The Phelan Memorial Library Summer Reading Program is in full swing, with lots of fun activities to take part in! While this particular program offers reading incentives, weekly crafts, and live entertainment, it is just one of the many programs that the Friends of the Library help fund year-round.
Since the Phelan Memorial Library opened in August 2009, there has been a Friends of the Library board to help raise money to supplement all of the programs, activities, prizes, new book purchases, and upgrades the library may need, and much more.
They do this in a few different ways, from their holiday gift basket fundraiser raffle to the much-anticipated yearly spring book sale, where you can fill a bag with books for just $5! But the biggest of all is the Friends of the Library bookstore located inside the library. All of the books, magazines, and DVDs/CDs donated to the library are cleaned, organized, and added to the Friends of the Library bookstore, where they can be purchased for no more than one dollar!
Some items, such as teacher materials like textbooks, workbooks, and dictionaries, are even available for free. All of the money raised goes right back into the library to help it thrive and offer programs for the community!
The Friends of the Library board is always looking for volunteers to join this wonderful cause! All that is needed to join is to fill out a short Friends of the Library form and a volunteer form for the county that can be picked up at the Phelan Memorial Library. You must be at least 18 years old to volunteer. The duties of board members include attending the monthly meeting on the first Tuesday of every month in the library, where you will help approve new purchases and upgrades needed for the library, and coming in whenever your schedule allows to help prep all the donated materials for the bookstore. Additionally, if you wish to help with the bookstore itself or volunteer at the library, helping its amazing staff, and not on the board, you must be fingerprinted. The county covers the cost of the fingerprinting.
To learn more about becoming a Friend of the Library and the difference they help make for the community, visit the Phelan Memorial Library today or find additional information online at https://sbclib.org/friends-of-the-library/.
