Friends Of Tredyffrin Public Library Donate $20,000 For Programs

Press release from Chester County Library System:

Dec. 13, 2020

The Friends of Tredyffrin Public Library recently donated $20,000 to offset costs for Tredyffrin Public Library programs in 2020. In the past ten years, the Friends have given more than $225,000 to Tredyffrin Public Library and the group is the library’s largest donor.

The Friends of Tredyffrin Public Library are an independent, 100% volunteer group. For more than 45 years, the Friends have worked tirelessly to raise funds and awareness of Tredyffrin Public Library, advocate for the library, and encourage library use. The Friends’ primary means of earning the funds that they donate to the library is through the Red Fox Book Shop. The book shop collects used books from the community and sells them from a space in the library’s lower level. The Friends also maintain an Amazon storefront, where they sell like-new, high-quality used books to buyers around the world.

During the pandemic, the Friends had to suspend operations of the Red Fox Book Shop store and cancel all four 2020 half-price book sales, where the bulk of their money is made. Friends volunteers are maintaining the Amazon storefront in a limited way: library closures and social distancing measures for library staff have required the Friends to decrease use of their workspace in the library. Thus, the Friends’ commitment to making their annual donation to the library is extraordinary and indicative of the Friends’ level of dedication.

Funds donated to Tredyffrin Public Library each year by the Friends of Tredyffrin Public Library cover costs for programming in all library departments. Musical presentations, author talks, equipment for science and art classes for children, upgraded furniture, and materials in the program spaces are all possible due to the Friends’ generosity.

In addition, over the years the Friends have provided special funding to paint the program rooms, send staff to continuing education conferences, and upgrade technology to enhance programming. In their effort to advocate for the library, the Friends lead the library’s participation in Tredyffrin’s Community Day each year.

In addition to the essential support the Friends of Tredyffrin Public Library provide for the library and the community, the Friends group is a treasured outlet for its members, a large number of whom are retired. Many members of the Friends have been volunteering together for nearly a decade and look forward to the time spent together in the Red Fox Bookshop or the cozy Friends workspace.

The Friends of Tredyffrin Public Library is one of thousands of Friends groups across the country and finds support and connection through the American Library Association’s resources for Friends groups. To join or learn more, please visit the Friends’ website<https://www.tredyffrinlibraries.org/about-us/friends-tpl/>.

This press release was produced by Chester County Library System. The views expressed here are the author's own.