Friends of the Library
The Madison County Library has an active chapter of Friends of the Library (FOL). The group works to fundraise and support the library. Anyone interested in participating with the Friends should fill out a simple form available at the circulation desk. The current president, Heidi Sage, will be in touch.
The Friends of the Library is a loosely organized group of volunteers who meet at most once per month and only when we have a project to plan or evaluate. We meet in the library on a weekday morning from 9:00 – 10:00, wrapping up before the library opens.
We maintain the Used Book Room upstairs at the library all year around with members taking turns stocking and organizing the room one week each month. Books are received as donations and taken in through the library office during most, but not all weeks of the year. Before boxing up your books, feel free to call the library, to make certain your donation can be accepted. The Friends periodically offer used books, CD’s or DVD’s for only $5 per bag. Watch for this sale to be advertised on the sign on the library lawn.
Each fall the Friends have held a yard sale on the library’s front lawn. This is currently the major fund raising activity of the friends. Not only are items that have been donated to the library priced, organized and offered for sale, but members of the community and non-profit vendors are encouraged to purchase space for a token amount, promoting their groups or selling their own items. It is a true community activity. It usually makes enough money to fund the Children’s Summer reading Program and special programs throughout the year. 
In the summer we work during the Summer Concert series at Hoover Ridge. We sell 50/50 raffle tickets, dividing the cash collected between the library and the lucky holder of the winning ticket. On a few occasions the winner has returned their share of the winnings to the library, which is much appreciated.
In December of 2022, the Friends hosted the first Library Christmas Open House with a live reading of Charles Dickens’ Christmas Carol. Various community leaders read portions of the original text. It was a festive way to thank the guests for supporting the library and sharing the spirit of the season. There was no admission fee and free willing donations were accepted in an antique Stetson hat with scenes from the classic story. We hope to continue the open house tradition with a different theme and format.
