Join us! – There are no dues, just camaraderie. Please complete our Volunteer Form and return it to the Essex Library Association. For more information, please contact Lisa Burkarth at lisaburkarth@yahoo.com.
Who We Are – The Essex Library is free to the public but depends heavily on the community for its funding. The Friends of the Essex Library was established to provide services and equipment that are outside the library’s budget. We are volunteers devoted to enriching the resources of the Library and making it a vital part of our community.
How We Help – We raise money for equipment, materials, and programs for the Library. We do this by organizing community fund-raisers and by holding book sales in the Spring and Fall.
How It Started – The Friends of the Essex Library was organized in 1978, almost one hundred years after the establishment of the Library. Four enterprising women, Joan Duys, Ginnie Freeman, Dodie Harris, and Jeanne Byrne organized a group of volunteers who raised funds for much-needed equipment, mended torn books, shelved returned books, or helped at the circulation desk. Their annual book sales soon became a much anticipated event and the principal fundraiser for the Friends.
Today, the Friends continue to play these critical roles at the Library. Our volunteers raise money for special equipment and services that supplement the Library’s budget and we volunteer our time and talent to help the Library’s staff with everyday needs.
