Books and Brews a Delicious Success!

In November, the Friends Foundation of Worthington Libraries hosted its signature Books and Brews event at the Old Worthington Library. Featuring several local high-quality craft breweries and attended by 170 guests, the event raised over $10,000 for the Library Grant Fund. The Fund provides financial assistance for library programming and enrichment activities, as well as recognition and development programs for library staff members.

Guests received tickets to vote for their favorite brewery, an honor that Nocterra Brewing Company took home this year. Plan to join us next November!

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Worthington Libraries Pop-Up Library

In 2023, the Friends Foundation Board voted to fully fund the Worthington Libraries outreach vehicle. Slated to be delivered early this year, the vehicle will allow library staff to provide services in communities they historically have not been able to reach as effectively as they would like.

Be on the lookout for Worthington Libraries Pop-Up Library in 2024!

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Upcoming Library Book Sale Events

Be sure to mark your calendars for the next three library book sales! They will take place in the meeting room at the Old Worthington Library on the following dates:

February 2024

• Friday, February 16 ● 9am – 5pm
• Saturday, February 17 ● 9am – 5pm
• Sunday, February 18 ● 1-4pm

May 2024

• Friday, May 17 ● 9am – 5pm
• Saturday, May 18 ● 9am – 5pm
• Sunday, May 19 ● 1-4pm

August 2024

• Friday, August 15 ● 9am – 5pm
• Saturday, August 17 ● 9am – 5pm
• Sunday, August 18 ● 1-4pm

Additionally, Friends Foundation members may take advantage of pre-sale dates. On each of the Thursday evenings preceding the sales, members may peruse and purchase books from 6-7:30pm. Non-members may sign up to join the Friends Foundation at this time as well if they’d like to have access to the pre-sale.

Finally, don’t forget the bag sale that occurs on each Sunday of a book sale weekend. For $5, you’ll be given a plastic bag you can fill with as many books as the bag can carry. Talk about a steal!

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Save the Date …. for Murder!

Ready for a killer time? You’re invited to investigate a murder at the library!
Join us for Worthington Libraries’ inaugural Murder Mystery Event on Saturday, April 13, 2024. Besides murder, heavy hors d’oeuvres and adult beverages will be on the menu while you help solve this whodunit.

Ticket information will be available soon, but rest assured that Friends Foundation members will enjoy a discount. Ticket sales from the murder mystery event will benefit the Friends Foundation. In 2023 alone, the Friends provided over $50,000 to support programming in Worthington Libraries. Your attendance at the Murder Mystery Event will help provide this support. And, after all, what’s a little murder between friends?

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A Family Affair

Head into a branch of Worthington Libraries on any given Saturday, and you’ll see families enjoying time together there. Families love the library! And for some families, that love extends beyond being patrons and into volunteerism. Enter Gari Aber and Amanda Brennan, a grandmother-granddaughter duo who are serving on the Friends Foundation Board together. For them, loving the library means donating their time and talent to the Friends Foundation. We recently caught up with Gari and Amanda to ask them about their intergenerational community service, as well as some additional hard-hitting questions (see especially No. 7):

1. When did you start serving on the Friends Board?

Gari: This is my second go round on the board. I originally started on the board in 2011 and served through 2017, then rejoined in 2020.

Amanda: This is my first term on the Friends board. My first meeting will be this month, and I’m really looking forward to beginning my term.

2. What drew you to volunteering with the Friends and/or serving on the Board? What do you like most about it?

Gari: The Worthington Libraries are so important to the community and I’ve used it with my children and grandchildren and for myself and want to support it. Being a member of the Friends is always a good start, and then I expanded into serving on the board and supporting the activities of the Friends.

Amanda: I have always loved the library – when I was little, a trip to my grandmother’s house often meant a walk up to the Old Worthington Library to pick out a book. My grandmother is a big reason why I’m such an avid reader, and it’s so cool I get to serve the library alongside her.

3. Apart from serving on the Friends Board together, what else do you two do together?

Gari: We have family traditions that include vacationing and baking together and we’ve joined the same online study group. And of course Amanda and I discuss books a lot!

Amanda: We talk about books (obviously!), and I can happily report that we are the life of the party at family gatherings. As pictured, we even sometimes wear matching outfits.

4. When you’re not serving on the Friends board or at a Worthington Library, what may we find you doing around town?

Gari: You will find me doing the typical Worthington retiree activities – walking, working in the yard, chasing deer, and reading on the porch. And look for me at the Old Worthington Library.

Amanda: I work in the grants department at Equitas Health. For fun, I write novels and enjoy cooking dinner with my fiancé.

5. Favorite book, author, and/or genre of author?

Gari: I’m an omnivore with books. Most recent favorite “West with Giraffes” by Lynda Rutledge, and I’m anxiously awaiting my turn for “Master Slave Husband Wife” by Illyon Woo. I always get excited for a new Louise Penny book – community and personal relationships, and murder – a perfect combination

Amanda: I love all sorts of books and am physically incapable of choosing a favorite. Recently I read “Middlemarch” by George Eliot. The ending made me cry so hard I gave myself a head cold. One of the best books I’ve ever read is “Girl, Woman, Other” by Bernardine Evaristo. I can’t recommend that one enough.

6. What makes Worthington Libraries special?

Gari: I reflect on the impact of COVID and the creative ways the library found to continue their important work – that was special. The library is an integral part of the community and continually looks for ways to enhance life in Worthington. One example is the outreach vehicle that will provide access for all parts of our community. And by the way, that is being funded by the Friends Foundation.

Amanda: Worthington Libraries are so warm and welcoming. Libraries aren’t just places to pick up books, but important community spaces that help connect people with one another. Worthington Libraries really care about the community, and I think people feel that when they walk in.

7. Favorite Worthington Libraries mascot? (Reader: You can find them here.)

Gari: Ricky the racoon is a scamp and an attention getter. Who can not love him?

Amanda: Asparagus the fox by a long shot – he’s cute, and asparagus is my favorite vegetable