Statements
Mission
Friends of Smyrna Public Library's mission is to promote the interest and welfare of Smyrna Public Library as a cultural, recreational, and educational asset to the town of Smyrna and Rutherford County.
Background
Established in January 1987, the Friends of the Smyrna Public Library is an association of persons who objective is to promote the interest and welfare of their library. Our organization's purposes are to focus public attention on the library, to stimulate the use of the library's resources and services, to receive and encourage gifts, endowments and bequests to the library to support and cooperate with the library in developing library services and facilities for the community and to support the freedom to read as expressed in the American Library Association Bill of Rights. Seven elected directors, four of whom serve as officers oversee our group. Elections are held at an annual meeting (October of each year); all members have one vote. The library board members term of service is from January to December. In 1988 we became a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Currently there are 41 annual members and 23 life-time members
Through membership dues, grants, and fundraisers such as book bag sales, book sales and bake sales, our organization has provided funds for a library sign, book racks, landscaping, painting, computers, furniture, microfilm magnifier, digital camera, movie licenses, puppet stage, computer tables, building maintenance, program refreshments, summer reading program, winter reading program, and a complete refurbishing of our common areas and children's department.
On April 24, 2015, the Friends Group launched a grassroots campaign, Spruce up Smyrna Library, to help raise funds to rejuvenate their much-used library. With the money raised, Smyrna Library's common area and children's departments were remodeled (Walls painted, new carpet and flooring laid, bathrooms updated, and new circulation desks installed.). Although our campaign has ended, and our goal of raising $100,000 was met, the Friends of Smyrna Public Library continues to seek ways to make Smyrna Library an up-to-date, safe, inviting, and comfortable place for our community to enjoy.
Not only does the Friends of Smyrna Library provide our library with monetary help, we also devote our time by assisting in book sales, participating in community events, shelf reading, and helping at library events/programs. Our primary function is to be ambassadors and advocates for our library. Because of our efforts and dedication to continuously support our library, we were chosen as Tennessee Friends of the Library for 2017.
Impact
Accomplishments for October 2021-October 2022
*FOSL members helped man the 2021 Scholastic Book Fair -Nov. 30 to Dec. 7, 2021
● Rotary Grant- $1250 -IPads and Accessories for Youth Department- Nov. 18, 2021
● Ingram Grant-$800 - 2022 Walter King Hoover Winter Reading Program-Nov. 30, 2021
● SPL Staff Christmas Breakfast by Dunkin' Donuts) and $20 Gift Cards--Dec. 2021
● Annual Souper "Friends" Saturday held in January-First one since Covid!
● Top Reader Award WKH Winter Reading Program-$25 Janarty's Gift Card-March 2022
● FOSL and individual FOSL members provided treats and gifts for National Library Week to the SPL staff. April 3-April 9, 2022
● MTEC Grant - $5000-Solar shades -April, 2022
$3500 for Computer Lab Table and Chairs - May 2022
● $136.50 for Summer Reading Program T-shirts for SPL Staff
● Top Reader Award Summer Reading Program-$25 WalMart Gift Card-August 2022
● $743.99 for FOSL Pop Up Tent with FOSL Logo and Roller bag
● $318.96 for books for TAB Teen Book Club
● $600 -books for Smyrna Senior Citizens Center Book Club for year
● Dollar General Grant - $4000-Bilingual Computer for SPL - September 2022
● FOSL Booth at 2022 Depot Days-$75 with 16 FOSL members helping with booth
● FOSL Free Drawing Prizes at Depot Days-$25 Carpe' Cafe Gift Card and WKH Book
● $240 -for SPL Staff Development Day Lunch
● $357.00 for Snacks for SPL Snack Attack Literacy Program -October 2022
● $500 awarded by FOTL on October 22, 2022 for Youth Services Poetry Program
$50 -Snacks/Candy for SPL Youth Services Teen Fandom Cosplay event on Oct. 29,2022
● Planning our first Author Fair for October 29, 2022, with 18 authors participating
● Membership Totals: Lifetime-35 2022 Annual-70 TOTAL: 105
● Membership Revenue: $3,015.00
● Kroger Community Rewards: $239.89
● Amazon Smile: $51.13
● Used Book Sales: $3861.25
● WKH Book Sales: $640.00
● Giving Matters: $299.95
● Donations: $1,425.05
Needs
Needs:
1. Increase membership to help with library programming and library fundraising.
2. Increase monetary donations as our book sales have been severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
3. Increase public visibility in our community through social media and community events.
CEO Statement
Our organization does not have a CEO/Executive Director.
Board Chair Statement
The Friends of Smyrna Library ("FOSL") is made up of lifetime and annual members led by a very dedicated and passionate slate of volunteer Board of Directors elected by FOSL members at the Annual General Membership Meeting each Fall. The board works exceptionally well together to further its mission to promote the Smyrna Public Library and its activities through special programs, exhibits, and materials beyond the regular resources of the library.
FOSL continually strives to bolster community awareness in order to promote literacy, recruit additional members, and ultimately support the Smyrna Public Library. FOSL has been successful in this regard, as we are quite visible in the community. We host several fundraising events throughout the year in order to achieve these goals. For example, FOSL hosts 'Souper" Friends Saturday, our annual membership drive and fundraiser, as a means to add to our membership, increase our number of FOSL volunteers, continue engaging current FOSL volunteers, and of course, to express our appreciation for their support of the library. In addition, FOSL participates in Smyrna Depot Days on an annual basis, which allows us to educate the community about FOSL, recruit more members, sell books, and even gift some books to children to promote literacy and spark a love of read.
Besides membership fees, FOSL also raises funds through our used book sale, Walter King Hoover Book Sales, grants, Amazon Smile, and Kroger Community Rewards. However, grant writing is probably our biggest way to raise funds for SPL.
Each year Smyrna Public Library hosts a half-price Scholastic Book Fair. In 2014, SPL requested FOSL schedule their members to help man the fair. If FOSL hadn't stepped up to provide the manpower SPL needed for the fair, they were looking at having to give up this annual event.
The FOSL Board encourages their members to become more active with our organization and try to offer different ways for that to happen. Some of the ways our members can volunteer with FOSL is by providing food for FOSL or SPL events, serving on the FOSL Board, serving soup at the "Souper" Friends Saturday Membership Drive, sorting our used book donations, working in the FOSL booth at Depot Days, working at the annual Smyrna Public Library Scholastic Book Fair, serving on committees or helping to write grants.
FOSL also has allowed the Smyrna Public Library Teen Advisory Board (TAB) be under our umbrella for their banking needs a few years back. TAB is led by the SPL Youth Services. FOSL has been able to partner with them over the years since they were formed such as providing monies one year for them to have a float in the TOWN of Smyrna Christmas Parade and providing goodies when TAB holds a bake sale. We really enjoy collaborating with TAB, as they are the future generation of library advocates.
FOSL has made it a priority to partner with local elected officials as well as local media. We invite our local elected delegation along with the press to events in hopes to raise awareness. We have received a good deal of publicity both online as well as print media coverage.
As far as challenges are concerned, FOSL has made a concerted effort to increase diversity in order to have a more representative cross-section of the community
Service Categories |
|
| Primary Category: | Education - Libraries |
| Secondary Category: | Arts, Culture & Humanities - Humanities |
| Tertiary Category: | Public & Societal Benefit - Fund Raising & Fund Distribution |
