Discover The History Of Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library's Friends Group And Their Book Sales

Press release from the Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library:

June 29, 2021

The Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library Foundation is pleased to announce the return of the EVPL Foundation Annual Summer Book Sale on Saturday, August 7 and Sunday, August 8 at Washington Square.

The Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library Foundation has supported the work of EVPL since its founding in 1982. Beginning as a collaboration between Bill Bolte, a Friends of Indiana Libraries officer and Director of the Jeffersonville Township Public Library, and a group of fifty EVPL supporters, what would later become the library’s Friends group – and later merged with the EVPL Foundation in 2014 – held its first meeting on September 30, 1982.

Bolte served as a leader in the founding of the group, providing information on how similar groups functioned and highlighting three main areas of focus for a Friends group. These areas included supporting library projects, fundraising for materials and supplies the library may not otherwise be able to afford, and advocating for library-friendly legislation.

By the conclusion of the meeting, those present agreed to form a Friends group to support EVPL, approved the group’s constitution and by-laws, as well as elected the Friends group officers and Board of Directors. The initial Board of Directors included: Charles Browning, Malcolm Forbes, Elaine Gomoll, Jane Heneisen, James Morlock, Martharee Mays, Amaryllis Martin, Ann Pearson, Phyllis Kincaid, Robert Kruse, Margaret Kyle, Timothy Seiler, Charles Wesselman, and Richard Yeager.

Since its formation in 1982, the Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library Friends group has supported EVPL in a variety of ways, including its annual book sale. Beginning as one sale on the first Sunday in August, the sale has now become a large weekend-long event held the first weekend in August at Washington Square. In addition, two smaller, weekend-long events are held at EVPL Central in the spring and fall.

After postponing the 2020 summer book sale, EVPL and the Foundation are looking forward to hosting the 2021 EVPL Foundation Annual Summer Book Sale the first weekend of August. EVPL is looking forward to providing the opportunity for the community to browse thousands of books, movies, and music to add to their collection while supporting their public library. More information can be found here.

*Information and images sourced from EVPL Digital Archive.

This press release was produced by the Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library. The views expressed here are the author’s own.