Library Friends Need New Members

WAITSBURG - The Friends of the Weller Public Library have a bit of a prob- lem - there are few members and the current members are ready to move on.

The friends members who are left are spreading the word about the library's needs hoping to gain more community support and new members who can commit to keeping Waitsburg's little library stocked with new books.

Rosie Warehime, the li- brary's manager, said the friends have only held a couple of meetings this year and there's not much interest at the present time in new people joining the board.

The Friends of the Library, formed in 1979, is an entity that runs fundraisers to help purchase books and other supplies for the Weller Pub- lic Library on Main Street. They also fund the summer reading program and other youth activities at the library. Before the friends group, the library had a library manager, but not much money to pay for books, said friends member Ruth Peterson.

A library card at Weller Public Library is free for city residents and return dates on books aren't concrete. Ware- hime has said to borrow a book for as long as you need and then bring it back.

Peterson said the library is a special place not only for residents, but is also fre- quented by tourists passing through town. She said visi- tors come in, buy books and leave donations.

The city of Waitsburg pays for the building and its repairs and does not help fund programs or book pur- chases. The city also hires the library manager.

The library does have an endowment of about $7,000, said Waitsburg City Admin- istrator Randy Hinchliffe. The endowment, created in 1968, pays only for "per- petual care" of the library. In the written resolution for the endowment, it says the mon- ey cannot be lessened and can only be re-invested by the Waitsburg City Council. Hinchliffe said this means the only time that money can be used is if the city cannot pay for repairs.

Warehime said the friends board is not currently active and the few members still around are looking for some young blood to fill in the ranks.

"They just decided they were going to try to get a more active group," Ware- hime said.

Peterson is a Waitsburg resident who has been treasurer of the friends group since 1979. She said she's ready to step down from the position and she hopes someone in the community will be willing to take her place.

"We are in need," Peterson said. "We have to get going."

The group is holding an informational meeting at 6:30 p.m., Aug. 14 at the library and Peterson hopes the turnout will be good. She said the last two meetings held averaged about seven people. Peterson wants more to show up, and specifically, take the library's budget out of her hands.

"I've been on the board for quite a while," she said. "It's time that I bow out."

Each year, Peterson said the library has about $3,000 to $4,000 to spend on new books. The majority of the money the friends raise has been through books sales at the Days of Real Sport, the Fall Festival and Warehime currently has some books for sale at the library. Also, fami- lies can donate to the library as a way to honor a fam- ily member who has passed away. However, Peterson said she has seen a real decline in memorial donations in recent years.

She is hoping new mem- bers could add to the fundraising activities to get more books into the library.

"We can always use new kids' books," she said. "Rosie can (order) anything any- body would want."

For more information about joining the friends groups or helping with fundraisers, call the library at 509-337-8149.