Programs Sponsored by the Friends
Sue Gehrz, Director
sgehrz@rclreads.org
Office: 651-486-2213
About the Friends
The Friends of the Ramsey County Library was formed in 1979 as a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the libraries in making information, books, music, and programs available to the public. We sponsor many special programs including the Summer Reading Program for children and teens, free computer classes for all ages, book clubs and author events. Our volunteers operate used book stores at the Maplewood, Roseville and Shoreview libraries to help fund our projects.
Since 1979, hundreds of Friends members, volunteers, and donors have provided more than $600,000 in funding, materials, and enhancements to Ramsey County Library.
Please join us. Friends Membership Form
Roseville Library Fundraising Update
As of December 31, 2009, the Friends' Roseville Library Capital Campaign raised over $209,000, including donations, pledges, events, grants and in-kind services.
We are already halfway toward our fundraising goal!
The Falcon Heights- Lauderdale Lions Club generously donated $20,000 for adaptive equipment, large print books and books on CD to expand library services available to patrons with low or no vision!
Pick up a campaign brochure at your favorite library or call the Friends office at 651-486-2213 for information about how you can help.
Can You Help?
If you can volunteer to help with either of these events, please call the Friends office at 651-486-2213 or email sgehrz@rclreads.org.
Friends Book It! 5K Walk/Run from 7 a.m. to noon on Saturday, May 22
Friends Book-A-Palooza sale June 9 through June 13.
Friends Annual Luncheon
May 1, 12 p.m.
North Oaks Golf Club
Speaker: Anatoly Liberman
Meet Minnesota's own Henry Higgins and learn about the language you speak, its origins and its circuitous path to today's spoken and written "words, words, words."
Anatoly Liberman, a professor in the Department of German, Scandinavian and Dutch at the University of Minnesota, is a renowned scholar in the field of etymology, the study of the history of words; and he knows how to make an arcane subject both relevant and entertaining.
Look for your invitation in the mail or at your local library by the end of March.
The Friends of the Ramsey County Libraries present:
BOOK IT! 5K Walk/Run
Saturday, May 22
9 a.m.
RCL - Rosville, 2180 N. Hamline Ave
(Start and finish at the newly renovated location)
Funds raised will benefit the Children's Library and Reading Garden in the renovated Roseville library.
*Bring your whole family - strollers are free!
*Sneak preview of the spectacular new building and grounds will be given to participants!
*Take a scenic tour of the City of Roseville!
To register for this event:
To register online: Click here for Online Registration
Registration forms are available in all Ramsey County Libraries
or you may print the form: Printable Registration Form (PDF) *
Please e-mail jdietrich@rclreads.org with any questions.
* Note: In order to view documents in PDF format you will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader loaded on your computer. Acrobat Reader is free and can be downloaded by clicking the image below:
Making A Difference
The Roseville Rotary Board of Directors unanimously approved a three-year pledge of $50,000 to the Friends' Capital Campaign.
This donation will purchase literacy-building furnishings, movable structures and equipment that will enhance the Children's Program Room in the remodeled Roseville library.
We expect that this room will be used by more than 17,000 children and adults every year.
Thank you Roseville Rotarians!
Pioneer Press Donation
Thank you to the Pioneer Press for donating 21,000 bookmarks commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Friends organization.
Look for the bookmarks in all seven libraries and in our three used bookstores at the libraries in Roseville, Maplewood and Shoreview.
Companies Donate Money for Volunteers
Do you volunteer at your library or for the Friends? Are you an employee or retiree of any of the companies listed below? If so, please request that your employer send their contribution matching your hours to Friends of the Ramsey County Libraries. We qualify as a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization and all of our efforts go to support the seven libraries located in suburban Ramsey County.
The companies listed here all have similar programs, though the details vary:
3M
ADC Telecommunications
Ameriprise
Best Buy
Blue Cross/Blue Shield
Cargill
Deluxe
Ecolab
General Mills
Gillette
Graco
HB Fuller
Health Partners
IBM
ING
JC Penney
Jostens
Land O'Lakes
Medtronic
Qwest
Sam's Club/Walmart
Securian
Thrivent
Travelers
Weyerhauser
Please check for volunteer matching programs at your place of employment. What a great way to maximize your volunteer efforts and further help the libraries!
Friends of the Libraries Launches Capital Campaign
The plans for the reconstructed Ramsey County Library in Roseville include larger spaces, more computers and parking to better serve the extraordinary number of patrons. However, public funding does not provide for many of the amenities that will make this library exceptional. That is where the Friends came in to help out with a fundraising campaign launched on May 2. Our goal is to raise $500,000 through donations from individuals, businesses and foundations. These funds will be used to purchase:
- Educational materials and furnishings for the Children's Indoor Area
- Structures and landscaping for the Children's Outdoor Reading Garden
- Furnishings and equipment for the Teen Room
- 3,000 new books
- Art for the atrium and meeting rooms
- Amenities for the reading lounge
Individual Recognition:
- Donate $35 and a new book will have your nameplate inside.
- Donate $100 and three new books will have your nameplate inside.
- Donate $250 and a paver in the Children's Reading Garden will carry your inscription.
- Donate $500 and your name will be on the permanent donor wall.
- Donate $5,000 and be recognized with a wall plaque and your name on the permanent donor wall.
- Donate larger amounts and an indoor room or outdoor area may carry your name or the name of a loved one.
Make your tax deductible donation online or by mail to:
Friends of the Ramsey County Libraries
Roseville Library Campaign
4570 North Victoria Street
Shoreview, MN 55126
For more information about how you, your business or your organization can help, contact Friends Director Sue Gehrz at 651-486-2213.
