Friends Groups Provide Vital Support At Each Library Branch

This week, October 21-27, 2012, marks the annual celebration of National Friends of Libraries Week making it a good time to publicly thank the Friends Groups of the Pickens County Library System who contribute so much of their time and expertise to significantly enhance our services.

Each of our four locations has its own group who support their branch in many ways.

The funds they have raised this past year through our monthly book sales have been used to provide programming for the Children’s Summer Reading performances.

This Saturday, October 20^th, the four groups worked together on a joint book sale to raise money for Born Reading, the library’s newest program which will provide books and literacy information to parents of the newborns at Baptist Easley Hospital beginning next year.

Individually the groups have had a huge impact on the branches they support. Each group has purchased toys and decorations for the children’s areas to keep the littlest hands from pulling book from the shelves while older siblings and parents browse.

As the budgets get tighter, the library simply would not be able to sustain the quality and level of programming we do without our Friends.

The Liberty Friends purchased all of the craft supplies for numerous make-and-take holiday programs and seasonal competitions, in addition to sponsoring a recent performance of the Sweet Potato Pie Kids as a special after-hours event.

They will be stocking the candy jar for the library to participate in the annual Trick or Treat event in downtown Liberty for the fourth consecutive year.

The Central-Clemson Friends were excited to host the traveling Smithsonian Institution Exhibit New Harmonies in conjunction with the Pickens County Museum and Southern Wesleyan College this past spring.

They brought in local authors Bobbie Boman, and New York Times Best Selling author Ron Rash.

To highlight other local expertise, the Friends provided the library with a full DVD set of Expeditions, Clemson professor Patrick McMillan’s ETV series, for all to enjoy. Two new easels for the meeting room and $1000 in new children’s books have also been donated by this active busy group.

The Easley Friends have also helped fill many needs including providing much needed sound equipment and staging for the headquarters meeting room. Our wildly popular American Girl-based history programs have two new dolls to use this year.

The LEGO Storytime on Fridays has also seen its collection of bricks double thanks to the Friends.

The new Teen program has received a digital camcorder to document and share the projects being generated.

The Friends of the Village Branch in Pickens gave their time and support to host the first annual Stuffed Animal Sleepover at the branch.

Friends came in after hours to supervise and chronicle the stuffed animals’ overnight adventures!

They also provided the candy that allows our staff to participate in the Cannon Hospital Trick-or-Treat Trail each year, and donated the supplies used to stock the seasonal crafts in the children’s area.

As if all of this were not enough, each group always finds a special way to recognize the library staff members each National Library Week and at various times throughout the year. It only seems fitting that the Friends get a whole week of their own!

If you would care to join one of the Friends of the Library groups, please drop by your local branch for an application. Memberships begin at $10; members shop the book sales early and receive discounts at both Poor Richard’s Booksellers in Easley and McClure’s Bookshop in Clemson.