At the Pennsylvania Citizens for Better Libraries (PCBL) Friends Institute on October 24, Jeanne Grimsley and Maryann Richmond presented a program on “What to Do with Book Sale Leftovers.” They presented at the Hershey-Grantville Hilton Hotel and their message was to carefully manage the book sale process before, during, and after the sale. About ninety participants from Friends groups across Pennsylvania attended the Institute and exchanged ideas for fundraising and energizing Friends groups. Jeanne and Maryann represented the Lititz Library Friends and brought back ideas to share. Additionally, the PCBL awarded the Friends of the Lititz Public Library for their newsletter, Friends Features, as Newsletter of the Year for the state of Pennsylvania.
The first issue of Friends Features newsletter appeared in May 1994, as a bi-annual, black and white publication. It became a quarterly, two-color publication in 1999, when the new library was built. In 2014, recognizing that photographs tell the library’s story best, the Friends of the Library adopted a modern, full-color, glossy format which required – for financial reasons – a return to bi-annual editions.
Friends Features has evolved since inception over twenty years ago. In 1994, the newsletter was used as a tool to build support for a new, purpose-built library building. After 1999, with the new library in full swing, Friends Features became a primary way to let supporters know about Friends of the Library initiatives and the programs and services our library could begin to offer the community. Today, Friends Features is a tool that allows the Friends of the Library and Board of Trustees to “touch” donors twice each year; the winter/spring issue recognizes our donors’ generosity and the fall issue provides highlights of how their gifts have benefited individuals, families and our community as a whole. In addition to promoting Friends of the Library events, each issue of Friends Features gives the library’s director an opportunity to speak directly to donors, sharing triumphs, voicing concerns and keeping everyone up-to-date on what’s happening at their library.
Friends Features is mailed to about 1,200 Friends of the Lititz Public Library. The current issue and archive of past issues are available online through the library’s website at www.lititzlibrary.org.
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Media Contact:
Sallie Rihn
Community Relations Coordinator
Lititz Public Library
srihn@lititzlibrary.org
626-2255