The Van Sweringen Demonstration Homes: A Centennial Walking Tour
2-4 PM Sunday October 14, 2012
Shaker Library and the City’s Landmark Commission merged history and technology in a fun,informative afternoon learning about Shaker’s landmarked Van Sweringen Demonstration Homes. Local historian Ken Goldberg led a one-hour, 1½-mile walking tour and shared his expertise on the architectural treasures of the community!

Meet the Author: Henry Schoenberger
7 PM Wednesday, October 24
Henry Schoenberger, Cleveland entrepreneur, financial specialist, and author of "How We Got Swindled by Wall Street Godfathers, Greed & Financial Darwinism ~ The 30-Year War Against The American Dream," with a foreword by David Satterfield the former business editor of the Miami Herald, spoke at Woods Branch.

Meet the Author: Lauren R. Pacini
7-8:30 PM Thursday September 27, 2012
Shaker resident, Lauren R. Pacini, author of Shattered Dreams Revisited spoke at Bertram Woods Branch September 27, 2012. Published in co-operation with Western Reserve Historical Society, Shattered Dreams Revisited is a collection of 54 black and white photographs examining the death and the rebirth of the Midwest industrial city. The photographs are accompanied by the author`s narrative and prose and poetry inspired by the photographs, submitted by Cleveland-area students. While the story takes place in Cleveland, it also occurs throughout America`s post-industrial Midwest.

Exterior Painting and Historic Color
7-8:30 PM Tuesday June 26, 2012
Mary Ogle from the Cleveland Restoration Society spoke abotu the different types of paint failure and highlighted what to look for when hiring a painting contractor. She also reviewed historic color schemes and provided tips on how to choose and place appropriate colors for older homes.

This occasional lecture series was cosponsored with the Shaker Heights Landmark Commission.

Civil Rights in Shaker Heights: Putting the Ludlow Neighborhood on the National Register of Historic Places
7-8:30 PM Tuesday June 5, 2012
Main Library
Shelley Stokes-Hammond spoke about Shaker Heights` important place in civil rights history.

Stokes-Hammond, Development and Public Affairs Officer at Howard University Libraries in Washington, DC and daughter of former U.S. Congressman Louis Stokes, grew up in the Ludlow neighborhood of Shaker Heights. Her master`s thesis in historic preservation (2011, Goucher College) focused on the Ludlow Community Association`s important role in civil rights history. Stokes-Hammond`s research paves the way for the Ludlow neighborhood to petition to become part of the National Register`s Civil Rights Heritage Trail.

The evening of memories, discussion, and planning was cosponsored by the Ludlow Community Association.

If These Walls Could Talk: Researching Your Shaker Home`s History
7-8:30 PM Tuesday May 22, 2012
Main Library
Your Shaker Heights home has a remarkable history. Have you ever wondered who lived in your house before you? Who the architect was? Do you need help to unlock its secrets? Clues to Shaker’s rich history are hidden in our houses, and researching them is a wonderful way to understand the past.

In celebration of National Preservation Month, learn about the resources available (both online and in-person) that can help you discover the story of your Shaker Heights home. The library and city`s collaborative Shaker Centennial projects--the online Shaker Building Card database and the Cleveland Historical mobile app featuring Shaker Heights landmarks--will be featured. This progam is cosponsored by the Shaker Heights Landmark Commission.

Ann Klavora, Senior Planner with the Shaker Heights Planning Department, will moderate a panel discussion including Judy Cetina, Cuyahoga County Archivist; Jim Dubelko, Center for Public History + Digital Humanities, Cleveland State University; and Meghan Hays, Shaker Library Local History Librarian.

Meet Shaker Author John Backderf aka “Derf”
7 - 8:30 PM Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Bertram Woods Branch

"Derf" is the pseudonym of Shaker Heights resident and nationally known comicbook artist John Backderf, whose syndicated comic strip The City appears in more than 50 newspapers, including The Plain Dealer.

Derf has published several anthologies and comic stories, including Trashed, a memoir of his time working as a garbage collector, and Punk Rock and Trailer Parks, which is set amid the Akron punk rock scene in 1980. Derf`s newly revised version of My Friend Dahmer is the story of his high school friendship with serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. Following his talk, books were available for sale and signing.

Welcome to Moreland School, June 2010
To welcome the Moreland Elementary School Class of 1960, the library created a picture booklet about their old school. Images in the booklet were reprinted from the Shaker Heights Public Library Photograph Collection in the Cleveland Memory Project.

Shaker History Works in Progress, February - April 2010
Local history buffs enjoyed a Shaker History Works in Progress series at Bertram Woods Branch. Authors spoke about their research in progress, and attendees helped them complete their stories by adding their own historical information and memories. Programs and speakers are listed below with links to the flyers, which advertised their programs.

The Clark-Lee Freeway Revolt and the Birth of the Nature Center at Shaker Lakes
Sabine Kretzschmar, independent scholar and former Executive Director of the Shaker Historical Society, spoke about the Clark-Lee Freeway struggle and the national significance of local initiatives.

The Valley of God`s Pleasure and "Heathen Heights:" Religious Congregations in Shaker Heights and Cleveland Heights
Marian J. Morton, Professor of History at John Carroll University, drew upon her recently completed work on Cleveland Heights` congregations to talk about religious communities in Shaker Heights.

Designing Homes for the Middle Class: The Tribulations of Planning the South Side of Van Aken
Virginia P. Dawson, President of History Enterprises, Inc., spoke about the annexation of East View Village and the Van Sweringen brothers` misstep in planning the area of Shaker south of South Moreland (now Van Aken) Boulevard for middle class families after World War I.

Ludlow Community Association 50th Anniversary Celebration, September 2007
The library saluted the Ludlow Community Association on its 50th anniversary celebration with a 12-panel display of items from the library`s collection. View snapshots of the display.