1. Who Can Take Out Materials?
Only Beth El congregants (members), staff, and non-member families with children currently enrolled either in the Beth El Pre-School or Religious School may take out circulating materials. All others are welcome to use materials in the Library. Periodicals and reference materials (clearly marked as reference) do not circulate. The current plan is that the future music collection will not circulate; it is for listening while at Beth El. All authorized borrowers should have a library patron card that is kept in the library for Sabbath and holiday borrowing as explained below.
2. What about on the Sabbath and holidays?
At Congregation Beth El, we do not write on the Sabbath and holidays.
Each congregant family, staff member, non-member pre-school family, and non-member religious school family will have a library patron card that is kept in a storage box in the Library itself. Families with more than one last name will have a library patron card for each last name. All circulating items with have cards in pockets in the items. At times when writing is not permitted, the person taking out the materials will clip together her/his library patron card and the cards from all the library items being taken out. As always, pre-stamped date-due cards will be available to place in the pockets to remind the patron when the material is supposed to be returned. The next time one of the volunteer librarians is in, s/he will check out the materials by writing the patron's information on the material card and return the library patron card to the storage box.
If the library patron card is missing, please make sure that if you take materials that you let either the main office know when it re-opens or you send an email to library@bethelmc.org as soon as possible. Please tell us that you need a patron card and which materials you have taken. Please ensure that you leave the cards from the materials you have taken in the designated box so we know that the materials have circulated; otherwise we have no way to know that the materials are no longer on the shelf.
3. Who are "we"?
We are all volunteers. The volunteer Librarian is Evelyn Margolis. Other volunteers staff the Library when it is open. Robin Jacobson is the chair of the Library Committee. Jonathan Levy, Education Vice President, is the Executive Board member with responsibility for the Library. Messages will be handled at least weekly.
To contact us please send an email to: library@bethelmc.org
or leave a message with the main office (301) 652-2606.
4. How do I volunteer to help?
The Library Chair Robin Jacobson, Librarian Evelyn Margolis, Sunday Librarians, the Library Committee, and others helping are all volunteers. We welcome your help and contributions – just let us know. If you are a high school student and would like to become a Library Aide, your volunteer time can count as community service hours. You are also invited to join the Library Committee including the acquisitions sub-committee.
5. How do I make a Donation to the Library?
AT THIS TIME we are unable to accept donations of books or any other materials. However, we gratefully accept financial donations of any amount. The Library does not have any other source of funding to buy new materials beside financial donations; we depend on the generosity of our donors. By Beth El policy donations over $18 are acknowledged in writing. By Library policy, donations over $36 are recognized with a book plate affixed in a book.
We suggest these organizations if you wish to make a donation of books or other materials:
Isaac Franck Jewish Public Library
at the Partnership for Jewish Life and Learning
12230 Wilkins Avenue
Rockville, MD 20852
(240) 283-6200
Friends of the Montgomery County Library Bookstore
Randolph Hills Shopping Center
(few doors down from Kosher Mart)
M – Th 10 AM to 9 PM
Friday 10 AM to 6 PM
Sunday 12 noon to 6 PM
(301) 984-3300
6. Does the Library offer Programs?We hope to sponsor a program during Cheshvan, which is Jewish Book Month, every year. We hope to co-sponsor programs with Beth El auxiliaries, the religious school, and the preschool. We would like to host Jewish book clubs for adults, children, and parents with their children. We welcome congregants who would like to give talks about Judaic books, music, film, authors, and scholarly research of any kind -- please contact the Library Chair, Robin Jacobson to volunteer or with any programming ideas you might have.