Friends of the Library reports stronger book‑sale revenue, proposes regional summit

Mary Ellis, president of the Friends of the Library, told the board the Friends’ January book sale raised just under $2,500 in combined sales, memberships and donations — an increase from about $1,700 the prior year — and generated 22 new memberships and 14 renewals. Ellis said the Friends have increased their allocation to the library for the fiscal year by $8,000 and plan to showcase that on their Amplify Austin fundraising page.

Ellis reviewed upcoming events including a book sale on April 2, an annual Friends meeting and recognition on April 21 that will commemorate the Audrey T. Deering wing, and Pet Fest in March. She noted minor payment-processing glitches at the sale that were resolved by a backup processor and said the Friends had gained volunteer interest at the sale.

Separately, a board member proposed hosting a regional "Friends in the Library" summit in Pflugerville to share best practices on book sales, storage, volunteer retention and nonprofit compliance. Discussion covered in-person versus online formats, likely staffing and planning bandwidth, possible sponsorship (local H‑E‑B and legal or nonprofit firms were suggested) and doing an interest survey of neighboring Friends groups as a first step. Board members suggested possible topics (book sale pricing, storage solutions, digital tools) and recommended surveying potential attendees about timing and format.

Next steps: staff and Friends will prepare an interest survey and bring a proposal back to future meetings; the Friends president will provide more details at the next Friends meeting and invite board input.