Best of Friends Friends of the Durham Library Newsletter
Winter 2009
Friends Celebrate 40th Year With Biggest Gift Ever
T
he Friends of the Durham Library celebrated their 40th anniversary with a great big $42,500 gift to improve library service to customers – the largest single grant awarded in the Friends’ 40-year history! Then, they made an outstanding commitment to library staff for the next two years with the Friends of the Durham Library Scholarship Program for library employees. First, the Friends purchased a van that will help bring early literacy programs to Durham’s childcare family homes and storytimes to elementary schools and The new Discovery Mobile, made possible by the Friends’ generosity, will be used for family literacy afterschool programs. The van, called the programs. Discovery Mobile, will transport storytime books and supplies to Durham’s childcare family homes in the “Get Set, Get Ready, Let’s Read!” And last but definitely not least, on January 7, 2009, the early literacy outreach program, and it will be a traveling Friends established the Friends of the Durham Library billboard for the library and the Friends. The van’s exterior Scholarship Program. Four scholarships of up to $2,500 each features happy young people’s faces and plenty of the books, will be awarded on April 30, 2009 to library staff who are digital media and technology that encourage family literacy pursuing two years of study in library science, early childhood and a love of learning. Everywhere the Discovery Mobile education, business and public administration, computer goes, children and adults will notice this colorful, engaging science, or a college transfer program at a community college. reminder of the valuable programs the library provides, and A second round of scholarships will be awarded in April of the generosity of the Friends. 2010. A committee will select the scholarship recipients. Second, the Friends have given funds for digital display screens at five of the full-service libraries, to provide up-tothe-minute information and notices to Durham County Library customers. The digital display screens, which are updated remotely by computer, will be installed inside the entrances of Main, East Regional, North Regional, Parkwood and Stanford L. Warren libraries. When it opens in 18 months, Southwest Regional Library will also have a screen. “This technology is a great tool for getting time-sensitive information to customers,” said Priscilla Lewis, Assistant Director for Facilities. “We can use it to let folks know about upcoming programs across the library system and to get the word out about new library services and the Friends book sales.”
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This generous two-year commitment demonstrates the Friends’ dedication to library staff, and the feeling is very mutual. “Even in tough times,” said Library Director, Skip Auld, “the Friends are investing in the library because they know that now more than ever people need their public library and the library needs its Friends. I speak for the entire staff when I say ‘Thank you to the Friends and to every member of the community who supports the library with time, energy and resources.’”
2/17/2009 5:29:16 PM