Friends of the Library

membership & volunteer opportunities

Welcome to the Friends of the Library!

The Friends’ mission is to serve the library volunteer efforts, materials, and supporting programs with fundraising.

We are a community of book lovers and library supporters. The Friends of the Hood River County Library supplement and support the critical work of the library staff.

Friends of The Library Officers

President: Nadine Klebba

Vice President: Rebecca Abrams

Secretary: Karen Jaeger

Treasurer: Michaela Allbee

Meetings

The Friends of the Library meets the 2nd Monday of the month at 11:00am in the Jean Marie Gaulke Library Meeting Room (except July, August, December). The public is invited to the meeting.

What do we do?

The funds we raise through membership fees, donations and our book sales support key library programs such as:

The Hood River Reads annual event, which provides free books to the community and schools and brings authors of chosen books for community and school programs each spring.

Summer Reading Programs in Hood River, Parkdale, Cascade Locks, and the Odell Summer School.

Additional Library funding and support of staff development as needed.

Friends members volunteer in the library processing new materials to go on the shelves, cleaning children’s books, taking care of donated materials, putting up displays, keeping the Free and Sale shelves filled and serving on needed committees. See the Volunteer page for more information.

How can I get involved?

The Friends of the Hood River County Library are members of the community who support our library through becoming a member, volunteering their time, donating materials for our book sales, or making a donation to the Friends of the Library or donating to the Pat Hazlehurst Endowment Fund! For more information, please contact our President:

Friends@hoodriverlibrary.org

Nadine Klebba: 971-803-0959

A huge thank you to all of the members, volunteers, and sponsors that have contributed so much to the library.

Please click to see our special recognition page…

About the Friends

We formed the Friends of the Hood River Library in 1977. Donations, membership fees, and the sale of books fund our efforts. Through the years, the Friends have made large and small contributions to the library, from lamps and footstools to computers and children’s programs.

In 1998 the Friends gave $10,000 in seed money to start the Library Foundation, which raised funds for the library renovation and expansion in 2003. The Friends ran an Early Open Campaign in 2011, making a donation that allowed the library to reopen six months early.

Members of the Friends have volunteered in the library since 1977 and continue to do so. (See the Volunteer page for more information.) The Friends meet at 11:00 a.m. on the second Monday of most months at the Hood River Library. The public is invited to attend.

We also donated $15,000 toward the Library’s remodel project $5,000 to the new library district board for start-up costs, $1,300 for the young adult collection, and $2,500 for audio books. See more of our recent donations to the library below.

2022-2023 Donations

Thanks to their donors, the Friends gave $19,750 to purchase and fund materials and services in 2022-23:

$8,500 to the Summer Reading Program
$250 to the Teen group for succeeding in their Book Reading Challenge
$5000 to the Pat Hazlehurst Foundation
$6000 to the Library to use for children’s books and book-bags

2021-2022 Donations

Thanks to their donors, the Friends gave $15,000 to purchase and fund materials and services in 2021-22:

$3000 for new audiobooks
$3,500 for free books for children in underserved areas of our community
$8,500 to update furniture in the Children’s Library and Teen Area. The new couches and tables will include charging stations
$800 donated to the Bookmobile.