Friends of the Library

Today, libraries around the county are under budget constraints and Broward and Miami-Dade are no different. That’s where “Friends” come in. Anyone is welcome to become a Friend of their local library. There is so much you can contribute and in return, you’ll make some new friends and also help to ensure libraries will be around for the future generations. County budgets allocate just enough to perform the basic essential tasks of library operations. Friends help to take it to the next level. For an annual membership of around $25, you can attend a free conversational foreign language class or attend one of several movie days at the Galt Ocean Mile branch, for example. Each Friends chapter customizes its programming to accommodate the desires of its members. Last month the Galt branch showed Casablanca which older readers will surely remember as one of the great classics. Branches with a high population of school age children might offer more kids reading programs. It varies. The Friends of Broward County Libraries has been around since 1974 and is charged with the mission to lead local chapters in library advocacy, promoting community understanding and support of library and services. There was one Chapter then and today there are 32 with about 3,000 individual members. Many of us also provide volunteer labor to our local branch and do fund-raising. Programming costs money and we raise it through used book sales or operating a library store. During the past year, collectively we provided over $400,000 in local branch programming that would otherwise not have been possible. While we are not affiliated with county operations, we work closely with county staff to coordinate programs so that we can leverage county budgets to the fullest. We also lobby at the county and state level for financial support of Broward libraries by sponsoring representatives to go to Tallahassee and meet with our elected leaders. Libraries are a reservoir of memory, linking the records of yesterday with the possibilities of tomorrow. While each Chapter’s goal may vary, collectively, we are dedicated to the continuum of knowledge and the flow of information for all. I welcome you to visit your closest library and find out more about becoming a Friend. This story published in Nostalgic American Magazine, September 2013.