Frances B. Reid 2009 Award

Winners Exemplify Outstanding NC Friends Groups

FONCPL is proud to present the Frances B. Reid Awards annually to outstanding Friends groups across North Carolina. Given in memory of a library development consultant at the State Library of NC who was a guiding force in organizing Friends of NC Public Libraries, the awards consist of framed recognition certificates and cash awards for each winning Friends group.

This year there are five first place winners. All were recognized at the annual awards luncheon in Salisbury, October 24. Goals and accomplishments are listed below.

Friends of the Mills River Branch Library (Henderson County)
Goals:

  • To increase the number of hours the library was open
  • To raise money for furnishings in new library

Accomplishments:

  • The Mills River Branch Library is operated and staffed solely by Friends volunteers. The town was incorporated in 2004 and having a public library was extremely important to the new town citizens. However, there were no county funds allocated for a new library. The county provided books, a computer and a sense of direction; Friends and the town did the rest.
  • Friends had nine fund-raising activities this year
  • Ran a very popular summer reading program with eleven different events and prizes
  • Now raising money for furnishing larger space the town is planning
  • This year increased hours the library is open to thirty-six/week

Friends of the Jackson County Main Library (Sylva- Part of Fontana Regional System)
Goals:

  • Raise $1.6 million to furnish the new library
  • Support existing library with proceeds from memberships and used book store, open seven days/week, staffed by volunteers

Accomplishments:

  • Donates $3,000/quarter to library
  • $3,575 match to Gates Foundation grant – 10 new library computers
  • Christmas party for library staff- plus $100 bonus for each
  • $1,000 donation to Reading Rover bookmobile
  • Books for Bricks- raised $1,200 for new library
  • Created new website
  • Applied for and received five grants and $250,000 in matching challenge from the State Employees Credit Union Foundation
  • By August, 2009, had raised $1,023,000 toward new library expenses
  • Found a new use for the used Reader’s Digest Condensed Books- a Friends members removed the pages and turned them into banks which were placed in area shops for donation collection
  • Enhanced communication with volunteers- mostly by email, creatively presented

Friends of the Lewisville Library:
Goals:

  • To create programs/activities that would bring local citizens, who might not usually use the library, through the doors- intergenerational emphasis
  • Partner with local community organizations

Accomplishments:

  • Advertised programs by emailing school media coordinators
  • Sent letters to specific teachers requesting their students’ participation
  • Sent letters to local churches, if the programs were appropriate for them to advertise in their church bulletin
  • Made flyers into smaller postcards in hopes they would be placed on refrigerators.
  • Created a FOL email account and used to mail out reminders of upcoming events to members
  • Added an additional newsletter issue
  • Mailed postcard reminders for main events
  • Began work on a website
  • Made phone calls to members asking for participation in specific ways
  • Donated over $7,000 by August 200

New Fund-Raisers:

  • Two antique appraisal fairs
  • Macy’s Day coupon sales- buy for $5- get 20% off sale items and 10% off regular items
  • Two Church Cookbook Days- invited local churches to the library to sell their cookbooks and baked goods as church fund-raiser. Collected $20 per table. The church winning best dessert got fee back. Judges were mayor, minister, town council member
  • Easter and Valentine baskets sold
  • Two children’s book sales

New Programs:

  • Made cards for troops followed by a Veteran’s Day program
  • Daryl Hunt program
  • Art contest for students
  • Using holiday cards for crafts
  • Poetry contest for all ages
  • Birds Aplenty
  • Flower Arranging 101
  • Movie and book discussion series
  • First NC Humanities speaker
  • Teen summer kickoff- Twilight Prom- 60 plus teens participated. Served “bloody” jelly doughnuts, red apples, red licorice sticks, bloody red drinks. Girls posed with cutout of Edward for pictures and had fortunes told by Madame Zolda
  • Senior Moments Program- Valentine party, horticultural therapy, book presentations, fitness group, Sidney Poitier movie series

Friends of Braswell Memorial Public Library (Rocky Mount)
Goals:

  • Obtain 501(c)3 designation
  • Increase membership
  • Raise funds for special library programs

Accomplishments:

  • Increased membership- over 350 families and 600 children
  • Contributed to the Kid’s College Homework Center (K-5th grades)
  • Co-sponsored the Foote PRINT Homework Center (grades 6-12)
  • Contributed $10,000 to the summer reading program and kickoff- 4,000 children attended
  • Post-It Day- during National Library Week (“Read the writing on the Wall”) Invited library patrons to write how they felt about the library on a large scroll mounted on the wall- hundreds participated
  • Fun Run for charities- FOL raised $ 1,227
  • “Champagne & Chocolates” fund-raiser- resulted in donations of $15,000 for the Foote PRINT Center
  • Obtained 501(c)3 designation

Friends of Transylvania County Public Library (Brevard)
Goals:

  • Raise money for all programming
  • Creation of board manual, by-laws, policies procedures and board positions defined
  • Enhance visibility and effectiveness of FOL

Accomplishments:

  • Raised $48,317.40 through book sales and membership contributions
  • FOL sponsored 23 programs
  • FOL sponsored Staff Development Day
  • FOL funded stage lighting in library ampitheater
  • Increased membership by 10.2% (67 members)
  • Volunteers acted as greeters and baked cookies for monthly Bag Lunch Arts Programs and the summer Brevard Music Center Student Concerts
  • Sponsored NC Storytellers’ Guild Festival; hosted their luncheon and silent auction table
  • Operated book sale room- open three days/week; ran annual book sale (60 volunteers- made $18,164 last year)
  • FOL placed an HONORable bookplate in a library book for every 25 hours  a volunteer contributes to the library
  • Each volunteer recognized in newsletter and PowerPoint presentation at annual meeting- very good communication with members and volunteers
  • Library Staff Appreciation Day and Dinner- FOL board passed proclamation declaring third Tuesday in August to be Staff Appreciation Day- Board of Commissioners approved. Handbills were posted, media covered and public got involved. Special celebration stickers were given to library patrons.