Welcome to the Friends of the Burke County Public Library!
Our purpose is to heighten public awareness of library services, to support library staff, to augment services and programs, and to offer volunteers for programs if needed.
Currently, we sponsor two main events each year:
The Annual Author’s Luncheon is held in February on the Thursday closest to Valentine’s Day. February is Love Your Library Month and the luncheon is a way to promote reading and the library.
The Book Sale, our main fund-raising event, is held each September at the Collett Street Recreation Center. This is a much anticipated event, and members receive a postcard entitling them to come to the sale a day before it is open to the public.
If you’re cleaning out closets and find books, we’ll be glad to have them. Just drop them off at the library during operating hours. Our library staff retains books that will be of use in the library system. Books in very good condition are sold throughout the year at the Morganton and Valdese libraries (Look for the special carts in the lobby), as well as at Cornerstone Antiques in downtown Valdese. The Friends sort books throughout the year for our book sale in September. The book sale is a major volunteer undertaking. If you would like to be a part of the book sale or any event sponsored by the Friends, please email us.
The Friends funding is separate from the library’s operating budget. We raise money through our book sale in order to support the Summer Reading Program. This has been a very fulfilling project for our Friends group.
