The Friends of the South Pasadena Public Library has kicked off an annual membership drive to increase support for its mission to raise money and public awareness for the services and programs of the library.
Founded in 1950 to support and sponsor library projects, the nonprofit organization’s membership has ebbed and flowed over the years, but its member base has suffered recently.
“Our numbers were down [last] year, and we are really looking to get a boost,” said Karen Sima, membership chair, noting that the group hopes to attract at least 50 new supporters.
Sima said that in 2022, the Friends had 314 members who donated more than $50,000. This past year, the organization tallied 238 members who donated $26,881.
“The library is a cornerstone of community life and the Friends of the Library play an important role in our success,” said librarian Cathy Billings. “Not only do they provide around $50,000 each year to fund the programs and collections that people love, but dozens of volunteers, including board members and bookstore workers, cumulatively donate thousands of hours of their time because they are so passionate about the library’s mission.
“The library is so grateful to have the dedicated support of our Friends of the Library.”
Some of the programs and initiatives the Friends funded last year include:
- The summer reading program, which had nearly 2,000 participants who collectively read more than 16,500 hours last summer.
- A teen advisory board which hosted a family retro games day.
- A new Early Literacy Workshop that gave families a hands-on opportunity to learn about brain and language development.
- Resources for learning languages
- $13,000 for the purchase of e-books and e-audio books
- ComicsPlus, a collection of digital comics, graphic novels and manga
- Contributed funds for Kanopy, a film-streaming service
The Friends also sponsor the popular and well-respected Restoration Concerts music series, showcasing highly skilled classical artists, which is held in the library’s community room. Net proceeds are used for improvements of the community room and the rest of the library.
The bookstore is another Friends project, offering bargains both on a regular basis and during its traditional holiday book sale.
To renew membership or to join for the first time, visit its
website friendsofsopaslibrary.org.
First published in the January 12 print issue of the South Pasadena Review.
