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Despite the cold and rainy/snowy weather we had a good crowd at our January meeting, and we got ourselves organized for the coming year of Alma Library Friends events.
Save the date--Library Open House: April
We have a planning committee and a date for the Library Open House. Committee members are Susan Hunter, Laura Clark, Gary Rayburn, and Jean Kimball, and anyone else who would like to join us. All are welcome, just reply to this email if you're interested or have questions.
Members present at the January ALF meeting voted to set Wednesday, April 24 from 3:30-6 p.m. as the date and time for the event. We'll be reviewing what we did last year, deciding on a theme, and setting a timeline to get things done. And then we can all jump in to make things happen.
Walking Tour of Historic Downtown Alma: TBD
This idea generated a lot of enthusiasm, but the more we talked the more we realized there are too many moving parts to get it ready in just a few months. We decided to set up an exploratory committee to determine if the project is feasible, and if so, what a reasonable timeline would be. Committee members are Linda Luneack, Susan Hunter, Karol Davidson, and Bryan Dinwoody. As with the open house committee, additional members are welcome, just let me know if you'd like to participate.
Annual Used Book Sale: September
We are taking donations now, and sorting has already begun. You can drop gently used books, puzzles, games, DVDs off at the library. The games and puzzles were a big hit last year, so we're hoping to get even more donated this year. At present we have enough sorting help, but as donations pick up, I'll send out an email if we need some extra help.
The book sale will take place the third week in September. More information to come in the months ahead. We had a great last year (our first) and we're ready to make the 2024 sale even better.
We're planning to host a candidates night again at the library in October to give residents a chance to hear from the slate of candidates running for the Alma City Commission. Details will follow as we get closer to the event.
Alma City Commission Candidates Night: October
We're planning to host a candidates night again at the library in October to give residents a chance to hear from the slate of candidates running for the Alma City Commission. Details will follow as we get closer to the event.
Show me the money
We have gone from zero in our bank account last year at this time--well to be accurate, we didn't have a bank account last year at this time--to starting 2024 with a fund balance of $10,531.16! But our purpose isn't to build up a big balance, it's to support the library. To that end, we will donate $8,000 toward the purchase of shelving in the children's area. We have also received a very generous $2,000 donation (in addition to the balance we have on hand), and we will use that to purchase two new wingback chairs for the fireplace area in the library.
Your library quote for the month
"The three most important documents a free society gives are a birth certificate, a passport, and a library card." -- EL Doctorow
Next meeting is Thursday, February 22, at 5:30 p.m. at the library. I hope to see you there! Any questions, comments, or concerns just hit reply to this email, or give me a call 989-620-0272.
Susan
Susan Hunter, Chair Alma Library Friends