Friends of the Library Donate $33,000 to Glen Ellyn Public Library

Glen Ellyn, IL— Those used book sales down in the basement of the Glen Ellyn Public Library do more than recycle classics and great literary finds. They generate funds that come back to the Library and make it better, thanks to the Friends of the Library.

“I don’t think people realize how much the Friends do for us,” said Glen Ellyn Public Library Executive Director Dawn Bussey. “They work really hard and have been very effective at what they do.”

The primary fundraisers for the Friends include used book sales held in the basement about six times per year, sales made through the used book nook in the first-floor lobby, and other contributions from individuals and groups.

The Friends of the Library, an all-volunteer nonprofit group dedicated to augmenting and enhancing the Library’s materials and programs, recently presented the Library with its annual contribution. For 2017, the Friends donated $33,000.

“They work very hard to generate that many dollars for us,” said Bussey.

The annual Friends donation to the Library has increased from $24,000 in 2011. From 2001 through 2010, the Friends brought in $219,315 in donations. “We try to increase it year over year,” said Katie Scherer, Friends of the Library President. Scherer said the Friends also assists and partially funds the annual STEAM Fair, a day-long event that brings organizations from throughout the state to the Library to show off exhibits relating to science, technology, engineering, arts and math. They also help with costs associated with the ice cream social.

Two years ago, the annual donation was $35,000. There was a bit of a dip in 2016 to $32,000 because the used book nook area in the main lobby, across from the Circulation Desk, was temporarily closed while work was being done in the Youth Department. “The used book nook generates an astonishing amount of money,” Scherer said.

Every two months or so, the Friends has its big used book sale in the Library basement. Those sales raise an average of $1,400.

Bussey said this year’s donated funds will be divided between several departments. The Adult Department, the Youth Department, and programming each will receive $10,000, she said, while the remaining $3,000 will be funneled into the Open Books, Open Doors program.

Open Books, Open Doors is designed to provide library services to low-income families who live in unincorporated areas near Glen Ellyn.

Scherer said the Friends don’t put any stipulations on how their contribution is allocated. “Our donation is generally unrestricted. It goes to materials and programs,” she said.

The Friends is governed by a nine-member board of directors and has a crew of 40 to 50 volunteers. “They help work at the book sales,” Scherer said. Volunteers also attend weekly book sorting sessions.

And each October, the Friends makes a community-wide appeal for donations. “That requires manpower as well,” she said. “We are always looking for new opportunities to generate funds,” she said.

The Friends of the Library recently became registered as a charity with Giving DuPage and is a potential recipient of donated funds through the Amazon Smile program.

Fundraising is not the Friends’ only priority. “We’re trying to make money, but we’re also trying to serve the community,” Scherer said. “The common factor among us is just the love of reading, that's probably foremost."