The Audelia Road Branch Library will be making new “friends” when the newly formed Library Friends holds its first meeting at 10:30 a.m. Nov. 1. Phyllis Ray, Audelia Road’s branch manager, began searching in February for library patrons willing to create a local Friends group. She found six library supporters ready to build the nonprofit organization.
Since accepting the challenge, the small committee has been working on bylaws, membership structure and a mission statement.
Though the branch will continue to receive support from the Friends of the Dallas Public Library, Ray hopes the branch organization will offer support for more children’s and volunteer programs.
“This group is not only one that supports the branch with financial donations, but they will be a great source of volunteers for such programs as helping the elderly in the community pick up and drop off books,” Ray says.
The Audelia branch, which replaced the North Lake branch in 1971, is the most heavily used branch in the Dallas system, with the exception of the Downtown location.
“It has been a very much-needed addition to such a largely used library,” says Jim Pattillo, a Friends committee member and longtime Lake Highlands resident.
Membership fees range from $5 for senior citizens and full-time students up to $100 for those achieving “patron” status.
These dues will go to a worthwhile cause, Pattillo says.
“The library improves one’s quality of life,” he says. “Members will not only be able to help the library have a wider selection of books, but they will be able to have an educational impact on children.”
For information about the Audelia Road Branch Library Friends, call 214-670-1350.
