Do you know what a Friends of the Library Group is? If you thought it was a gathering of people who wanted to make new friends, that was my original impression, too. What I discovered was not only do you form friendships, you challenge yourself to do more and be more for the greater good of the community.
Friends Groups are comprised of library users and supporters who volunteer their time and talents to promote programs that help enrich the neighborhood. Friends Groups raise funds to purchase additional books, equipment, and other materials not included in the library budget. They also work with staff on legislative advocacy. Additionally, they create interest in, and increase public awareness of, the library by encouraging individual and community participation in cultural, educational, social, and fund-raising activities for the benefit of the library and the people it serves.
I became involved with the Friends of Library, Flushing Chapter, in 2013. I was a regular library user and saw a posting for a Mandarin language class sponsored by the Friends Group. I signed up for the class thinking I would gain some language skills and meet some new folks at the same time.
I met Annette, Edythe, and Diane on the first day. Annette serves as treasurer and Edythe as the secretary of the Flushing Library group. Annette had formed the language class by finding a teacher who was a native Mandarin speaker. The speaker helped create a curriculum that was easy to follow for a conversational course.
After getting to know Annette, Edythe and Diane, I learned that they were involved with other activities at the library in addition to the language class. Annette and Edythe started a plant-care program that has been thriving for more than a decade. The Friends volunteers regularly donate and maintain a variety of plants to help purify the air in the library. Along with watering and re-potting the indoor plants, volunteers also provide landscaping to the outdoor plaza of the library.
Annette and Edythe are also in charge of a weekly exercise class for seniors that emphasizes muscle toning and chair exercises. The classes were previously held in the basement of the library, but due to renovation of the main floor, had to be moved. Annette didn’t want to stop the classes because of the renovation, so she found another venue to host the popular classes. She arranged to hold the classes at the Flushing House, a senior residence. The new location now benefits both the regular class participants and the senior residents.
I decided to become more active with the library because of Annette, Edythe, and Diane. I see the possibilities of what could be done when like-minded folks get together, and I’ll admit to being in awe of all the things these vibrant ladies have already accomplished. They are all retired and range in age from mid-70s to mid-80s, but act as if they are half their ages. I am 43 years old, and witnessing their constant energy and stamina makes me feel like I am the one who is geriatric! Seeing Annette, Edythe, and Diane in action inspires me to want to be a part of their outstanding efforts.
This summer, Annette came up with the idea of introducing science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts to elementary-aged children by creating a free six-week program at the library. Annette, Diane and her husband Al are all retired city public school teachers. They used their collective knowledge and experience to create lesson plans and follow classroom management for this program. Edythe assisted with checking out reference books and helped with the administrative side of the process. I sent out inquiries and conducted interviews for high-school interns and publicized the program to children from elementary public schools in District 25, and the Bland and Latimer Housing Developments.
The Flushing Friends group started work on this program in June, and by July 6 we were fully operational. Annette had received $1,500 in donations from local business contacts to help fund the project, and we hired 10 high-school interns from the Bronx High School of Science, Queens High School for the Sciences, at York College and Townsend Harris. Annette had completed a two-day orientation with the 10 interns, also known as Team Members, so everyone was well prepared. The library had given us access to a conference room three days a week to hold our program. The Queens Library Government and Community Affairs Department donated library-branded drawstring bags, notebooks, folders, rulers, buttons, bookmarks, pens, and pencils to all the students, as well as T-shirts for the Team Members to wear as a uniform. We registered 34 children on our first day and were off to a great start.
We are midway through our program and are going strong. Children come ready to learn on a hot summer day and our team members are proactive and enthusiastic. All team members wear name badges and follow protocol in maintaining a safe and welcoming environment for the children. At least three Friends volunteers provide additional oversight and support at each session so there is always supervision. After each session, Annette, Diane, and I discuss with the team members how the presentation went, if the children understood and enjoyed the material, and what we could do to improve for the next class.
Our team members pair up and choose topics of interest to present, such as classification, numbers, time, dimensions, and also the skeletal, circulatory, respiratory and the nervous systems. Team members have the freedom and flexibility to create a presentation of their chosen topic in a way that is relatable to the children. The program’s goal is to help children see that these topics are all around and within them.
Recently, our team members sang and performed the “Bones Song.” There was a lot of laughter and dancing, and the children were having fun while exploring science. Our team members also play games and quiz the children on what they have learned and break down the class into teams of mixed ages and abilities so everyone gets a chance. The hardest challenge has been addressing the multi-age group since we have children from first through fifth grades; however, with 10 team members, there is enough individualized attention where needed. We pride ourselves on our nurturing teaching system while enforcing accountability and responsibility in our littlest citizens.
Our program ends on Aug. 14, and I anticipate we will go out with a big bang. From a completely grassroots project, the Flushing Friends of the Library Group was able to produce a unique and high-quality educational program to children in the community. When these children return to school, we hope many of them will be able to come up with innovative responses to the question: “What did you do over the summer?” If we have piqued any of the children’s interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, then we have made a huge contribution to the next generation of explorers.
If you would like to join an existing Friends Group or start your own, check out the Friends Groups link on www.queenslibrary.org. You can also contact your local Community Library Manager or the Director of Government and Community Relations. There are currently 49 Friends of the Library Groups throughout Queens.
Karen M. Lee is a freelance writer and an educator who lives in Flushing with her husband Victor and daughter Caitlin. Lee is passionate about reading, has a whimsical sense of humor, and favors taking the road less traveled.
