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Friends Foundation of Worthington Libraries logo

Although the Friends can’t trace its beginnings back to 1803, as the library can, it was the first Friends organization established in Franklin County when it was organized in 1972. After 50 years, the Friends continues to provide the library with financial and volunteer support, advocacy and, well, friendship.

On June 12, 1972, a small group of library supporters held an organizational meeting to form the Friends of the Worthington Library. Three months later they elected officers. The leaders were clear about their purpose: to increase public awareness about library services; to support the library in its services with extra funds; to influence the gift of books and other collections; and to provide fellowship and involvement for all who enjoy books and libraries. To raise money, the Friends held their first book sale on Sept. 23.

The Friends maintained a strong presence in the community in 1973 and 1974, when the library placed a tax levy on the ballot, and served as a support group and volunteer base for the staff and the library director. In addition to raising money through memberships and the group’s signature book sale event on the Village Green in conjunction with Worthington’s September Market Day celebration, the Friends also presented programs and offered babysitting services to parents attending library events. In essence, they provided help wherever and whenever it was needed.

Organization Revived
The library was without a Friends group from the early 1980s until 1992, when new Library Director Meribah Mansfield encouraged library supporters to re-establish the organization. Many members of the earlier Friends group were still eager to serve the library and the upcoming November tax levy gave them a renewed sense of purpose. They quickly grew their membership base and overall support for the library.

In 1994 the Friends of Worthington Libraries was honored with a Friends Group of the Year Award from the Ohio Library Council.

Over the years the mission of the organization has stayed much the same, and many of the activities of past years continue today. But there have also been innovations and new demonstrations of support. During the construction of Northwest Library and renovation of Old Worthington Library in 1995, the Friends provided volunteer hours, moral support and ever-appreciated food to the staff.

Endowment Fund Established
In 2002, the Friends established the Worthington Libraries Endowment Fund at The Columbus Foundation with a $10,000 contribution. This fund has enabled the library and the Friends to partner on major long-term projects, like the expansion of the Homework Help Centers in 2013 and the development of the Reading with Friends sculpture park at the Old Worthington Library in 2018.

While the Friends still relies on income from membership, donations and book sales to fund its annual grant to the library, a new fundraising event was created in 2015. Books & Brews gives participants the opportunity to enjoy tastings of high-quality craft beer from popular Ohio breweries, along with wine, food, music and silent auction packages, amidst the stacks of their local library. Are libations new to the Friends’ fundraising efforts in the history of the organization? Long-time Friends member Ginny Ronning doesn’t think so. She co-chaired a Wine and Chocolate Celebration at the Old Worthington Library in fall 1997.

The changing image of friends

Over the years Dan and Carolyn Owens have made frequent donations to the Friends Foundation. But their donation in 2022 was a special one, made in honor of Carolyn’s parents, Walter and Estelle Brahm.

Both her parents were librarians who started their careers together as reference librarians at Case Western Reserve University. From 1942 to 1964, Walter served as State Librarian of Ohio, securing the longest tenure in that position since its establishment. He later served as State Librarian of Connecticut from 1964-1975. Over the years Walter receved many honors for his innovations and assistance to Ohio libraries.

In addition to her library work, Estelle went on to make a major contribution to local history. She was a charter member of the Worthington Historical Society, founded in 1955.

With her family’s connection to libraries, it was inevitable that Carolyn would become a big supporter of the Worthington Library. As a teenager she worked at the library keeping shelved books in order. She served on the Library Board in the late 80s, and she and Dan were members of the Friends during the early years of the organization.

Do you have a family member, friend, teacher or mentor, whom you would like to honor with a donation to the Friends Foundation? You can choose to make a donation to the Annual Grant, which funds ongoing library programs and provides support for staff, or to the Friends Endowment Fund at the Columbus Foundation, which supports long-term major projects.

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your gift makes a difference

Past Presidents

Mrs. Jack Frost, 1972
June Distell, 1977-78
Beverly Seigel, 1980-1981,
1992-1993
Bostwick Wyman, 1994
Carol Brieck, 1995-1997
David Weaver, 1998
Bill McNutt, 1999-2000
Carol Verny, 2001-2002
Anne Doyle, 2003-207
Bill Northrup, 2008-2009
L. Richard Bradley, 2010-2014
Lori Overmyer, 2015-20
John Butterfield, 2021-2022

Want to learn more about the history of the Friends Foundation? Check out our newsletters, starting in 1981
1981 FOL Newsletters
1983 FOL Newsletters
1993 FOL Newsletters
1994 FOL Newsletters
1996 FOL Newsletters
1997 FOL Newsletters
1998 FOL Newsletters
1999 FOL Newsletters
2000 FOL Newsletters
2001 FOL Newsletters
2002 FOL Newsletters
2003 FOL Newsletters
2004 FOL Newsletters
2005 FOL Newsletters
2006 FOL Newsletters
2007 FOL Newsletters
2009 FOL Newsletters
2010 FOL Newsletters
2011 FOL Newsletters
2012 FOL Newsletters
2013 FOL Newsletters
2014 FOL Newsletters
2015 FOL Newsletters
2016 FOL Newsletters

 

50 ways to be a friendTo celebrate the Friends Foundation’s 50th anniversary, we’ve developed “50 Ways to Be a Friend” to recognize the organization’s 50 years of supporting Worthington Libraries. The list reinforces the significant role our local libraries play in the life of our community and provides suggestions on how members and other patrons can take advantage of the programs and services of the library and show their support for the work of the Friends Foundation. We hope you’ll take a few minutes to review the list. Then pick one or two of the 50 ways to help us celebrate. Thanks!

