BRATTLEBORO — The week of Oct. 20 has been designated as the seventh annual Friends of the Brooks Memorial Library Week. Celebrations will take place at the library through Oct. 26.
The Friends of the Library, established in 1991, supports the Brooks Memorial Library through its mission of advocacy, public relations, and fundraising.
Every year the Friends raise thousands of dollars to support the library's digital access services, public programs, and information resources.
This year, the Friends helped purchase new computer equipment; a subscription to ancestry.com, a genealogy resource; and IndieFlix, for online access to independent films.
The Friends also purchased downloadable e-books, games, summer reading program books, and equipment for the Children's Room.
The Friends also provide significant support for the First Wednesday lecture series and purchase free passes each year to 15 Vermont, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts museums for use by library patrons.
The Friends offer this support with proceeds from fundraisers such as the September Jazz and Dance concert with the Chris Bakriges Quartet. Over the past few years, the Friends have held trivia contests, twice-a-year book sales, and other concerts and special events.
* * *Where in Brattleboro do you find a more open, free, and democratic information hub than the Brooks Memorial Library? Our local library keeps up with information and technology trends and continues the open-access tradition that started with the founding of the Brattleboro Library 171 years ago.
Our library has a long history of providing a free and comfortable space for community members to seek and to use print, digital, and online information resources. The library continues to design, develop, and host free public presentations, children's programs, and art displays.
In our digital age, the Brooks public-access computers keep patrons connected to the world's rich information and multimedia resources by providing free Wi-Fi access for email and social-media connections with family members and friends. This service allows patrons to keep current with job searches and prospects and provides access to daily and weekly newspapers, online educational opportunities, medical information, and so many other Internet resources.
The library's growing collection of e-books, e-audio, and videos expands the value and size of the Brooks leisure reading and lifelong learning opportunities.
For this year's celebration, the Friends are selling the new 2014 edition of the ever-popular Book Lover's Calendar for $10 each. Every copy of the calendar sold at the library supports the work of the Friends.