New Friends of Lovett head seeks input from public

Posted 5/23/13

David Moore, president of the Friends of Lovett Memorial Library in Mt. Airy, poses for a picture in the Philadelphia Print Shop, 8441 Germantown Ave. (Photo by Sue Ann Rybak) by Sue Ann Rybak David …

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New Friends of Lovett head seeks input from public

Posted

David Moore, president of the Friends of Lovett Memorial Library in Mt. Airy, poses for a picture in the Philadelphia Print Shop, 8441 Germantown Ave. (Photo by Sue Ann Rybak)

by Sue Ann Rybak

David Moore, a Mt. Airy native who recently accepted the position of president of the Friends of Lovett Memorial Library – a position he previously held for two terms along with chairing the library's Centennial Anniversary in 1985 – said one of his goals is to transition the organization into the digital age and recruit new and younger leadership.

Moore brings a wealth of experience to the position, including having been past president and former executive director of the Mt. Airy Business Association and a former president of West Mt. Airy Neighbors.

“I had no intention of ever being involved in something like this,” said Moore, who currently works at the Philadelphia Print Shop in Chestnut Hill as an assistant to the partners.

He said after not being involved for 16 years, he is attempting to get “up to speed,” on issues facing not only the branch – Lovett Memorial Library – but the entire Free Library of Philadelphia.

Moore said he believed that the mission of “a friends association for a branch of a public library system was twofold: to assist the professional and non-professional staff of the branch” and “to advocate for the system to governmental and non-governmental organizations as well as advocate for the branch within that system.”

One way Moore hopes to achieve this is by creating a Web presence and utilizing social media such as Facebook to allow customers to be actively involved and engaged in “shaping Lovett's 21st-century vision.”

He wants, however, to continue to honor and celebrate the library's rich history. A recently “found” plaque was one originally placed in the library in 1900 to commemorate Charlotte Lovett Bostwick, the Mt. Airy resident who donated the grounds for the library and its park, paid for constructing the original library building (now the meeting room), and established the library's endowment fund.

Moore said the plaque was lost for more than a half century and was recently returned to Lovett. Thanks to Friends of Lovett , it is undergoing conservation.

Friends of Lovett will hold a rededication ceremony at 7:30 p.m. Monday, June 3, to celebrate the return of the historic plaque. Moore invited the community to come learn about the history of the plaque and its unique journey back to Lovett. He encouraged residents to come learn about the woman whose generosity helped to make Lovett Library a vital component of Mt. Airy for more than 125 years.

Moore said that after remembering the library's rich heritage, the community is invited on June 10 to voice its opinions about the future of Lovett Memorial Library.

“The Free Library of Philadelphia is looking to see how they can adapt the entire system to the 21st Century,” Moore said. “Lovett Memorial Library is one of the pilots in the program.”

Siobhan Reardon, president and director of the Free Library; Jim Keller, architect; Lynn Ruthrauff, branch manager, and several elected officials will be at the meeting.

“These events are an opportunity for the community to celebrate our heritage and collaborate in our libraries' future,” Moore said.

For more information about these events email David Moore at davidtmoore@mail.com or call Lovett Memorial Library at 215-685-2095.

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