A Friend Indeed!

This week the Friends of the Library (http://www.dppl.org/about_dppl/friends_of_the_library-p.shtml) had their annual meeting; to meet new members, induct new and returning officers, and review their efforts for their fiscal year. Their longtime treasurer, Edie Davis, was stepping down after thirteen years. That’s a lot of service in a very hard-working organization, and the Friends rewarded her with generosity and affection.

Left: Edie Davis at the 2011 Do the Dewey Fundraiser

Being treasurer for the Friends is serious money management, as they have contributed an average of $34,000 a year to the Des Plaines Public Library for the last four years. Their method is simple – but certainly not easy – they sell books. They have at least three major sales in a year, and run an ongoing sale on the first floor of the library. They sort through donations, price books, and move thousands of pounds of print, by hand, every year, into the eager hands of the buying public. If you’re looking to volunteer at the library, you won’t find a more worthwhile opportunity than joining the Friends.

As if putting thousands of books in the hands of readers for pennies apiece weren’t enough, the revenue is funneled right back into the library, making it over the years an extraordinary community center. We have the Friends to thank for our piano, sound system, teen web site, Sunday and Friday movies, Summer Reading Club t-shirts, patches and prizes, Therapy Dog reading programs, chess academy, photography and museum exhibits, job seekers support and counseling, endless live music and dance programs, Wii for seniors . . . the list is literally endless! Thousands of people have come to the library this year just to enjoy a Friends-sponsored program.

Thanks, Edie, and thank you to all the Friends, for devoting yourself quietly and tirelessly to offering something that makes each library visitor feel unique and welcome, and making the city and people of Des Plaines so much richer – one book at a time.