Feldman Children’s Library

The Feldman Children’s Library was established in 1992.  Its purpose is to serve the children, families, and teachers of Congregation B’nai Israel’s preschool and religious education program.  It was named after founders Larry and Diane Feldman. 

Records of early Library Committee meetings fairly seethe with excitement.  The project was taken seriously from the beginning.  Consultations were held with the Central Agency for Jewish Education and local librarians from the Jewish Community Center.  The new library became a member of the Association of Jewish Libraries.  A collection of over 1,000 Judaic books and secular preschool books was established.  Four computers were installed for educational games.  A fundraising program was set up in which “Birthday Books” could be purchased in honor of the donor’s loved ones.  Plans were made to do weekly story times for the preschool, and to have classes from the religious school visit the library to borrow books.  Research workshops were scheduled for children preparing for their bar and bat mitzvahs. 

The first part-time librarian was Maria Walansky, who began at Congregation B’nai Israel as a secretary in the preschool.  Her background included work with learning-disabled and gifted children, and Judaic preschool experience.  She had an Associate’s Degree in computer programming, and had worked with the Board of Education.  A very artistic woman, she excelled at creating beautiful bulletin board displays to promote reading.

In 1998 Maria moved on and Heidi Rabinowitz (at the time, Heidi Estrin) was hired as full-time librarian.  She brought with her a Master’s Degree in Library Science from the University of Pittsburgh and experience in public library youth services in Pittsburgh, PA and Broward County, FL.  Under her direction, story time became the most popular “special” in the preschool (other specials include music, yoga, Judaics, and sports). The collection has benefited from her wide knowledge of children’s literature. 

In the summer of 1999, the library was renovated and expanded to a size of approximately 1,000 square feet. A rededication ceremony was held in January, 2000, and the library received Basic Accreditation from the Association of Jewish Libraries that same year; Advanced Accreditation was received in 2011. The library is open and airy, and features a very realistic “Tree of Knowledge” with names of contributors inscribed on the leaves in gold ink. The Howard Computer Lab next door, overseen by the library, features ten networked, Internet-accessible touchscreen computers on height-adjustable desks for use by the students in both schools.

The library catalog was automated with Surpass Software in 2004 and the collection has grown from approximately 1,000 to over 10,000 volumes at a wide variety of reading levels. There is a large Judaica collection, and a secular collection of picture books for the preschool. A bibliotherapy section for families deals with such issues as a new baby in the family or a divorce. The Cannon Family Social Action Collection was established in 2019 to encourage acts of tikkun olam.