Gifts Support Library Programs, Materials, and Staff

At the annual meeting of the Friends of the Knox County Public Library on July 16, Myretta Black, director of the Knox County Public Library, received a check for more than $71,000, representative of the investment that the Friends have made in the library system during the past fiscal year.

Committed to community outreach, advocacy and support of the Knox County Public Library, Friends has underwritten the library’s long-standing programs such as the Children’s Festival of Reading and Summer Library Club as well as new materials to its digital collections and new events to the community. The Friends’ investment in the library system is made possible by revenues from used book sales, membership dues, and donations as well as by the commitment of the more than 200 dedicated volunteers who have devoted more than 14,000 hours to raising these funds.

“We are so very grateful for the Friends’ support of programs at the library,” said Black.

Maggie Carini, outgoing Friends president, stated, “This check represents a circle of support that begins with the citizens of Knox County who donate their used books, attend Friends events, and promote Friends in general. In return, Friends is able to donate generously to library programs — touching citizens young and old in every corner of Knox County.”

Using a favorite children’s book to describe the relationship between Friends and the library, Rusha Sams, newly elected president of the Friends, added, “If the Knox County Public Library is The Giving Tree for our community, Friends is the gardener who shapes and waters. Generous support means watering deeply to get the broadest leaves and longest limbs.”