Glenn has been a long-standing supporter of the Plattekill Public Library in his role as Vice President of that organization. Below, find his letter (submitted to the Souther Ulster Times) describing what the Friends of the Plattekill Public Library does to help support our community.

Letter - submitted 7/20/2017

The Friends of the Plattekill Public Library

I write as a member of the board of the Friends of the Plattekill Public Library - an institution that has supported our community library for over a decade now. When my kids, Megan and Andrew (now 16 and 13!), were little, my wife and I were looking for a good library for them - one with a great kids’ section and a welcoming story time. We shopped around a bit. At some point, a few people said that we had to try Plattekill - that there was no equal in terms of kids’ programming found anywhere in the Hudson Valley.

So one evening in about 2005, we took the kids to a Cat in the Hat readaloud event, overseen by professional-grade children’s librarian, Barbara Jacobini. And that was it. Our kids loved it. The event, which was run for a packed crowd in the Senior Center space which is on the floor below the library, was everything you’d want it to be. Fun, interactive, and educational. At the end of the event, Barbara invited all the kids to attend the Wednesday or Thursday weekly story time. So we decided to start taking our kids to these weekly events. And we were pleased to find that the rumors were totally true - and that the story time at the Plattekill Public Library, is second to none - including fun reading time together, lessons, and activities for kids of various ages. For years, our house was regularly packed with crafts that our kids made at the library. And they learned to read. And they learned about all kinds of content that was delivered in the lessons. And they came to see the library as a welcoming and safe place.

So when I was asked to join the board of the Friends of the library in 2006 (then under the presidency of Jean Poirier), I was all in. And with the exception of maybe a year or two along the way, I’ve had the privilege of serving as the Vice President of the organization since - doing my part to help support the library which, in so many ways, sits at the center of the Plattekill community - opening its doors, quite literally, to people of all shapes and sizes in our beloved town.

Recently, I’d heard some misinformation about the role of the Friends (now under the presidential leadership of Plattekill native, Aimee Smith Gadaleto). Someone suggested that we play a role in the budget of the library. Actually, this is not at all true. The library board, a fully separate entity, does that. The Friends of the Plattekill Public Library is an independent, not-for-profit organization with the expressed goal of raising money to support the programming and general needs of the library. And I am glad to say that, to my mind, we have a strong record of doing just that for over a decade now - helping to enhance programming for the entire community.

I’d also heard some misinformation as to whether we play a role in determining the programming for the library. With zero offense to my colleagues on the Friends’ board, the Library has professionals who do that - and that’s not us! We are just here to help! We will organize an occasional fundraiser (such as our highly successful family yard sale from early June of this year) - but when it comes to the actual programming of the library, we trust the seasoned professionals on Route 32 to do their jobs on this one!

If you have any questions at all about the the Friends of the Plattekill Public Library - or if you would like to join as an individual, family, or business member, please email us at friends_of_plattekill_library@yahoo.com. We have been serving the community via our support of the library for well over a decade now - and we look forward to continuing to support the Library’s work in providing the best literacy programming that you will find in our area. If you are looking for a gem in the Hudson Valley, check out the Plattekill Public Library.

Glenn Geher, Vice President of the Friends of the Plattekill Public Library