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2017 Annual Impact

A Year With the Friends

Here’s what members, volunteers, donors, and neighbors made possible in 2017.

33
members in 2017
$17,160
raised in 2017
$11,177
for the library & its people

01 · The People

The Friends Behind It

33 members stood behind the library in 2017, as recorded in that year's minutes. Membership is the steady base every book sale and grant is built on.

02 · What They Raised

Volunteers Made It Possible

Dozens of
volunteers
becomes →
$9,659
from book sales, 56% of the $17,160 raised

Those hours go into book sales, events, and behind-the-scenes help, wherever an extra set of hands is needed; the semiannual sales and the ongoing shelf are run entirely by volunteers. Reserves ended the year at $47,182, the cushion that lets the Friends give even in lean years.

Where 2017 income came from

Raised, and spent for the library, by year

See the full financials →

03 · What Support Made Possible

What the Friends Funded in 2017

The projects below came to $11,177. The treasurer’s records show $11,177 of the year’s spending going toward the library and its people, through direct grants and staff and volunteer appreciation. More than $128,300 for the library and its people since 2017.

$3,977
Additional library support and programs
General
$1,600
Books on Break at New Hope Elementary
Community
$3,900
Summer Reading kickoff and summer programs
Summer Reading
$1,700
Summer Reading t-shirts
Summer Reading

Every project we've funded →

03b · One Program, Up Close

Summer Reading in 2017

Summer Reading is one of the things we’re proud to support each year. The 2017 theme was “Build a Better World”.

Build a Better World, in the entrance windows
Build a Better World, in the entrance windows
The registration party, 9 a.m. to noon
The registration party, 9 a.m. to noon
Face painting, indoors and out
Face painting, indoors and out
The first ever kickoff in Carrboro
The first ever kickoff in Carrboro

The program became Summer Learning in 2017. More than 600 people attended the Hillsborough kickoff, which included a 5K and fun run, and the library held its first separate summer kickoff in Carrboro a week later.

Explore the full Summer Reading archive →

The Library in 2017

Friends support is only part of the story. Here’s what was happening at the library itself.

In Their Words

"The Friends’ support provides nourishment to turn our librarians’ bright ideas into flourishing resources for the community. The value of service and volunteer help by the Friends contributes to the thriving growth of the Orange County Main Library."

– Nancy Crews, Branch Manager

Thank you all for your support! We couldn't do this without you!

OCPL librarian

Thank you for all you do to support us!

OCPL librarian

Read more stories →

15 years of newsletters in the archive, going back to 2011.

Browse the archive

None of this happens without you. Thank you for being a Friend.

Join the Friends

Membership is the base it all stands on.

Become a Member

Make a Gift

What we raise supports library grants, programs, and future needs.

Donate

Volunteer

The book sales run on volunteers.

Lend a Hand
Two mice reading back to back against a leaf, with the hand-lettered words Friends of the Orange County Public Library
Illustration by Caldecott Medalist Matthew Cordell, gifted to the Friends 2026