small amount can have a large impact over time.

Sandy Brown, a dedicated Library volunteer and member of the Gratia Legacy Circle, says “My mother brought me to our store front library in Chicago when I was very young, and libraries have always felt like home since then. As a former teacher, a parent, and a volunteer at the Ridgedale Library for almost 16 years, I have seen the power of libraries at work. It is a joy to be part of Hennepin County Library.”

Jon MeachamMARCH 10/11, 2016

Member Newsletter Winter 2015

With the season of giving upon us, we can’t help but take a moment to reflect on how grateful we are for all that you’ve given to Hennepin County Library this year.

Powered by your donations, Hennepin County Library is able to provide resources including the Best Buy Teen Tech Center (BBTTC), a buzzing, vibrant place of discovery for young people ages 12-19 at Hennepin County Library - Minneapolis Central.

Following their passions, thanks to YOUAfter school at the BBTTC, you’ll often find students like the Hanafi siblings, Amina, Khalid, and Sumaya, using tools for graphic design, robotics, music, and video production.

Amina is just 11, but she was so inspired by her older siblings’ BBTTC experience, she applied for early entrance. “Coming to the Tech Center feels exciting,” Amina says. A budding fashion designer, Amina has access to sewing machines and fabrics in the BBTTC that aren’t available at home. Through the BBTTC, Amina has found she has a knack for designing purses and pillows, and she dreams of owning her own shop one day.

Her older brother Khalid, a 7th grader, has his own dreams in robotics and video game design. As Khalid tinkers away on his latest project, he says his time spent at the BBTTC “feels relaxing because you get to do what you want, and have more resources.”

The BBTTC allows students to explore whatever appeals to them, beyond their regular school assignments, without having to worry about grades or deadlines. Independent learning is strongly encouraged, but as Khalid says, “If you need help, you can just ask people!”

However, it isn’t always easy diving into the unknown. When Sumaya, an 11th grader, first tried her hand at graphic design in the BBTTC, she confesses, “I felt overwhelmed. I never dreamed of using Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop.”

YOU power creativity and confidenceWith the opportunities available at the BBTTC, Sumaya – and many students like her – already have a leg up, and are experiencing the joy of seeing their skills develop.

Though soft-spoken, Sumaya exudes confidence when she thinks about her progress saying, “I didn’t feel fully original at first, but I’ve developed my own kind of art technique.”

YOU are giving students like Amina, Khalid, and Sumaya the unique ability to discover their hidden talents and build skills for their future—truly an amazing gift. Thank you!

“I didn’t feel fully original at first, but I’ve developed my own kind of art technique.

You’re transforming lives at the Library... The Hanafi family thanks YOU!

Khalid, 12

Amina, 11

Sumaya, 16

...ACCESSAn Open Door to Opportunity

...ARTS & CULTUREA Vibrant Hub of Expression and Exploration

...COMMUNITYA Friendly Resource we ALL Treasure

Community of FriendsLives You’ve Impacted

Thank you for your unwavering commitment to our Library and the many empowering resources it offers. Friends like you enrich our 41 locations, helping to ensure they are dynamic public spaces accessible to all. Your support is opening doors and providing hope and opportunity to thousands every day. The knowledge and learning accessible both online and in our libraries is unlocking the potential of individuals and families throughout Hennepin County…and beyond.

Where you’re making a difference:• Read to Me – Helping parents who are incarcerated connect with their children through reading aloud, fostering a deep appreciation for libraries, literacy, and families.

• Teen Tech Centers – Putting gadgets once thought of as science fiction at the fingertips of any teen with a library card. In these interactive learning centers, teens collaborate and learn new technologies such as 3D printing, graphic design, and robotics to advance skills, build confidence, and prepare themselves for future careers.

• Homework Help – Giving youth a free, safe, and welcoming space where they can drop in after school for tutoring with adult volunteers to master academic concepts and complete homework assignments. 98% of Homework Help users are youth of color, and 80% report improvement in their grades, narrowing Minnesota’s concerning achievement gap.

Your investments fuel the creation of new art and literature while preserving our unique heritage, and we are so grateful! Because of you, our Library has more funding for books and dynamic programs that introduce patrons to cultural experiences from across our globe. Whether preserving rare books and materials for future generations in Special Collections, or hosting creative hands-on art programs for children… Hennepin County Library is alive with imagination, artistic expression, and the cultural heritage of communities both near and far.

Where you’re making a difference:• Art Out of the Box – Bringing creative, hands-on art experiences inspired by works of visual art from the Minneapolis Institute of Art to children in grades 2-5, through museum-trained teens at the Library.

• Collection – Helping purchase 6,000 more books for the Library’s general collection in 2015, contributing to an increase in circulation and shorter wait times for patrons. When books are opened and ideas are unlocked, the stories of our own lives and our understanding of others become richer and deeper!

• James K. Hosmer Special Collections – Supporting the Library’s preservation of one-of-a-kind materials that are vital to our local heritage, including photographs, periodicals, and archival records, and making them available to the public.

We are inspired every day by our amazing community of Library supporters, and it’s no exaggeration to say our community is stronger because of you. Your support helps the Library offer engaging, and diverse community gathering spaces and services that connect people, ideas, and cultures. These spaces and services foster discussions about literature, immersive early learning, job skill development, and more! Your gift to the Library promises each patron the nourishment and support that make the very fabric of our community stronger and more connected.

Where you’re making a difference:• Senior Outreach Programs – Nourishing minds and building community through book talks on history and nature, and even guest author visits, at 70 senior assisted living residences.

• Cedar Riverside Library Outreach Project – Employing two liaisons with strong ties to the East African community in the Cedar Riverside neighborhood of Minneapolis to bring residents trainings to build digital literacy and connect them to cultural activities and needed employment, health care, and legal resources.

• Together Play and Learn Spots – Combining the best elements of immersive learning with the fundamentals of early literacy to create a three-dimensional, hands-on, multi-sensory early learning environment for children and their caregivers in nearly every Hennepin County Library location.

YOU are Giving the Gift of…

“Reading is an act of liberation, and nobody knows you’re being liberated but you. The library has always functioned in that way for me.”

- Marlon James, winner of The Man Booker Prize 2015

“I make it my mission to get the kids truly excited about the art they’re creating, and when they become enthralled, it’s a rewarding feeling.”

- Martin Blanco, Teen Art Educator with Art Out of the Box

“Our liaisons care about the [Cedar Riverside] community and will work with residents to understand what they need most, from digital literacy to workforce development,”

- Lois Langer Thompson, HCL Director