The Friends of Penn Area Library
As a Friend, you can make a difference. . .
Since 2003, The Friends of Penn Area Library have supported special programs and helped purchase items not generally covered in the library’s regular operating budget.
The Friends raise funds by holding three used book sales each year — March, July, and November. Donations of new or gently used books, puzzles, and craft magazines are accepted throughout the year during the library’s regular hours (please do not leave donations outside). Please, no textbooks, encyclopedias, VHS tapes, Reader’s Digest condensed books, or musty/dusty/moldy books, as these items do not sell and must be discarded.
Over the years, the Friends have donated more than $15,000 to the library. These funds helped cover the costs of the annual Summer Learning Program, the children’s holiday party in December, and programs like “The Beatles: Band of the Sixties” by Aaron Krerowicz, and “Astronomy for Everyone: Size & Scale of the Universe” by Kevin Manning.
Items purchased by the Friends include a storage unit for the Preschool Science Center; a LEGO table; a new server and related technology; shelving units for DVDs and books; DVD security cases; and a digital projector, just to name a few! The Friends also partially funded two AWE Early Literacy computers and one AWE AfterSchool Edge computer in the Children’s Department.
The Friends also sponsor the popular Ancestry genealogy database, which is available free of charge at the library’s public computers.
Membership is open to all individuals who would like to be involved in helping the library. Members are encouraged to attend monthly meetings, and to actively participate in the book sales. The Friends are always in need of year-round volunteers to help process and organize donated items, who can work on their own initiative and are comfortable carrying a number of books at a time.
Meetings are held at 10:30am on the third Tuesday of the month (except November and December) at the Penn Area Library.
People with enthusiasm, interest, and ideas are welcomed!
For more information on how you can get involved, contact the Library at 724-744-4414, ext. 101.