Friends of the Racine Library

Who are the Friends of the Library?

Led by a volunteer board, the Friends are a group of local citizens who care about our public library. We contribute time, effort and resources to engage the widest possible community

Our mission is to promote and support public library resources and community programs and to create community knowledge, interest and awareness about the Racine Public Library.

Your membership in the Friends helps raise money for the library and to promote awareness of up-coming legislation affecting public libraries. The Friends work as advocates for the library as necessary.

What are the benefits of becoming a Friend?

You can make a long lasting and significant difference for your library through advocacy.

The benefits of becoming a friend include participation in members-only days at each of the bi-annual book sales before it is open to the public, for first choice of the more than 10,000 items offered for sale.
Your name will be added to our e-mail list for early announcements of our special events and sales.
Most importantly, however, is the satisfaction of knowing that you are supporting a vital community resource.

How can you help?

There are several opportunities to volunteer:

Sorting books and filling the shelves of the lobby book shop.
At the book sales-helping customers and checking out purchases.
Serving on committees such as membership and programs.
Serving as an advocate when needed.
Actively promoting membership in the Friends.

BONK!

''Once the Racine Public Library lost all of its program allocations and the BONK! series had no institutional funding anymore, it seemed very possible that BONK! might have to fade away like so many other creative endeavors in Racine. This happens a lot in Racine and it ends up leading Racine's creative young artists to take their talents elsewhere--to bigger cities where it's easier to keep these kinds of programs going. Instead, however, the Friends of the Library stepped up to make sure BONK! could keep bringing nationally recognized talent to the Racine community. After the Friends committed their generous sponsorship to BONK!, several other community organizations and businesses did as well, to the point that BONK! could not only sustain itself, but even grow bigger than before. If it hadn't been for the Friends of the Racine Public Library taking that initial leap of faith, BONK! might have never even made it into its 3rd year. Thanks so much, Friends of the Racine Public Library, for helping BONK! survive in the Racine community. Even when funding for creative programs was/is in jeopardy, you paved the way to keep this program in the community that will benefit from it most.''Nick D.

The following is an article about Book Brats, in the Journal Times last October 2011.

Younger kids had story time, fourth and fifth graders had a book reading competition and older kids had book discussion groups. But the third graders didn't have a program at the Racine Public Library, Chapman Callaghan said.

''The third-grade kids were kind of being underserved,'' she said, explaining the third-graders needed a program all their own so they wouldn't be reading books too young or too old for them. '' So I decided to start Book Brats.'' Now Book Brats, a free book discussion group for third-graders, is in its second year of giving kids at that level an engaging way to amp up their reading. Book Brats kicks off this school year on Monday with the group's first meeting.

At meetings, which are held monthly and last about 45 minutes, Chapman Callaghan and Racine Unified librarian Karen Weber lead participants in some light discussion about the book assigned for that month. ''I want to introduce them to how discussion groups can be fun and not scary,'' said Chapman Callaghan, youth services librarian at the Racine Public Library, 75 Seventh St. ''They can read the book and they come in and we discuss the book a little bit but we also do a craft and have some treats. We really focus on having it fun. If they're shy and don't want to talk, we won't make them talk.''

Third-graders are old enough to get into some good discussion though, Chapman Callaghan said.

''Last year we had no trouble getting most of the kids to participate in the discussion ... We have a lot of open-ended questions and what-did-you-think opinion questions,'' she said. '' They were very clear on whether they liked the book or not.''

Kids also discussed parts of stories, if characters' actions were right or wrong and if pictures made a difference, among other topics. They'll discuss those same kinds of things this year, Chapman Callaghan said. The books discussed are donated by the Friends of the Library and the students get to keep them when the group is over, Chapman Callaghan said.

Last year, 11 kids participated in Book Brats. They told Chapman Callaghan they wish they could come back this year. She also got positive feedback from parents, who reported their kids became more comfortable speaking up in a group setting, Chapman Callaghan said.

This year there's space for 15 kids and 10 were already signed up as of last week, Chapman Callaghan said. This time around the students will read and discuss four books: Chapter book '' I Was a Third Grade Science Project'' by Mary Jane Auch; picture book ''Thunder Cake'' by Patricia Placco; chapter book '' Judy Moody was in a mood'' by Megan McDonald; and nonfiction biography book '' Who Was Harry Houdini?'' by Tui Sutherland.

Biannual Book Sales