Supporting the Caledon Public Library: That’s what Friends are for

Longtime Friends of the CPL volunteer Marty Harrison shares why she loves the Friends, calls for volunteers

By Zachary Roman

Marty Harrison has been volunteering with the Friends of the Caledon Public Library since 2008 — and most of those years have been spent as the local non-profit's president.

Harrison, a now-retired school teacher of Grades Four to Eight, has long held a passion for reading and the library.

“That was always an interest, really loving to read books and be in that atmosphere,” she said.

Back when Harrison was home raising her kids, she volunteered at their school's library.

Harrison also has a passion for art, and it was her favourite subject to teach. It was when Harrison retired that she first got involved with the Friends of the Caledon Public Library, as a member of the Friends' executive team.

“I went to a meeting and the president at that time lived in Inglewood, the same as I do,” said Harrison. “That was fun, so I started getting involved and just carried on.”

The Friends of the Public Library started in the 1990s out of a church in Caledon East. Harrison described it as a group of people who were very interested in promoting the library and being involved in things to support it. That core mission has remained over the years, and Harrison explained the Friends still hold those goals to heart today.

“We are a not-for-profit, charitable organization. So formally, we have those responsibilities, but we concentrate on fundraising, and also on promoting the library, in any way that we can,” said Harrison.

She explained the Caledon Public Library (CPL) has a wish list of items that the Friends can help them out with. Harrison said a great recent example of fundraising the Friends did was for a brand-new 3D printer that's going to be in the Margaret Dunn Valleywood branch of the CPL after its renovations are complete.

Another recent accomplishment of the Friends was fundraising for the planters in the new reading garden at the Southfields Village branch of the CPL. Now, the Friends are going to begin paying for the planters' upkeep and even try to see if they can get volunteers who love gardening to help with the upkeep themselves.

The Friends recently had their Annual General Meeting, and for the first time in a while Harrison is going to have a break from being president. However, past president is still a role on the Friends' board so she's excited for her volunteer work to continue.

One of the big ways the Friends raise money for the CPL is through their book sales. The CPL is always renewing its collection, and the Friends host book sales throughout the year to sell some of the CPL's older books.

Books donated to the library are also sold if they can't be added to the library's collection. It's a win-win as prices are great for buyers, and the sales help the CPL. People can purchase a membership to the Friends of the Caledon Public Library for $10 per year which gets them a discount at book sales, and gets them access to the Friends' newsletter. Membership fees also benefit the CPL.

“We need volunteers to help us because the actual physical part of setting up a book sale is demanding,” said Harrison. “We need to also keep sorting all the time, because the library's always weeding at their collection.”

Right now, sorting of books for book sales happens monthly at the Caledon East branch of the CPL. 

Harrison said she thinks many organizations are finding it hard to find volunteers right now.

“We can't function without volunteers,” said Harrison. “We're trying to reach out to the community and get them to help us.”

She said volunteering doesn't mean you have to be available for everything the Friends do, or mean you have to be on the Friends' board. Harrison said the Friends are happy to take help any way it comes, whether it's sorting books, handling the checkout at a book sale, or taking that next step to be a board member. Harrison noted volunteering for the Friends can be a great way for high school students to complete their volunteer hours.

Harrison said some of her favourite parts of volunteering for the Friends over the years have been the organizational aspect; getting to talk to and meet many new people; being part of a group; and having a great working relationship with the library and community. She's also made some long-time friends in the process that she still connects with to this day.

Those looking to get involved with the Friends of the Caledon Public Library can email focpl@outlook.com.