The Atrium

I have very fond memories of working at Ottawa Hills. All the patrons made a point of welcoming me and making me feel comfortable. We had lots of fun at the "Dolly and me" tea parties, at the Teddy Bear's Picnic out on the lawn, and the special "Pig Day" celebration.
We got rap music introduced into the library system. I loved how so many kids signed up for Summer Reading year after year.

Don Walsh
I was Branch Librarian from 1975 to 1983. I remember inheriting the Ottawa Hills Branch post from one of our great City Librarians, Roger Patterson. Actually, taking over from Roger was easy. For instance, he had developed one of the finest classical record collection for its size in the State as well as a fine book collection, so I had to do was simply replace worn out copies. In those times book budgets were woefully meager, but as soon as possible we tried to build an equally excellent jazz record collection. With the help of Richard English and other knowledgeable patrons we soon built up that area.

I was extremely proud of our staff. After Marilyn VanderStel decided to transfer to Seymour, we were fortunate to retain Dorothy Reverski ("Back-up-ski") until her retirement. We added Mrs. Love (Do you remember her storytime renditions of "Straighten up and fly right"?), Carmen Vera Rojas (now Branch Manager at the West Leonard Branch), and numerous great pages including the original Doug Bratt, Teresa Sanders, Judy Doyle, etc.,etc.

FRIENDS? We had great ones. I especially remember Susan Zimmermann who volunteered one week to paint our Staff lunchroom as we opened it up to all patrons. Why she insisted on putting horn rimmed glasses on the sun in the graphics on the wall I'll never know.

FRIDAY NIGHT FLICKS
In an effort to offer alittle diversity we tried staying open on Friday nights and offering thirty minutes of kids movies as a free alternative family activity.
It was a nice easy way for the family to start its weekend.

As a patron of Ottawa Hills Branch, I don't know where to start in expressing my appreciation of this place and the staff. It was one of the draws to the neighborhood when I moved in 5 years ago, and then I came in and met the staff! They are truly the greatest, and I have visited a lot of libraries. In fact, I work in libraries. My son and I are in there at least once or twice every week. On rainy or snowy days, it is the first place we think of to hide out. When we get inspired about a topic, we run down the street for books to learn more. And Every time we are welcomed like it is someone's home. Our home. There is so much to be commended in these neighborhood Branch libraries, so much community. And Ottawa Hills, in my humble opinion, is the cream of the crop! Thanks Guys!

(The memory below is from Roger Patterson--an Ottawa Hills branch librarian for seventeen years. The original copy of this memory is in the paper copy of the Ottawa Hills branch memory book. Feel free to stop in and see his and other peoples' memories, and then contribute your own!)

"Working with the public for me was mostly fun and it took great courage for me to leave at 65.

"One of my most embarrassing times took place on the corner of Monroe and Ionia when a voice from across the street called out 'There you are you dirty old man!'
Now there was a policeman directing traffic on the street. I wondered who this awful person was. Then I saw one of my best library patrons coming over to me. I had recommended a book by one of her favorite authors. It was different than others by the same person.

"On one occasion a woman asked me to recommend a book to her 5th grade son who never had time to read. I asked her what she had read lately. She said she was too busy. I said he was too.

"One of our most difficult summers at Ottawa was when our air conditioning broke down. the dress code for men was always a necktie and a long sleeved shirt or a short sleeved shirt and a jacket. Since the budget didn't include mew air conditioning the dress code broke down.

"When I went to get my AMLS at Michigan my intentions were to be a college librarian. However, when I became a public librarian, one of the most needful things was work with children. I started such programs at Burton Branch and carried the same banner at Ottawa Hills and West Side. During the school year many classes came to us and I went to them. When summer reading club began I made it into all schools in neighborhoods where I was. While at Burton I visited 6 schools, at Ottawa Hills 12 schools, and at West Side 11 schools.

"One day at Ottawa a distinguished gentleman spent about 2 hours in the late afternoon at the library. He finally came up to the desk. He explained his son had just gotten his first job. It was at Ottawa. He was checking the work sight and was very pleased. He, professor of history at Calvin, his wife, daughter, son (our page), his sister and I spent a month in Europe.

Ottawa Hills was where I learned what I wanted to do with my life � become a Librarian. I started working at Main as a page in the Fiction department and when the Librarian Assistant position opened, I was encourage to apply. The miracle is that I got the job.

I started at Ottawa in 1978, before I got married, before I had my children. I was working full time under Librarian Don Walsh. Our Clerk was Mrs. Love.

I have many memories of the time spent at Ottawa. One of my most vivid memories was of Story Time. Our theme for Story Time was �new� things. We told stories about children getting new brothers/sisters, new pets, new clothes, etc. I asked each child to share with the group what �new� thing they had recently received. One little boy said that he didn't have anything new, but his mother had new black lace panties and then turned and excitedly asked his mother to show the group.

