Friends of the Library Book Bag, 1990s.

Friends of the Ann Arbor District Library member Tink Allshouse displays a canvas Friends' book bag, sold as part of the Friends' fundraising efforts. Friends of the Library The Friends of the Library arose out of the need for a new, dedicated building for the Ann Arbor Public Library in the early 1950s. The Carnegie building, cramped and overcrowded and nearing the half-century mark, could no longer provide for the growing community’s needs, and so in 1953 a group of enthusiastic and committed individuals formed the Friends of the Ann Arbor Public Library so that “the needs of the library and the desires of its patrons might be clearly formulated and expressed.”* The Friends worked tirelessly to ensure a new building was built and that it remained downtown. Since the construction of the new Library in 1957, the Friends have continued to be an active part of the Library, holding fundraising book sales, campaigning for the library, and delivering books to those unable to visit the Library. *Reade, Marjorie. A History of the Friends of the Ann Arbor Public Library. Ann Arbor: Friends of the Ann Arbor Public Library, 1985.