New Haven Independent

Clad in colorful beads and masks, party-goers bid in a silent auction on goods and services featured from many different local business. Money raised from the auction will be used to improve the library’s book collections and programs.

The idea for a Mardi Gras party came seven years ago, explained Mike Morand, president of the Library Patrons Board, when he realized that the dates of the library’s founding”“February 21, 1887”“coincided perfectly with the New Orleans celebration. Since then, the party has become a popular event, with usually 200 to 300 people in attendance.

Claudia Merson, a library board Member, extolled the virtues of the Mardi Gras party in bringing together the New Haven philanthropic community to contribute to a common cause. “It’s really a fabulous event,” she said. “New Haven has a big philanthropic scene. This party brings everyone together, people involved in all sorts of causes.”

This year, the event comes on the heels of 2006’s wildly successful drive that raised $1.4 million for the city’s library system. Much of the funds raised, reported Barbara Segaloff, development director for the library, was spend on books, programs, and services at the new Wilson branch in the Hill neighborhood.

According to City Librarian Jim Welbourne, the party serves as a way to publicly thank those who contributed to last year’s campaign. The party, Welbourne said, is a way “to say to folks that gave that the money really goes to something.”

Welbourne also spoke enthusiastically of the library’s new initiative”“in conjunction with the mayor’s Youth Initiative”“to expand after-school hours and homework support and to improve collections and computer technology.

After a New Orleans-style buffet dinner, the evening concluded with an awards ceremony honoring those who stood out in their contribution of funds and services to the library and its programs. Foremost among awardees was Rick Mayer (pictured with wife Melanie), the founder of Conexion, a program intended to increase technology literacy within the Hispanic community of the Hill neighborhood. The program, which began only a month ago, focuses specifically on teaching adults in the community how to access the internet in Spanish.

Also present were members of the project “Gateway to National Prominence,” a program that operates out of the library’s Steston branch and teaches at-risk youth video and media technology. A collaboration of two different media organizations, CTRIBAT and SEA~TV, the program is run by NHPD officer Shafiq Abdussabur and Southern Connecticut University Communication Instructor Chip Croft and is intended, in the words of one of its organizers, “to show kids there’s something else out there beyond the hood.”