Clearinghouse of Professional Information

Friends of the Library Resources

This section includes links to websites about and by Friends groups.

SOLS supports the library boards and library staff who need advice and resources about Friends groups. For further information, SOLS Helpdesk also provides a single access point to our services.

OLS-North assists library boards and library staff seeking information and resources regarding Friends Groups. Marjatta Asu, Library Development Advisor, Promotion and Community Development can be reached by phone or by e-mail at

Topics include

General Resources | Advocacy | Constitution and Bylaws | Friends Groups examples | How to start | Incorporation | Newsletters | Policies |  Volunteer Management

	indicates an item written by SOLS staff		indicates an item written by OLS-North staff
Clicking on certain topics will open a new window, if the link is to a topic included in an other Clearinghouse page

General Resources

• Association of Library Trustees, Advocates, Friends and Foundations (ALTAFF) A division of ALA. On February 1, 2009, Friends of Libraries U.S.A. (FOLUSA) and the Association for Library Trustees and Advocates (ALTA) joined forces to become an expanded division of ALA known as ALTAFF, the . Through this partnership, ALTAFF unites libraries’ voices to speak out on behalf of library services and free public access to information.
• Cultivating Your Friends. (.pdf) SOLS Trustee Tip #16.
• Friends of Canadian Libraries (FOCAL)
• Friends of Libraries Australia

Advocacy

• Library Advocacy Now! (CAPL Canadian Library Association) Sponsored by the Canadian Association of Public Libraries

Constitution/ By-Laws / Policies

• Friends of Canadian Libraries. Links to various Friends' groups' documents. Scroll down to 'Friends'

Friends Groups Examples

• Friends of the Ottawa Public Library
• Friends of the Vancouver Public Library

How to Start a Friends' Group

• How to Organize a Friends' Group  (FOLUSA) Fact Sheet 1
• Libraries Need Friends: A Toolkit to Create Friends Groups or to Revitalize the One You Have. This special toolkit will help with the establishment of Friends groups of all types. The first half of the toolkit is for libraries that already have a Friends group and are interested in increasing its membership and/or its level of activity. The second half of this toolkit will address the revitalization of existing Friends groups. By Sally G. Reed and FOLUSA
• Should our library form a "Friends of the Library Group"? Trustee Tips # 8.
• Starting a Friends' Group (.ppt)     Rob Lavery, SOLS Consultant

Incorporation

• Not-for-Profit Incorporator's Handbook (Ontario. Ministry of the Attorney General)

Newsletters and blogs

• Friends of the Brockville Public Library
• Friends' Newsletter. (Westmount Public Library)

page updated October 24, 2011