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Friends of the Cleveland Public Library

Friends of the Cleveland Public Library
325 Superior Avenue Cleveland, Ohio 44114
Phone Number: 216.623.2821 Fax Number: 216.623.2883
email: friends@cpl.org
Mary Scelsi, Director
Tom Feczkanin, Associate

JOIN_v1.pdf
MAIL_ORDER_v1.pdf
newsltr_fall08.pdf
SCHOL_v1.pdf
VOL_v1.pdf

About the Friends of the Cleveland Public Library
The first meeting of the Trustees of the Friends of the Cleveland Public Library was held in the Director's office at Main Library on Wednesday, May 29, 1957. On the agenda that day was discussion of a Library Bond Issue for the purchase of the Plain Dealer Building. This was considered as a first project of the Friends' group, to endorse the Bond Issue, to grant funds to help defray costs of a bond issue campaign and to speak before groups for the Bond Issue.
Through the years, the Friends have funded projects such as the 125th Anniversary History, the public art project and purchase of The Pig Bank located on the 2nd floor of the Louis Stokes Wing, rare books for the Special Collections of the Library and levy campaigns. Today, the Friends fund the Summer and Winter Reading Club programs, Children’s Book Week activities, Writer’s & Reader’s Series, and branch and department programming. Since 1991, four $1,000 Eugenia Thornton scholarships are awarded to Library staff, Library staff dependent, graduating senior in the Cleveland School District and a Friends member. Projects are reviewed and selected yearly by the Friends Board of Trustees.
Sources of income are: Memberships, The Library Gift Shop, Book Sales in the Louis Stokes Wing and selected Library Branches, and a yearly fundraiser. Since 1976, the Friends have worked continuously on increasing membership and now have over 2,500 members. The Library Gift Shop is located on the 1st floor of the Louis Stokes Wing and is staffed by dedicated volunteers. Over the last several years, Book sales have been expanded to include three sales in the Louis Stokes Wing and several sales in branches. The newest activity since 2000, is a yearly fundraiser at the Library, to increase not only funds, but to raise awareness of the Library and its Special Collections.

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