New Brighton Capital Campaign:

Ramsey County is funding the $1,474,000 cost of relocating the library formerly in Arden Hills to the New Brighton location and remodeling the space. The Friends of the Ramsey County Libraries have organized a capital campaign to raise an additional $65,000 for amenities including a fireplace, window seats, literacy-building equipment, art, decorative lighting, and books for the opening collection. These additions will help create a warm, welcoming learning environment to be enjoyed by people of all ages.

You can help by:

	Making a tax deductible donation on-line by clicking on the DONATE button above, and selecting "New Brighton" for your credit card donation.
	Mailing a check to "Friends of RCL" at 4570 N. Victoria Street, Shoreview, MN 55126. Please put "New Brighton" in the memo line or attach a note requesting your donation go to the New Brighton Capital Campaign.
	Inviting a member of the New Brighton Capital Campaign Committee to speak to a local organization.
	Volunteering to help with a fundraising event.

For more information, contact Sue Gehrz, Executive Director, Friends of the Ramsey County Libraries, at 651 486-2213 or at sgehrz@rclreads.org.

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Book Sale
October 12 - 16
RCL - Roseville

Friends of the Ramsey County Libraries will hold a huge Used Books Sale at the library in Roseville, 2180 Hamline Avenue. Thousands of used books will be sold for $1 or less.

A special pre-sale for Friends members is scheduled for October 12 from 3 to 6 p.m. You can become a member at the sale! Doors will open to the public at 6:30 p.m. that evening. Proceeds benefit all Ramsey County libraries.

Volunteers are needed. Please call the Friends at 651-486-2213 to help.

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Roseville Capital Campaign Update

The Roseville Library Capital Campaign Committee members set an ambitious goal of raising $500,000 for the reconstructed library in Roseville. At the end of 2010, the campaign had raised over $456,000 with another nine months to go! We are so excited about the enthusiastic response from the community that enabled us to add the Children's Reading Garden, lots of children's literacy-building equipment, technology in the Teen Room, adaptive equipment for visually impaired patrons, an upstairs fireplace, wonderful art from local artists, and lots of books and other materials. We are especially grateful to the Rotary Club of Roseville, the Falcon Heights/Lauderdale Lions Club, Ann Wynia, and Commissioner Jan and Dan Parker for their major gifts.

The mosaic in the Children's Reading Garden will be completed this spring. We will also be adding a shade structure over the outdoor program area, two tables with shade umbrellas, five birdhouses and brick pavers. The 8" x 8" garden pavers can still be ordered for a tax deductible donation of $250. For more information or an order form, contact the Friends at sgehrz@rclreads.org or at 651-486-2213.

Reading Friends

Contribute to the literacy of local children with Reading Friends. These volunteers work with children in preschool through 5th grade to promote a love of reading, assist with homework, and boost the self-esteem of struggling readers.

The preschool reading program began in January 2010. We work in collaboration with the Early Childhood and Family Education program at the Garden View Apartments. Our goal is to help the children with reading readiness and to develop their love of reading.

Head Start is our newest preschool group. We read stories, sing rhymes and make finger plays on the second and fourth Mondays of each month with up to 40 preschoolers at Pike Lake Education Center in New Brighton.

Reading sessions with school-age students are in cooperation with the Community Partners with Youth program. Here we have the opportunity to connect one-on-one with children to reinforce literacy skills, assist with homework assignments, and help build a child's self-confidence.

If you love kids and reading, Reading Friends may be the perfect fit for you! Requirements are membership in the Friends, a confidential background check, and observation of a library storytime. For further information contact Judy Anderson, 651-653-5715.

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Top Three Reasons to Donate Your Used Books

1. Ten percent of the Library's collection comes from private donations. In 2010, donated items worth more than $148,000 were placed on the shelves in the seven Ramsey County libraries. The libraries especially need gently worn non-fiction books published in the last 10 years, hard cover fiction best sellers, children's books, talking books on CD, music CDs and DVDs.

2. Money from the sale of donated books and materials supports library programs and the purchase of new materials and equipment. In 2010, the Friends raised over $57,000 by selling used books in our three book stores, at our special sales and online. This enabled us to provide programs for children, adults and teens; computer classes; many new books and DVDs; and services that would not be available in our libraries.

The best sellers in our bookstores are juvenile fiction and non-fiction, recent paperback and hard cover fiction, paperback Westerns and Science Fiction, classics, non-fiction books by local authors, regional books, cookbooks, history, craft books, coffee table books, picture books, foreign language books, CDs, DVDs and cassette tapes. You can take your donations to the Service Desk at any Ramsey County Library and request a tax deduction form for your donation.

3. You will have the satisfaction of knowing your cherished books have found a new home. Not to mention, you'll finally have room on your bookshelves to add to your personal collection.

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Leave a Library Legacy

Most of us want to be remembered as someone who made a difference. We hope to leave a legacy for the lives that follow ours. One way to leave a legacy is through planned giving. Even a small amount can make a big difference over time.

You can leave money to your family and to the charitable organization of your choice. It’s easy to do. A simple directive in your will can bring welcome support to an organization that will make a difference in many lives. If you are considering a legacy gift we hope you will include the Friends of the Ramsey County Libraries. Our tax EIN is 41-1597085. For more information, contact the Friends at 651-486-2213 or sgehrz@rclreads.org.

New Electronic Mailing

The Friends recently launched an e-newsletter that provides advance notice of book sales, programs, events and volunteer opportunities. To join, send your name and e-mail address to bbassett@rclreads.org. We will not share your e-mail address with anyone else and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Friends Annual Report

Annual Report 2010 (PDF)

* Note: In order to view documents in PDF format you will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader loaded on your computer. Acrobat Reader is free and can be downloaded by clicking the image below:

Companies Donate Money for Volunteers

Do you volunteer at your library or for the Friends? Are you an employee or retiree of any of the companies listed below? If so, please request that your employer send their contribution matching your hours to Friends of the Ramsey County Libraries. We qualify as a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization and all of our efforts go to support the seven libraries located in suburban Ramsey County.

The companies listed here all have similar programs, though the details vary:
3M
ADC Telecommunications
Ameriprise
Best Buy
Blue Cross/Blue Shield
Cargill
Deluxe
Ecolab
General Mills
Gillette
Graco
HB Fuller
Health Partners
IBM
ING
JC Penney
Jostens
Land O'Lakes
Medtronic
Qwest
Sam's Club/Walmart
Securian
Thrivent
Travelers
Weyerhauser

Please check for volunteer matching programs at your place of employment. What a great way to maximize your volunteer efforts and further help the libraries!

Friends Book Stores
The Friends members operate stores where you can find great bargains on used books and media materials.

Maplewood Library, 3025 Southlawn Drive
Phone 651-724-6076
    Monday – Thursday 10 – 9
    Friday – Saturday 10 – 5
    Sunday 12 – 5


Roseville Library, 2180 Hamline Avenue
Phone 651-724-6038
    Monday – Thursday 10 – 9
    Friday – Saturday 10 – 5
    Sunday 12 – 5


Shoreview Library, 4570 N. Victoria Street
    Monday 10 – 9
    Tuesday – Wednesday 1 – 9
    Thursday - Saturday 10 – 5
    Sunday 12 - 5


You can donate gently used books to these bookstores to help support your libraries. Label them for the “Friends” and drop them off at any Ramsey County Library. Thank you!