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Help needed to improve public library

Jane Emerick Special to The Chief The Friends of the Squamish Public Library are making the library a better place, but the group needs new members to continue the work.

Jane Emerick

Special to The Chief

The Friends of the Squamish Public Library are making the library a better place, but the group needs new members to continue the work.

The group fundraises to enhance the library and according to director of library services, Maureen Painter, they make it a richer place. But as people get older and can no longer contribute to the Friends, the group needs to recruit new people to maintain its services.

"If it is going to keep going we need new people," said Morgan Hellyer, a member of the Friends of the Library for the past five years.

Director of the Friends Thea Reardon, said the group does everything they can to enhance the library, including selling crafts and organizing fundraisers like the book sale held last weekend. Reardon said anyone is welcome to join and adds it is great way to meet people.

"The Friends are a great group of people," she said. "I joined in 2000 as a way to meet new people."

Painter acknowledges the work of the Friends of the Library and said they help enhance the essence of the library.

"They are the icing on the cake, they add the little bit extra," she said.

According to Painter the Friends of the Library were responsible for the fireplace in the library and the furnishings around it during the construction of the building. She also said the group was responsible for the things in the children's area such as computers and the rugs, as well as bringing in performers for the children's programs.

Painter also believes the Friends are important to the library because they represent different aspects of the community's needs to the library and she considers them an important part of the library's positive image.

"They take what the library has to offer back to community and spread the word," she said. "They were advocates of the new building and establishing the increased library hours."

Reardon said she and the other Friends of the Library are passionate about the services the library provides because they love to read. She invites anyone interested in becoming a "friend" to come to the next Friends of the Library meeting held every third Thursday at 12:30 p.m. at the library.

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