Monday, April 29, 2013

Update on the Friends of the Library: now open first Saturdays

As part of an experiment, the Friends of the Library bookstore will open the first Saturday of each month, from 10 am 'til 1:30 pm, the same hours as the library.  The new hours should see a lot of business in our resort community, especially when you hear that these are SALE DAYS.  The First Saturday of each month,  books in the Friends' store are 2-for-1!  If you have guests, please include our picturesque library and its friendly store in your nickel tour.  Check them out this Saturday, May 4th.

The store is completely volunteer-run and sells donations from the general public and retired library books.  The Friends of Ruidoso Public Library held a very successful month-long book sale in February.  The store's hours during the week are Monday through Friday, 10 am to 3 pm.
Three ladies smiling

Friends of a library understand its value and how much one contributes to its community.  A recent article, "There Are No Free Libraries" eloquently explained the confusion in the phrase: It's free at the library.  I often make this mistake myself, as a lazy short-hand, so the article is a timely reminder to keep me honest.

Several Friends socializing at the meeting
Ruidoso Public Library is very lucky in its Friends group.  Several are very active, many help out in a pinch, and countless more provide financial assistance.  Becky Baker, the new president, has as her priority recruiting a pool of volunteers willing to work either a regular 2 1/2 hour shift or be "on call" on the "sub list".

Three ladies

What is Friends of the Library?  They sponsor the Summer Reading Program, which encourages and rewards reading habits during summer break.  Studies find students who read throughout the summer lose less academic progress between school years and begin learning new material earlier each Fall.  The Friends also support our expanding Children's programming, such as Tiny Tots, with over-sized storytelling picture books, and funding busses to bring Nob Hill students to the library on field trips.

In my hometown, the library had a different sort of booster group.  The leader called it "FOOL"s for Friends Of Our Library.  An annual appreciation event celebrated contributions to the library on April 1st with a Mardi Gras theme.  Whether serious, small, active, or visible, Friends of any library are very important for the programs and atmosphere.  Thank you.

five Friends at the meeting

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