The committee works with the rabbis, education director, professional librarians (many of whom are congregants), and other sources to develop the collection. Volunteers perform all the work of readying new books for the shelves by creating records in the computer, assigning call numbers, making covers, bar codes, and plates.
New books, supplies, and all the expenses of the library (including the new computer and software) are paid for by the congregants’ generous support of the library fund. The daily tasks of running the library—shelving returned books, tracking down missing books, keeping the shelves in order, repairing books, helping congregants learn to use the computer to find books, and many more, are all handled by the committee.
The committee is also responsible for staffing the library when the school children in grades 1 through 5 are there, approximately 15 hours per week. Many volunteers have been doing this for years and really get a kick out of it.
The Haskell N. Bernat Library
The completely computerized Haskell N. Bernat library at Temple Isaiah is one of the largest and most active temple libraries in New England. The quality of the 9000 book, video, and tape collection and its high circulation would do credit to a much larger congregation.
Our collection of books of Jewish interest suitable for readers from preschoolers to rabbis is always being upgraded and expanded. Everything from fiction through history, religion, Jewish life, and culture to encyclopedias and Torah commentaries may be found in our library. There is an outstanding children's section. The recently begun and rapidly growing video and CD collection has already achieved significant circulation.
The library is open whenever the Temple is open and it is free to anyone with an interest in Jewish learning.
All books and tapes are completely catalogued and filed in state-of-the-art computer system which allows easy and convenient searching for material. A succinct description of every book is in the database so one can browse the library without leaving the terminal. All materials are bar-coded and are checked in and out by computer.
For information, contact the Librarian.