Another memory was the snow storm in 1979 (the year I met and married my husband). It was a Friday and we had our weekly Free Friday Family Flicks program. I had our film department splice together Disney movies and we'd show them on a 16mm projector. Back at this time, Ottawa's hours were Tuesday � Friday from 11:00 am to 8:00 pm; the FFF program was scheduled on Friday nights at 7:00pm. We hadn't received word from the Director to close and I didn't think anyone would show up. It was so bad that staff were worried about being stranded at the library. Every week the average attendance, on a good day, was between 8-12 people. People came by foot, sled (some led by their dogs) and ski's. If memory servers me correct we had around 130 people! We had a great program and thank God, all staff made it home safe.

The old Ottawa had a bulletin board case that was the first thing you saw upon entering the library. Whoever designed this case should have been shot. There were three panels to the case, and only the middle panel opened from the back. The other two panels did not move. This meant that in order to get your display lined up correctly, you had to crawl inside the case with your bottom facing the entrance in order to put up the bulletin board. The good news is I was skinnier, younger and I'm sure my backside looked better then than now.

I left GR and went to Texas in 1985. I returned to GR in 1986; in 1994 I returned to GR Public Library to work at Madison Square but before I went to Madison, I spent a couple of months at Ottawa. In 2000, I took a lateral transfer back to Ottawa. I was surprised to see many of the same patrons, and children that were now parents that had been in my Story Times. One man with his little boy in his arms began singing our Story Time song. I'm sure he meant it fondly, but boy did it make me feel old.

Ottawa is a library that has heart. The community is very self sufficient and they are good people. As a result, they use and care about their library. I consider my years at Ottawa well spent and I consider it a privilege to have been part of it's history. It is the experience I had at Ottawa that made me realize what I wanted to be when I grew up. As the present Regional Library Manager at the West Leonard Library, I know my experience with the patrons at Ottawa have taught me to be a better person and the best Librarian I can be. Thank you Ottawa Hills!

Our favorite things about our neighborhood are: our neighbors and our LIBRARY!! Being able to just drop by the library on a walk makes us feel, well, very privileged. We may have to drive for all other necessities of life here, but we feel RICH that we have books right around the corner! And the NICEST librarians in the city. My small children and I are always welcomed warmly, even if we can't manage a whisper... I love it that my kids are growing up with books as a daily part of their lives, and that the people who provide them with books show them that reading is a pleasure. Thank you Ottawa Hills library and the wonderful people who work there.

The Ottawa Hills Branch Library has anchored our lives in Grand Rapids since 1981. The library was a major reason to move to Ottawa Hills and a motivating factor in our staying in the neighborhood.

My children grew up at the library. Their first official identity cards were GRPL library cards. Missing children were often found among the back room stacks, reading.

My daughter remembers her reading life as movement from children's to young adult to magazines to science fiction/fantasy. After having read through most of the science fiction, the current librarian, June Newton, enlisted her as a volunteer, culling science fiction paper backs to make room for new books.

As a past president of Ottawa Hills Branch Friends of the Library, I wish the library a hearty Happy 50th Anniversary. We are young and old together!

I have so many wonderful memories of Ottawa Hills; I don't know where to start! So, let me just start with the Administration during my time (94-98). Patrons may not know this, but a supportive administration goes a long way in making a great library. The Friends of the library under the leadership of the Footes and the Harpolds--were extremely supportive. They were and probably still are one of the reasons Ottawa Hills is such a fine library. Add the most wonderful patrons in the world to the mix, and you have an unbeatable combination! There's no words to describe how good I felt receiving the invitation to "blog". I'm so impressed with the development of the library and system as a whole. Truthfully, I feel quite blessed to have worked for GRPL! I'm just going to leave it at that. I have so many wonderful stories about so many wonderful people that I need a book not a blog! Happy 50th Birthday

Thank you for fifty years of tireless service, and for working to entertain, educate and enrich a community. As a frequent visitor, I feel blessed to live so close to the Ottawa Hills Branch. At one point I began to wonder if perhaps I was stopping by a little too often. I asked if visiting every day was a bit of a cry for help--the staff cheerfully answered in unison, "Yes."

I remember the day when I felt like I had truly arrived. I walked in the front door and they knew my name. Even better, they placed my "hold" items on the counter without asking for my card. I felt like I had escalated from patron to friend.

I often find myself smiling when I walk out of the library. Sometimes I'm thrilled to find a particular book or DVD. On many occasions I enjoy the interaction with the staff. It even brightens my day when I get to hassle a particular employee about parking his blue car in the best spot in the lot...

Thank you for so many cherished memories, and may you have a wonderful 50th Anniversary!