LIBRARY NEWS
BY HOLLY BREITKREUTZ, PRESIDENT, KRAEMER LIBRARY BOARD
At the March meeting of the Library Board of Trustees, Carolyn Forde announced her
resignation effective April 30, 2016. The Library Board will miss Carolyn and the outstanding
work she did as our director the last 5 years. She accomplished many things during her tenure
and she leaves the Kraemer Library and Community Center positioned well to continue
excellent service to patrons in an ever complex, technology driven society. We certainly wish
her well as she embarks on the next phase of her professional life.
I would like to update you on the plans for the Library as we begin the process of hiring a new
director.
The Library Board held a special meeting on April 7 to begin the process. At that meeting, the
Library Board appointed a Search Committee consisting of Holly Breitkreutz, Outgoing President
of the Library Board, Mary Jo Warnke, current Vice President of the Library Board, Kristen
Cummings, Library Trustee, Deb Tafs, Friends of the Kraemer Library Representative, and
Martha Van Pelt, South Central Library System Staff Member. Jennifer Kraemer will serve as
the Human Resources Consultant. Holly Breitkreutz and Jennifer Kraemer are co-coordinators
and will provide leadership during the search process.
The position has been advertised in the Home News and posted on a number of Wisconsin
Library Association and University of Wisconsin Career Services Web sites.
While the search process progresses, the Library Board needed to make arrangements for
providing leadership for the Library for the many administrative decisions that need to be
made. Mary Jo Warnke, current Vice President of the Library Board of Trustees will serve as the
point of contact with staff from the South Central Library System which provides the extensive
technology services and professional expertise that supports the day to day operation of the
library. Mary Jo will also provide support and leadership to Library staff members as it relates
to staffing and other administrative issues.
Of major concern to the Library Board was ensuring services to patrons continue during the
transition, particularly maintaining the hours of operation for the Library. The Library Board is
fortunate to have dedicated employees willing to step up and offer to work additional shifts so
our patrons have the same access to the Library as they have enjoyed in the past. Mary Brey,
Nicole Feiner, and Kathy Kieler are each providing additional support to the Library. And of
course our volunteers, Niki Johnson and Linda Overbeek, will be around to provide support as
well.
In addition, Kathleen Kosiec, Director of the Spring Green Library, was gracious enough to see if
any of her staff would be willing to work some of the shifts that were not able to be filled by
our staff. The Library Board is pleased to welcome Heather Zumm and Tami Mueller from the Spring
Green Library as additional part-time employees during this transition period. Their experience will
further ensure that the Kraemer Library and Community Center can maintain a high level of professional
service to our patrons.
I encourage everyone to continue to take advantage of and enjoy the outstanding resources
available to the residents of the Village of Plain and the surrounding area that are present at
the Kraemer Library and Community Center.
ON EXHIBIT – MAY AND JUNE
Caricatures by Frank Willmarth will be on exhibit during May and June. Mr. Willmarth was the
father of Plain resident, Katie W. Green, who care takes his private art collection. Katie
provided a brief biography of her father
The long career of artist-entertainer-writer Frank “Pancho” Willmarth spanned six decades and
produced a prodigious body of work. He was born in Illinois, raised in St. Louis, Idaho, and
California and was comfortable about anywhere, being a gregarious man. He was known
principally as a caricature artist, although he worked in pastels, watercolors, drew a few
cartoons for magazines and papers, and for years wrote humorous newspaper columns. He
plied his art in a wide variety of venues, including the famed Hollywood Brown Derby
restaurant, the San Francisco Press Club, USO canteens, veterans' hospitals, conventions,
private parties, nightclubs, service clubs, the Chicago and North Carolina Flower Shows, on
college campuses and at fairs all over the US and Canada, to name just a few. For many years
he was a regular at the Wisconsin State Fair – in fact, by the end of his active career he was the
longest-running exhibitor at the fair of anyone by far. He also sketched many “victims,” as he
jokingly called the subjects of his caricatures, at his own studios in Northern and Southern
California. He estimated his output over a lifetime at 40,000 caricatures!
“Pancho” referred to himself as “the artist with the laughing crayon,” because he almost never
drew people with the intention of ridiculing or humiliating him or her. He chose to enhance
their images and make the experience of being caricatured amusing and fun. (One notable
exception was Richard Nixon, whom he despised.) He was a classically-trained artist, studied at
two art schools in the 1930s, and was considered by other artists to have a remarkable facility
for capturing likenesses at lightning speed. This exhibit will feature self-portraits and portraits
of “Pancho” by his friends and assorted acquaintances, some of whom were/are professionals
and some amateurs. In this way one can observe and appreciate the highly different styles each
artist develops.
FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY NEWS
BY JENNIFER KRAEMER
Annual Membership Renewals: June is the membership month - anyone whose annual
membership expires on June 30 will receive a reminder postcard toward the end of May. Funds
from memberships and fundraising activities are used to supplement and enhance the library’s
programming and materials budgets, thus ensuring the continued growth and evolution of a
high-quality library and community center. New members are always welcome. Annual
memberships range from $2 for a student or senior to $25 for a business. Membership
brochures are available in the library or can be downloaded at the Friends of the Library page
on the Library’s website.
Pies, Pages, Pottery & Puzzles
Pies, Pages, Pottery & Puzzles, or P4, is scheduled for Friday and Saturday, October 14 and 15.
This annual fundraising event is an opportunity to support the library and pick up a delicious
homemade pie and gently-used books, DVDs, and jigsaw puzzles. We are looking for volunteer
pie bakers and people to work during the sale. If you are interested, inquire at the library
information desk and we will contact you.
UPCOMING EVENTS
ARCADIA BOOKS, SPRING GREEN
Thursday, May 5, 6:30 pm – Patricia Skalka, author of the Dave Cubiak Door County Mystery
Series, introduces the latest book in the series – Death in Cold Water.
Saturday, May 14, 2:00 pm – Jane Hamilton discusses her latest novel, The Excellent Lombards.
SPRING GREEN COMMUNITY LIBRARY
Saturday, May 7, 2:00 pm – Madison-area authors and “Eating in Madison A-Z” bloggers
Nichole Fromm and J.M. Rasmus, discuss their book Madison: A History of Capital Cuisine and
answer questions. Sponsored by Friends of the Library.
PLAIN PAGE TURNERS
Tuesday, May 17, 7:30 pm – Pontoon, by Garrison Keillor
IN THE MAGAZINES
The May 2016 issue of Vegetarian Times contains an article by Cara Mangini, author of The
Vegetable Butcher (a recent arrival at Kraemer Library). Photo sequences show how to shell
fava beans, trim and cut asparagus, and clean and chop ramps (aka spring onions). Related
recipes from the book are included.
The April 2016 issue of Wisconsin Natural Resources magazine contains a listing of this year’s
field trips, the annual fishing guide, and an interesting one-page story about the sibling rivalry
between two sandhill crane chicks
DVD REVIEW:
“LEARNING TO DRIVE”
BY NIKI JOHNSON
“Learning to Drive” is a small, quiet, predictable, but enjoyable friendship film. Wendy is a well
known book critic for a New York City magazine. At the start of the film, she and her husband
enter a cab shortly after he breaks the news that he is leaving her for another woman. Wendy
(Patricia Clarkson) is upset, lost, and distraught about her future. She feels even more isolated
because she is unable to drive, even to visit her daughter in New Hampshire. The cab that they
took that night was driven by Darwan (Ben Kingsley), a Punjabi immigrant who drives a cab at
night but also teaches driving during the day. Wendy left a manuscript in the cab that night and
when Darwan returns it, she notices the sign for driving lessons. Wendy eventually makes
arrangements to take driving lessons from Darwan and through the lessons they become
friends. Darwan’s patient and gentle nature helps Wendy overcome her fear of driving and
anger at her ex-husband regarding the divorce. In turn, Wendy helps Darwan grow closer to his
new bride through an arranged marriage.
RECENT ARRIVALS: NONFICTION
50 Great American Places, Brent D. Glass
50 Hikes on Michigan and Wisconsin’s North Country Trail, Thomas Funke
100 Perfect Hair Days, Jenny Strebe
Accounting for Small Business Owners, Tycho Press
Australia, Eyewitness Travel
Beyond Canning: New Techniques, Ingredients, and Flavors to Preserve, Pickle, and Ferment Like
Never Before, Autumn Giles
The Blue Bloods Cookbook: 120 Recipes That Will Bring Your Family to the Table, Bridget
Moynahan and Wendy Howard Goldberg
Bowl: Vegetarian Recipes for Ramen, Pho, Bibimbap, Dumplings, and Other One-Dish Meals,
Lukas Volger
The Complete Photo Guide to Card Making, Judi Watanabe
The Complete Photo Guide to Home Repair, Black & Decker
Continuous Crochet, Kristin Omdahl