  1. Join the Friends of the Worthington Libraries at any level; your membership contribution helps us continue to support our wonderful community libraries.
  2. Enlist a friend to become a member.
  3. Sign up family members for the Summer Reading Club, including children and adults. Since 2000, the Friends has been the major sponsor of this program to encourage reading in the summer.
  4. Volunteer to help with our book sales. We need people to sort books and prepare them for ongoing sales as well as to staff sale events held four times a year.
  5. Attend the library’s annual Community Breakfast, which the Friends sponsors.
  6. Take a neighborhood child to the library. It could be the beginning of a lifelong habit.
  7. Donate hardback and paperback books, DVDs and CDs in good condition for our sales. Drop them off at the Old Worthington Library (OWL).
  8. Provide us with your email so we can keep in touch via our e-newsletter sent five times a year.
  9. Ask a friend to join you as a volunteer at our events.
  10. Sign up for one of our standing or ad hoc committees. You are sure to find something that aligns with your interests, talents and schedule availability.
  11. Attend a Friends-hosted Happy Hour at the Hills Market during the summer.
  12. Volunteer at a Learning Lab (formerly known as Homework Help Center). The Friends Foundation provided $40,000 to expand the centers to OWL and Northwest Library (NWL) in 2012-2013. The first center was at Worthington Park Library (WPL).
  13. Step up to become a Friends board member. We are a working board, but duties are not onerous and it’s so rewarding.
  14. Enjoy the Friends-sponsored Movie Nights at NWL held in June, July and August.
  15. Show someone how to download books from the library’s on-line book site, Libby.
  16. Let your political representatives know how much you value your library and how much their support matters to you; send a letter, place a call, contact them through their offices.
  17. Shop the year-round book sales at all Worthington library locations. Revenues from book sales typically amount to 43 percent of the organization’s annual income.
  18. Ask your neighbors if they use the library and if not, encourage them to check it out!
  19. Attend a Friends-hosted author event.
  20. Make a donation in honor or memory of someone special — perhaps that teacher who first ignited your love of books. Revenues from donations, membership dues and fund-raising events help fund the Friends’ annual grant to the library. In 2022 the grant amounted to $63,700.
  21. Support future library operating levies. Put signs in your yard, help canvass or staff information tables.
  22. Stop in one of the library locations and explore the non-traditional offerings like Adventure Kits, Auto Code Readers, Light Therapy Lamps, and so many more!
  23. Share your social media expertise to help us extend our outreach.
  24. Attend Books & Brews – and bring friends to the event! Hoist a toast to our wonderful community library and to the Friends’ 50 years of support. Books & Brews is the organization’s major fund-raising event.
  25. Nominate an author for the Friends-sponsored author presentations.
  26. Take a shelfie! Post a photo of your to-be-read pile or the book you’re currently reading and tag the #friendfoundationofwl.
  27. Enjoy intimate musical gatherings at the Friends-sponsored “February by the Fire” concert series.
  28. Walk the Poetry Path at the Northwest Library and enjoy the poetry and the natural surroundings.
  29. Donate to our funds at the Columbus Foundation, which support major collaborative projects of Worthington Libraries and the Friends. Expansion of the Homework Help Centers and the Reading with Friends sculpture are two past projects.
  30. Become a library volunteer. Contact Erin Buerk, volunteer coordinator, at 614-807-3639 to learn more about the library’s needs.
  31. Let us know what Friends-sponsored library activities you like the most or why you think our libraries are the best. We’ll let others know your views through our e-newsletter.
  32. Connect a homebound loved one (living in Worthington School District or in a private residence in the service area of the Northwest Library) with the extensive Homebound Services of the Worthington Libraries!
  33. Forward an issue of one of the Friends’ e-newsletters to a family member or friend to help them become aware of our organization and how we support our libraries.
  34. Read to a child (or to yourself!) in the Reading with Friends sculpture garden at OWL. The project, which the Friends funded through our Endowment Fund at a cost of approximately $100,000, was completed in 2018.
  35. Share your expertise in website development to help us keep our site fresh and engaging.
  36. If you haven’t stopped in lately, visit your local branch to see what’s new and take advantage of everything our libraries offer us! Did you know that you can borrow items from the libraries beyond books, movies and media? For instance, you can check out a Culture Pass, good for admission to the Columbus Museum of Art or the Wexner Center for the Arts, FREE! Find out how and explore more.
  37. Donate to the Friends Foundation during the Columbus Foundation’s Big Give and multiply your gift!
  38. Peek into Bookingham Forest at the Old Worthington Library and check out the fun images from favorite children’s books. It’s the forest where story hours occur.
  39. Join us on Facebook to stay up-to-date with all our happenings!
  40. Treat the family to some great movie entertainment by checking out Binge Boxes — groups of movies thematically connected, perfect for a family movie weekend.
  41. Complete our surveys to let us know what you’d like the Friends Board to focus on in coming years.
  42. Have fun by attending the various children’s programs sponsored by the Friends, including Bring The Farm To You and Let’s Go Camping/Touch A Truck.
  43. Encourage a teenager to volunteer to register participants in the Summer Reading Club, one of the major programs sponsored by the Friends.
  44. Learn more about the mission and goals of the library and how the library strives to meet them by checking out its strategic plan, which is posted on the website.
  45. Green thumbs, help tend the flower gardens at OWL and NWL.
  46. Attend the annual meeting of the Friends board, typically held in November at OWL. Mingle with other Friends members who share your love of the library.
  47. Explore the many databases and topic guides available through the library and celebrate the breadth of knowledge our library opens to us!
  48. Write a thank you note to the wonderful staff at your local library location. Let them know how much you appreciate them.
  49. Check out the many “Staff Picks” highlighted in the library locations and on the website, giving all library patrons the benefit of our talented library staff’s insights.
  50. Remember the Friends Foundation in your estate planning.