Who are the Friends
The Friends of the Library are people like you who believe in and support the Fort Smith Public Library as a valuable community resource. The Friends is a not-for-profit organization that raises funds through its membership and book sales to provide programming, materials, and equipment that fall outside the regular budget allocations of the library. The FOL membership year is from January 1 to December 31.
History
The Friends of the Library group was organized in 1951, becoming a significant source of volunteer and financial support that continues today. From the proceeds of memberships, fundraisers, and book sales, the Friends have donated thousands of dollars for books, special equipment, and programs and services to supplement the library’s budget.
What We Fund
- 1-year subscription to Kanopy (streaming Documentaries, Classic and Indie Films)
- 1-year subscription to Tumblebooks (eBooks for kids)
- Bookmarks for Library Card Signup Celebrations and National Library Week
- Digitization of the Fort Smith newspaper microfilm
- DVDs for adults and children
- E-Books and audiobooks for Library2Go
- Refreshments, prizes, and supplies for Holiday Open House and many other library programs
- Subscription to Book Page, a monthly newspaper about books, distributed free to library customers
- Supplies, incentives, and prizes for the Children’s, Teen, and Adult Summer Reading Program
Board Members
2023 Friends of the Library Board members are:
Carol Burns, President
Suzanne Karr, Vice President
Luanne Weir, Secretary
P J Williams, Treasurer
Brenda Browning
Martha Cook
Rhonda Gray
Rocki Hill
Barrett Milam
Barbara Nevin
Mary "Miff" Rosar
Norma Rowland
Louise Turner
