Friends of the West Caldwell Public Library

Intro Page | Members of the Executive Board
Opportunities for Volunteers | Special Events | InfoBytes Newsletter

Membership Application

Who are the Friends?

We are a group of local citizens brought together by the love of libraries. The organization is dedicated to generating increased awareness in the community of the extensive re­sources of our Library and to support the Library in all its endeavors.

What do we do?

·   Publicity – The Friends publish the quarterly news­letter InfoBytes which describes new and current services at the Library as well as upcom­ing events. Additional post card mailings are also made as necessary to publicize events.

·  Fundraising – The Friends raise money from membership dues and fundraising events such as our annual International Dinner and the Caldwell Street Fair Book Sale.

·  Provide Funding for Library Equipment – We provide supplies and equipment for the library as needed such as puppets for the Children’s Depart­ment, display easels and new CD cases.

·  Provide Funding for Programs – The Friends regularly underwrite the costs of adult and youth programs at the Library and co-sponsor historical programs with the Histori­cal Society of West Caldwell.

·  Volunteer Activities – Our major ongoing volun­teer activity has been providing refreshments for “Friday Afternoon at the Movies” which have been shown weekly since early 2004. In 2007, we served at close to 50 movies where we popped over 200 bags of popcorn and served coffee, tea, and as­sorted cookies. Other volunteer activities include:

       Adopt-a-Shelf – Read and straighten shelves.

       Books-to-Go – Deliver books to shut-ins.

       Serve refreshments during adult programs.

       Local History & Genealogy Room projects.

       Special Projects e.g. CD case replacement.

       Support youth programs such as Paws to Read.

       Articles for InfoBytes.

       Collate and prepare InfoBytes for mailing.

Not a Member? Consider Joining

People join the Friends of the West Caldwell Public Library for various reasons. One reason might be to keep abreast of the ongoing activities at the Library by means of the InfoBytes newsletters and publicity postcards published by the Friends. Another reason might be to financially support the Friends to allow them to fund better programs and/or purchases for the Library. This is particularly true of those members who contribute more than the minimum $10 membership fee. Then there are those who really like libraries and want to be involved by volunteering for various activities at the Library. For many of us, probably all three reasons apply to some extent.   

Membership in the Friends is renewable in January of each year. Although we run fundraisers during the year, our income comes primarily from dues. Whether you are a new member or a returning member, please consider joining as a “Library Lover” ($25) or higher level to give us additional funds to support the library and provide premium adult programming.

Please complete the form below and send it to the library along with your tax-deductible contribution. Note that membership entitles you to a 20% discount on all in-stock books at Book World in West Caldwell (special orders and sale items not included).