Fundraiser book fair marks retirement of MFE librarian

December 17, 2012, 10:00 pm by Adam Troxtell

Librarian Andrea Bielefeld sits in the middle of the Mrs. B Retirement Book Fair at Marble Falls Elementary, the funds from which will be used to install a new eBook Center inside the school’s library.

Before Marble Falls Elementary School (MFE) Librarian Andrea Bielefeld retires from a 31-year education career, she wants to make one last effort to motivate kids to pick up a book, whether it’s paperback, hardback or electronic.

Starting Dec. 20 at Marble Falls Elementary, the Mrs. B Retirement Book Fair will be held to raise funds for a new eBook Center at the school’s library. Money raised will be used to buy eReaders and a library of eBooks that MFE . Bielefeld, known by students as Mrs. B, said it is important children be exposed to the technology as it becomes more prevalent in education.

"It’s something that needs to be done,” she said. "The kids need to have this, because by the time they’re in high school it could be the way things are done. It’s something that’ll happen whether an old, traditional librarian likes it or not.”

Wednesday and Thursday, students will get to visit the book fair and pick out whatever manages to catch their eye. Thursday evening, from 4 p.m to 6 p.m., the public is invited to attend a Family Night where parents and their children can explore the book shelves together. Santa Claus will be attending for photos, and Bielefeld will read Dr. Seuss’s "How the Grinch Stole Christmas” to MFE students one last time.

For the full story, see Tuesday's Highlander.