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The Resident-Run Springmoor Library Offers Something for Everyone!

The size and scope of library services at Springmoor may surprise you. We provide residents with several thousand books in our main library, six different reading rooms filled with paperbacks, two book clubs, a book cart service, and even “meet the author” events.

You may be interested to know that the Springmoor Library has acquired many oversize or “coffee table” books over the years. These were usually donations from incoming residents who were downsizing. They are beautiful, interesting books.

But they are heavy—so heavy that many of our residents cannot lift them and certainly cannot carry them back to their apartments or houses. So, the Library Committee made the decision to donate most of them to the Wake County Public Library (WCPL) and free up that space.

Previously WCPL sponsored an annual in-person book sale, but this proved to be an ineffective and inefficient way to make these materials available to the community. By contracting with a secondary vendor, WCPL is able to make materials such as the oversize books we donated accessible 24/7. See the county’s website for more information.

The Springmoor Library did retain about 30 oversize books that address North Carolina/Raleigh subjects. These are shelved in the bookcase nearest the circulation desk. You can enjoy titles such as North Carolina Churches: Portraits of Grace, North Carolina Architecture, The North Carolina Century: Tar Heels Who Made A Difference, and The World of Bob Timberlake, to name just a few.

In our regular collection, there are many other books about Wake County, Raleigh, and other parts of North Carolina. These are cataloged according to the Dewey Decimal System and will usually be found in the 700s or 900s. (Use the card catalog to find them.) Our recent acquisition of the Hayes Barton community history falls in this category.

Award-Winning Local Author Sarah Shaber Presents at Springmoor

On another note, in conjunction with the Resident Life Department, the Springmoor Library Committee coordinates several special events throughout the year. Well-known local author Sarah Shaber spoke in our auditorium on Tuesday, November 9 at 7 pm.

Many residents eagerly awaited Shaber’s visit and read one or more of her books in anticipation of hearing her lecture. Prior to her visit to our community, her mysteries and historical fiction books were on display in the library on the file cabinet across from the circulation desk.

Most of Shaber’s books fall into two series. The first is the “Louise” mystery series, which is World War II historical fiction and includes seven books. These novels chronicle the adventures of young widow Louise Pearlie, as she works in the Office of Strategic Services (the precursor to the CIA) during WWII.

Shaber is also the author of five Professor Simon Shaw mysteries. Professor Shaw teaches at a fictitious Raleigh college where he has gained a reputation as a forensic investigator.

Approximately 65 residents attended Shaber’s recent presentation, which was followed by a Q&A session. One resident inquired of the author how she verifies the historical facts that make her WWII series so vivid.

Shaber responded by calling herself an “eBay writer,” meaning she looks for items for sale on eBay that relate to the period of time about which she’s writing. Items she acquired for her “Louise” series included a 1940 map of Washington, DC and a menu from the Senate dining room from the same time period.

The Springmoor Library has an acquisitions budget, and current committee chair Betty Bridges secured several large-print copies of Shaber’s work when she came to speak to residents. “Libraries are my passion,” Betty says. She has been a member of the Springmoor community for three and a half years and Chair of the Library Committee for most of that time.

Another Recommendation for Mystery Fans from the Springmoor Library Committee

Inspector Armand Gamache, the protagonist of 17 novels written by Canadian author Louise Penny, has just solved his last mystery! The Madness of Crowds was released in September 2021 to great acclaim, and the author states that this concludes this series of books.

Fans will be happy to learn these engaging books are slated to be made into a TV series that will be produced by Left Bank Production Company (the producers of The Crown, Outlander, and other series). The new TV show will air on Amazon, but the date has not yet been set as of this writing. Meanwhile, residents can visit the Springmoor library to borrow The Madness of Crowds.

October 2021 brought the release of A State of Terror, written by Louise Penny and Hillary Clinton. It is about a Secretary of State confronting terrorism threats and a weakened nation. We have acquired this book for our library.

The Springmoor Library is located on the 2nd floor of the main building in North Village, next to the Business Office. Residents may visit from 10–Noon, Monday through Saturday, and from 1:30–3:30 pm Monday through Friday. There is something here to interest everyone.

Many thanks to resident Betty Bridges, the Chair of the Springmoor Library Committee. As Chair, she is the de facto librarian and contributes monthly to the resident-produced community newsletter, The Springmoor Herald. Content for this blog post originally appeared in the October 2021 and November 2021 issues of The Herald.

Betty is a retired professional librarian who worked in the Virginia Beach City Public Schools. After being both an elementary and a middle school librarian, she became the coordinator of all libraries in the Virginia Beach school system (there were about 50 at the time). A native of Danville, Virginia, Betty attended Westhampton College at the University of Richmond and received the Master of Library Science degree from East Carolina University.

Plan Your Visit Today

Have you heard the good news? Folks on our waitlist are once again able to visit Springmoor for a card game, exercise/aquatics class, day trip to local attractions, or evening event like a lecture or concert. To help keep everyone safe, we ask that all visitors and all members of our community wear a mask; otherwise, most COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted on our campus.

Springmoor offers seniors a variety of residence options, ranging from apartments to larger villas and homes. If you’re looking for an active senior living community in Raleigh, call us at 919-848-7080 with your questions. You can also click here to fill out a short online form to receive a free packet of information or schedule an appointment for a personalized tour with COVID safety precautions in place. We look forward to meeting you soon!

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