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2021 Annual Impact

A Year With the Friends

70 Friends. $5,843 raised. Two projects supported. Here’s what members, volunteers, donors, and neighbors made possible in 2021.

70
members in 2021
$5,843
raised in 2021
$14,969
granted to the library

01 · The People

The Friends Behind It

70 members stood behind the library in 2021, 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 →
$530
from book sales, 9% of the $5,843 raised

The semiannual sales and the ongoing shelf are run entirely by volunteers. Reserves ended the year at $33,062 — the cushion that lets the Friends give even in lean years.

Where 2021 income came from

Raised and granted, by year

See the full financials →

03 · What It Bought

What the Friends Funded in 2021

The projects below came to $14,969, of which $14,969 was granted straight to the library; the rest supported programs, appreciation, and community projects. More than $113,900 granted to the library since 2017.

$2,034
Summer Learning support
Summer Reading

Every project we've funded →

03b · One Program, Up Close

Summer Reading in 2021

Tails and Tales

The season’s theme card, carrying the Friends’ logo
The season’s theme card, carrying the Friends’ logo
Storytime outdoors at Carrboro Town Commons
Storytime outdoors at Carrboro Town Commons
Storytimes @ Home, on Zoom and YouTube
Storytimes @ Home, on Zoom and YouTube
Prize baskets, collected at the desk
Prize baskets, collected at the desk

Summer Learning was still operating under pandemic restrictions, with curbside pickup, online reading tracking and virtual storytimes. A small outdoor storytime at Carrboro Town Commons brought families together in person, with registration capped at ten families.

Explore the full Summer Reading archive →

The Library in 2021

The Friends help pay for part of what happens here. These are the library’s own filed figures for how much it was used, set against the year before.

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