Friends of the Library

You’ve probably heard about the Friends of the Library from their incredibly popular annual Hog Days Book Sale. But did you know that you could be a part of it?

Joining the Friends is easy

How?

Simply print off the form below, or pick up a copy at the library, and return it to the library along with the membership fee of your desired membership level (starting at $5)

For more information about joining the Friends of the Library, stop by or call the library.

Friends of the Library Form

Why?

The Friends of the Library is a volunteer group whose purpose is to encourage and support a closer relationship between the library and our community. The goal of the Friends is to support the library through fundraising, encouraging gifts, and raising public awareness of the resources and services that the library provides.

Latest Newsletter

Members can choose between a mail or email subscription to our “Between the Lines” newsletter filled with details on upcoming library events and new developments throughout the building.

Main Events

Interested in taking your Friends membership a little further and getting your hands dirty? Make sure to mark on the form which events you’d be able to assist with. We have two major projects that we love for people to volunteer for.

Annual Patron Count

Each year, the Friends are responsible for assisting us with the annual patron count which we are eternally grateful for. The patron count is overall a huge task which has masterfully been broken down into manageable time slots due to our fabulous Friends volunteers.

Book Sales

The Friends are also responsible for developing, planning, and implementing our book sales throughout the year. What you know as the Hog Days Book Sale takes time and dedication to organize, time spent sorting through donations and weeded materials, boxing them up for relocation, and moving those boxes to the space that Johnson’s appliances has kindly donated to us for years. And that’s just the start of it. Setting up, tearing down, and manning the book sale are all time-consuming tasks which are broken down into smaller, more manageable tasks, but we need your help to do that.

Previous Projects

Volunteering with the Friends of the Library helps the library in a multitude of ways. Over the years, the Friends have been instrumental in raising money to fund building projects, including contributing to the Library’s outdoor sign, restoration of the grandfather clock on the Main floor, and restoration of the stained-glass window. We’ve sponsored the library’s Annual Art Show, provided refreshments for programs, and even funded several programs throughout the years. And our fundraising efforts have varied in as many ways as our contributions.

Over the years, we’ve hosted Music at the Carnegie events filled with live entertainment to go alongside a catered dinner, bus trips to historic locations throughout Illinois, and more, all in addition to the funds raised by our membership fees and all of which wouldn’t have been possible without our amazing volunteers.