South Hero Friends of the Library Group Launches in January

As published in The Islander on Jan. 23, 2018.

In South Hero, we are launching a new ‘Friends of the Library’ group.  Friends of the Library is a group of people who actively support the library by promoting exciting programs, raising funds, expanding the library collection and volunteering in any way that matches the interests and skills of each member.    It’s also a wonderful way to have fun with friends, meet new people, and make a real difference in your community.

The organizational meeting will be at 6 pm on January 31st in the library at the Folsom School.   This is a great opportunity to help our current library to be all that it can be for our community, and to be part of the excitement as the new library begins to take shape.

If you think our current library is just a small collection of books… think again!  We have a cool collection of other fun stuff too.  Did you know you can check out an egg incubator?  How about an ice cream maker or a sewing machine?  Got grandkids visiting?  Bring them to the library to check out books, games and DVDs.   We have passes to a wide variety of local attractions: Shelburne Museum, Vermont State Parks, Local Motion Bike Ferry, and the Maritime Museum to name a few.  We also have large print books, ebooks (you can access all the ebooks in the entire Vermont system from home!), and audio books.

The library offers a wide variety of free programs for all age groups, too.  We show kids’ movies with snacks and a craft one Saturday per month and we’ll be showing Oscar-nominated films soon.  We’ve launched an animation club for Middle Schoolers, weekly Mahjong games, and a book club.  We’ve built graham cracker houses for the holidays, and gotten together for many types of arts and crafts.   We’ve hosted stuffed animal sleepovers, and we’ve invited speakers to educate us about topics of interest to the community.

Don’t forget that you also get … me!  I’m here to help you in any way that I can.   Someone recently requested help with applying for a job, and she got it!

We’ve got a good thing going, but there is so much more we can do!  I love being a librarian because it enables me to become ingrained in the community and to make a difference.   Please join me on this joyful and impactful venture.  Become a Friend of the Library!