The Friends of the Johnson City Public Library is a group of supporters dedicated to the welfare of the Library. The group is celebrating its 50th birthday this week! Since March 9, 1976, they have raised funds and supported the Library in many vital and meaningful ways. Through membership and book sales, they now fund impactful programs like author talks and storytelling events, staff professional development, and children’s services and collections.
Linda Gallagher is the treasurer for Friends of the Johnson City Public Library. She has served as a Friend since 1989. We asked her recently how the Friends’ work has changed in the years she’s been part of the group. She said,
Our membership has grown over the years and we’ve become more involved in library activities. We enlarged our board and created leadership positions. The addition of an ongoing book sale—ask me how many hoops we scrambled through to do that!—has given us another interface with library users and additional funds for the Library. And offering book donation drop-offs has been a boon to donors and Friends alike.”
The Friends have always played a vital role in supporting the Library’s services for children. Linda explained that the group was the original sponsor of the annual Summer Reading Program. Their involvement now includes sponsoring the Scholastic book bucks kids earn during Summer Reading and then get to spend at the August book fair. Providing this reward is a popular and generous service to the Library’s youngest readers.
Linda said she has continued to be a Friend for over three decades because “promoting the Library’s influence in the community has been fun, physical, and fulfilling!” She is especially proud of the Friends’ ongoing book sale, which you can find in the Library’s first-floor alcove behind the fiction section.
If the Library has impacted your life and you’re looking for a way to give back, consider becoming a Friend of the Library! You can find more information and join the group here.
There are a variety of ways you can help support your Library’s work. Check out more volunteer and donation opportunities here.
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