TCCL News & Events

Friends are there for celebrations and in times of need, providing their knowledge, guidance and support.

For 30 years, Friends of the Rudisill Regional Library members have donated their time and talents to ensure Rudisill Regional Library, 1520 N. Hartford, remains a community gem. From shelving books and making snacks for programs to helping plan entertaining and educational program, countless Tulsans of all ages have shared their love of lifelong learning.

You are invited to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Friends of the Rudisill Regional Library during “Thirty Remarkable Years,” Oct. 4, 4-5:30 p.m. at the Rudisill Regional Library. The celebration includes a dramatization by actress Vanessa Adams-Harris; a reflection on the library’s history by Jan Keene, former Tulsa City-County Library deputy director; music by Beverly Washington and Ernestine Dillard; and poetry from a Pocket Full of Hope. The program culminates with a video documenting the 30 remarkable years. Also, see an exhibit and display featuring items from their history.

During the majority of the group’s existence, Keith Jemison has served as the Rudisill Regional Library manager. He has been an active member of the group while overseeing several renovations and expansions during his tenure.

“The Friends of the Rudisill Regional Library always have been the first to offer help for planning and assisting with library programs. Even the daunting task of packing and moving thousands of books does not steer away this group,” said Jemison. “The group has been active for long enough that we are now starting to see children of past members join the Friends. We’ve really grown to become a family volunteer organization. The best part is we all love books.”

For more information on the “Thirty Remarkable Years” celebration, call the Rudisill Regional Library, 596-7280, or visit the library’s Web site, www.tulsalibrary.org.

On Sept. 17, 1787, the U.S. Constitution was signed by 39 brave men who changed the course of history. To celebrate Constitution Day, the Tulsa County Bar Association will kick off its “Layman’s Legal” series with a panel presentation on the First Amendment, focusing on the separation of church and state.

The free program is from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 22 at Central Library, Fourth Street and Denver Avenue, in Aaronson Auditorium.

Tulsa City-County Library has numerous resources to complement the program, including the following titles:

• “Your Right to Religious Liberty: A Basic ACLU Guide to Religious Rights” by Barry W. Lynn. The ACLU sets forth an individual’s religious rights under present law, offering suggestions as to how they can be preserved and protected.
• “Jefferson and Madison on Separation of Church and State: Writings on Religion and Secularism,” edited by Lenni Brenner. This compilation features a complete selection of writings from Thomas Jefferson and James Madison focusing specifically on their very forward thinking beliefs in the separation of church and state.
• “Persecution: How Liberals Are Waging War Against Christians” by David Limbaugh. The author issues a wakeup call to lovers of liberty everywhere and a call to action to conservatives and Christians to defend the religious freedom envisioned and practiced by the founders.

Other titles in the library’s collection include “Church and State in America: Battleground or Common Ground?” by Oliver Thomas, “Church and State in the Modern Age: A Documentary History” by J.F. Maclear, “Original Intent: Chief Justice Rehnquist and the Course of American Church-State Relations” by Derek Davis and “Issues of Church, State and Religious Liberties: Whose Freedom, Whose Faith?” by Kenneth McIntosh. For additional resources, search the library catalog at www.tulsalibrary.org and browse the subject “church and state.”

For more information about the Constitution Day program, contact Robbie Sittel, government documents librarian, at 596-7946, or visit www.tulsalibrary.org.