The Campus Chronicle

Volume 3, No. 5
December 6, 2002

Savannah College of Events and Conferencing Office Manager Alice Eisner, Jen Library Circulation Assistant Paula Lewis and her grandson Daniel Lewis look at books Nov. 24 at the new Abe and Esther Tennenbaum Library at 9 Lee Blvd. Lewis helped to catalogue books for the library.
Photo by Dan Saelinger

SCAD staffer organizes Jewish library

By Monique Bos

Savannah College of Art and Design staff member Paula Lewis saw a challenge.

Her synagogue, Con-gregation Agudath Achim, had a lot of books lying around, but no system that allowed people to access the books.

"We had such great books and I thought it was a shame that they couldn’t be checked out or read," said Lewis.

So Lewis, who works as a circulation clerk at Jen Library, undertook the monumental task of spearheading an effort to organize the books. Lewis and several volunteers spent a year cataloguing and computerizing.

The result is the Abe and Esther Tenenbaum Library, which launched with a Nov. 24 reception. The library is located at Congregation Agudath Achim, 9 Lee Blvd. in Savannah, and is open to the public. "Anybody can come see what we have," Lewis said.

The library has more than 4,000 books, 2,500 of which already are in the computerized system. Lewis and other volunteers continue to enter the rest of the titles in the system, but Lewis said she was eager to open the library with the books that are available. The library also carries some videos.

The collection is comprehensive in its coverage of Jewish authors, themes and subjects, said Lewis, and has particularly large Holocaust and Jewish holiday sections. "We have more than 50 books on Hanukkah alone," she said.

Asked how her work at Jen Library affected her ability to lead efforts for the Tenenbaum Library, Lewis said her coworkers were extremely helpful. "If I weren’t here, I don’t know if I’d have taken that challenge."

She said library coworkers such as Ron Rayman, Kym Hepworth and Janice Shipp all contributed by letting her "pick their brains" and providing information on what to do and how to do it. "They were a big help," she said.

In addition to Lewis, the Tenenbaum Library is staffed by SCAD student Jeff Geissler, a junior majoring in computer art. Lewis and Geissler first met when he held a work-study position at the Jen Library. When his work-study ended, Lewis offered Geissler a job.

"He has a lot of great ideas, and he’s helped tremendously," she said. In addition, she said, Geissler’s familiarity with the Dewey Decimal System and library procedures is an asset.

Lewis emphasizes that anyone interested in seeing the Tenenbaum Library is welcome to visit, check out books and browse. In addition, she said, "We welcome volunteers."

The library is open from 5-6:30 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. on Sundays and on an on-call basis. Visits can be scheduled outside of normal operating hours by calling Lewis at 525-4709 or by e-mailing plewis@scad.edu.

Bos is Web editor for Satellite.