Capital Campaign Leadership
The following community leaders have joined the Roseville Library Capital Campaign Committee to help raise money for library furnishings, specialized equipment, art and amenities that will make this library better able to serve people of all ages:
Dr. Dale Anderson, Author, MD
Mayor Sue Banovetz, City of Vadnais Heights
Mayor Bill Blesener, City of Little Canada
Cathy Croghan, Geriatric Health Specialist
Amanda Draxton, Risdall McKinney Public Relations
Pat Effenberger, Pioneer Press
Bill Frels, Mairs and Powers
Sue Gehrz, Friends Director
John Goedeke, Teacher (retired)
Nancy Guerino, 3M Corporation (retired)
Pam Harris, Martin & Squires, P.A
Eva Keiser, Risdall McKinney Public Relations
Mayor Craig Klausing, City of Roseville
William Kent Krueger, Author
Mayor Steve Larson, City of New Brighton
Mayor Peter Lindstrom, City of Falcon Heights
Mayor Sandy Martin, City of Shoreview
Kerri Miller, Minnesota Public Radio
Kevin Naas, Roseville Best Buy Store
Perry Noland, Roseville Auto Repair
Jim Ostlund, Park Midway Bank
Dudley Riggs, Founder, Brave New Workshop
Penny Scialla, Target Corporation (retired)
Stuart Shwiff, Community Health Charities Minnesota
Joe Skelly, Kaposia Inc.
Adam Talatinick, Roseville Best Buy Store
Dr. John Thein, Superintendent, Roseville Schools
Dan Wall, Greenstein, Mabley & Wall LLC
Janet Waller, Barnes & Noble Booksellers
Jan Wolff, Ecologist
If you would like to help, call Sue Gehrz, Friends Director, at 651-486-2213.
Business Support
Thank you for your support in 2008:
AgriBank, FCB
American Financial
Best Buy
Gallery 96
Heraeus Medical Components, Inc.
Schmitt Properties LLC
Sands, Lee and Anderson, LTD. CPA
A Charitable Bequest
Looking for a way to help your libraries keep thriving for future generations? Consider including a gift to the Friends in your will. We are a nonprofit organization that welcomes bequests. Our Federal Tax ID number is 41-1597085. Call Sue Gehrz at 651-486-2213 for more information.
Calling All Coffee Drinkers!
Dunn Bros Coffee is donating 10 percent of bean and beverage sales to the Friends when customers use a Community Giving Roastmasters Reward Card. You can help by using this card at any participating Dunn Bros coffee shop in the Twin Cities.
To get your card(s), call the Friends office at 651-486-2213 (or e-mail sgehrz@rclreads.org) and leave your name and address.
Friends Book Stores
The Friends members operate stores in which you can find great bargains on used books and media materials. They are currently in the following locations:
Words Worth Book Store
Maplewood Library, 3025 Southlawn Drive
Phone 651-704-2033 ext 2108
Monday – Thursday 10 – 9
Friday – Saturday 10 – 5
Sunday 12 – 5
Roseville Library, 2680 Arthur Street
Monday – Thursday 10 – 9
Friday – Saturday 10 – 5
Sunday 12 – 5
Shoreview Library, 4570 N. Victoria Street
Monday 10 – 9
Tuesday – Wednesday 1 – 9
Thursday - Saturday 10 – 5
Sunday 12 - 5
You can donate gently used books to these bookstores to help support your libraries. Label them for the “Friends” and drop them off at any Ramsey County Library.
The IRS only permits tax deductions for donation of items that are in good condition. If in doubt, ask whether you would offer the item to a friend or relative. If the answer is yes, then it is an appropriate donation.
The Friends cannot accept the following items:
| | |
| · | books that are moldy, mildewed, odiferous, stained, yellowed, excessively underlined, written in or highlighted |
| · | books with broken spines, missing pages, torn or missing covers |
| · | textbooks, reference books and encyclopedias that are more than 10 years old |
| · | computer or business materials that are more than five years old |
| · | magazines |
| · | Reader’s Digest condensed books |
| · | vinyl records (45 or 33 1/3 rpm) |
| · | pirated audio-visual material |
Proceeds from the sales at these book stores are used to support programs and services at your local library. Thank you for your support!
Old Cell Phones Wanted
Ring in the new year by dropping off old cell phones in collection boxes found at all Ramsey County Library branches except Mounds View.
Friends’ volunteers ship these phones to GRC Recycling in Florida where they are processed and any unusable parts are disposed of ecologically - they do NOT end up in landfills. GRC pays us for the phones they can use and we use this money to fill requests for equipment, books or programs that the Library needs.
Since we started this program in 2007, we have raised $2,735 for the library, with $1,836 coming in during 2008 alone. Please donate phones only; we cannot take chargers, manuals or packaging. Thanks for helping the library and the environment!
Friends Board Meetings
2010 Meeting Schedule
Mondays, 6:30 p.m.
RCL - Maplewood
April 12 (Annual Meeting)
July 12
October 18
Friends members and the public are welcome.
Board Members:
Judith Anderson
Lynn Belgea
Mary Ellen Carlson
Barbara Crassweller
Catherine Croghan
Jane Fields
Lorraine Fischer, Secretary
Dick Fowler
Edna Georgius
Nancy Guerino, President
Ann Haase
Pam Harris
Peter Hilger, Vice President
Kerri Miller
Ellie Nicklawske
Penny Scialla
Mark Suggs
Joe Skelly
Doug Smith, Treasurer
Susan Thibedeau
Jan Shaw Wolff
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