Library Group Offers Many Programs

The Friends of Sachem Public Library has been active since 1986 and over the years they have donated many items that have enhanced the experiences of library patrons. 

Items like garden benches for the Inside/Out Garden, a portable wheelchair, the Museum Pass Program, sound systems for the library's community rooms, a Smart Board for the Technology Center and a demo table for cooking and craft classes are just a sampling of some of the gifts. The Friends also provide two $500 scholarships for graduating seniors that live within the Sachem School District each year.  

Sal Nicosia started the Friends of Sachem Public Library in 1986 to serve as a non-partisan group to promote the expansion of the Sachem Public Library.

Nicosia was a library trustee from 1973-1988 when a situation arose where the trustees wanted to expand the library. The board visited schools with the help of the PTA to try to get the community to realize the need for a library expansion. The library as Nicosia explained it was in desperate need for expansion, crowded conditions affected services and morale in the library was poor at the time. The stressful situation made for the services provided to library patrons to become jeopardized.

The idea of expansion was vetoed every time it was brought before a vote. When Nicosia became president of the Board of Trustees he suggested the creation of the Friends of Sachem Library to go out and sell the idea of the library expansion to the community.

Nicosia said that the community at the time may have thought that the Trustees were pushing for the expansion as an ego trip, when in fact Nicosia said they were interested in what the community needed and not a pat on the back or a plaque on a wall. When the Friends went out to promote the expansion the vote was met with a 3-1 vote in favor of the expansion.

It was then that Nicosia suggested to have the Friends become an ongoing group which would from then on advocate on behalf the library, host book sales and raise money for the library. He added that the Friends stands in the community as sort of an interim group that will bring forth any issues that may receive a tacky reaction from the public. 

The Friends currently have approximately 300 members, about 100 of which are lifetime members, and about 50 active members. Active membership has been the biggest change, according to Friends of Sachem Library President Harriet Brown. 

"When I joined the Friends back in the mid 1990's there weren't nearly as many active members as there are now," she said.  

Former president Helen Griffin (who was president for five years) and Friends member Loretta Dodge both agreed.  Both Griffin and Dodge joined the Friends about 20 years ago and maintain that the biggest change over the years is the increase in active membership.  

Brown said that when she joined Friends, she immediately became involved in the book room and with membership.

Some of the many committees that are headed by the Friends include publicity, bookroom, constitution, auditing, mailing, decorating, refreshment and the newly created book disposal committee.  The book disposal committee was created this year as a way to find places to donate books leftover from book sales rather than having to throw them away.  Nursing homes, the Salvation Army and Big Brothers-Big Sisters have all been recipients of books this year.  

The book sales held by the Friends are a major source of income in addition to the dues from membership each year.  Book sales are held annually in February, April and October.  This year a teen book sale is being held August 7 and will be run by teenagers in order for them to gain community service hours.  Brown added that a perk for contributing members is that they get to enter book sales two hours prior to the public. 

Brown, Griffin and Dodge all agreed that the benches that were donated to the Inside/Out Garden this year is one of the best gifts ever given to the library by the Friends.

"One of the nicest things I've done in my life is join the Friends," Brown said. "The combination of doing something I really love and keeping myself active along with my love for libraries make this special."