FRIENDS OF THE PIMA COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY INC

Our goal is to promote and sustain the public library's positive impact our the citizens of Pima County, Arizona. Free library services make education, entertainment, and personal development available to everyone. Educated and informed citizens create a strong, involved, and vibrant community.

Our aim is to get the most money we can for every donated item we receive so that we can give the public library the greatest amount of money possible. Whether that's selling books/AV items online or at a community sale or at our bookstore or selling remainders to bulk buyer, we strive to maximize the value of every donation. We also make concerted efforts to minimize our expenses. We take our responsibility as an advocate and funding source for the library very seriously and do our best to fulfill our mission.

The Friends own their own buildings where donations are processed and sold. The majority of work is done by the 250+ volunteers with the assistance of 4 FTE employees. Having been in Pima County for almost 50 years, the Friends have created a very stable and effective organization that is respected for its efficiency and community focus. We have extended our reach into the community by offering books for sale at 17 library branches, a book store, members-only sales, and open community sales. Several volunteers have expertise in recognizing valuable donations and work hard to obtain maximum return. By selling books online, we open our inventory to a worldwide market. We have even worked with an online auction house for special and valuable items, receiving as much as $1500 for one book. The volunteers recognize and appreciate that the Friends are self-funded and do not rely on grants.

The Friends first book sale was on a volunteer's patio in 1968. The first donation was a $500 scholarship to a UA Library Sciences student. From working in an extra bedroom or storage units with no water, cooling, or lights and lugging books back and forth to sale sites, the early volunteers did whatever was needed to keep the Friends going. Now we own our property, have monthly sales, sell books online, operate a bookstore, maintain 17 branch carts, and have paid employees and 250+ volunteers. Since 2002, the Friends have donated an average of $225,000 a year to the Public Library. Our donation goal for the current fiscal year is $260,000.