Friends of Libraries
Generally, groups are structured, handle finances and work closely with library management.
In the United States, Friends groups also work closely with the American Library Association (ALA).
Other countries, such as Australia, France, South Africa and the United Kingdom all have Friends of Libraries groups.
[10] Generally, the most successful Friends groups have a strong and "broad charter" from the start of their creation.
[13] Generally, in the US, these bylaws also include the group's name, their purpose, and membership rates.
[12] Some Friends groups sell items in their own retail space inside of the libraries they support.
[11] Because Friends groups are private citizens, they are often more free to advocate for the needs of the libraries they support.
[30] Adding local politicians to the mailing list for the Friends is one passive way to provide advocacy and information awareness for the library.
[32] Sometimes Friends groups are set up to campaign against a potential council closures of libraries or reductions in budgets.
[35] The Friends group in Naples was able to take a donation of land which would be leased to the city and used to build the library.
United for Libraries USA provides many resources for Friends of Libraries groups, some of which include book club suggestions, factsheets, a listserv to share ideas, free toolkits and contact information for existing State Friends Groups.
[40] Friends groups in the United Kingdom (UK) can trace their origins back to the Elizabethan Period.
[22] This group was formed by Francis Charmes, Salomon Reinach, Pierre Champion and Henri Béraldi to support the French National Library.
[16] The first group that named itself "Friends of the Library" in the United States, was founded in 1922 in Glen Ellyn, Illinois.
[42] The first president of the group was Mrs. Al Chase and the organization was established to help purchase books for the library.
[22] Other academic friends groups were formed by 1930 at Columbia, Yale, Princeton and Johns Hopkins.
[22] Friends groups were important in helping library services continue during the Great Depression.
The board decides how to dispose of funds accumulated in the process of fundraising and collecting dues.
Other options are to spend it on library activities, renovations to the building or the furniture in it and adding new or improved technology for the staff or patrons to use.
[56] The Student Friends group at Princeton University had 330 members in 2014, two-thirds of them undergraduates.
