PARSIPPANY — Volunteer group known as the Friends of the Parsippany Library has raised funds and advocated for funding on behalf of the Parsippany-Troy Hills Public Library and its branches, in Lake Hiawatha and Mount Tabor.
The Friends of the Parsippany Library is a 501(c)(3) organization and part of a national association of Friends and Trustees called United for Libraries. Most New Jersey public libraries have dynamic friends groups and many directors have been heard to comment: “I don’t know what the library would do without our Friends!”
The Friends of the Parsippany Library supported a state-wide initiative called a postcard campaign to ask for additional funding.
About twelve years ago, the Friends joined the library board members in advocating to the town council for funding for a new main library and those advocacy efforts resulted in the Parsippany Library, dedicated in 2006.
The Friends of the Library have been responsible for funding events, services, and equipment that the library cannot afford to fund through its operating budget.
For example, the Friends paid for professional speakers to lead a film series discussion at the Lake Hiawatha Library; furniture for the Mount Tabor branch; supplies and special performance programming for the summer reading program at all three locations.
Most recently, the Friends underwrote the cost of a speaker for the Yogi Berra program at the Parsippany Library. Through the years, the Friends have also purchased many different kinds of equipment from DVD players to computers, printers and Kindles.
Now the library is looking for additional friends who can assume officer positions.
They are looking for a president, vice president, secretary, and treasurer. Job descriptions can be found on the library’s website. Essentially these officers attend monthly meetings (at a time and day of the week agreed upon by the officers); solicit ideas and preside over the fundraising activities of the Friends; encourage involvement in the Book Nook and any other of the Friends activities.
This is one job where no experience is necessary. The time commitment involved includes: one, two-hour orientation session; one meeting a month for one and a half hours and time and energy to create fundraisers that benefit the library; and participation in these fundraisers.
Those who are interested may send an email to friendsofficers@parsippanylibrary.org and list the officer position in which they are most interested and include their name and contact information. A library committee will evaluate the responses and meet with all applicants. Click here for membership details.
For more information click here.
