2023 Officers of The Friends of the Sheppard Memorial Library
President: Jan Lewis
Vice-President: Cecilia Moore-Cobb
Secretary: Christopher Ulffers
Treasurer: Mark Sanders
SML Board Liaison: Christopher Ulffers
At Large Member: Joe Schuhbauer
At Large Member: Al Muller​
At Large Member: Parker Danell
Book Sale Committee Chair: Lisa Brunette
Library Contacts: Greg Needham, Lynn Woolard, Amanda Prokop, and Kerrine Melton
2023/2024 schedule of Friends Board of Directors meetings
All meetings will begin at 5:30 p.m in the Elizabeth H. Copeland Board Room at the main library.
(All proceeds from the year-round sale, the Annual Book Sale, and the 50 Cents Book Sale go directly back to SML to help fund programming, new technology purchases, matching funds for federal grants, and other library enhancements!)
The Friends of the Sheppard Memorial Library was organized February 3, 1991. According to the By-Laws of the organization, the purpose of the group is "to maintain an association of persons interested in libraries; to focus public attention on the library; to stimulate the use of the library's resources and services; to receive and encourage gifts, endowments and bequests to the library; to support and cooperate with the library in developing library services and facilities for the community; to lend legislative support where needed; and to support the freedom to read as expressed in the American Library Association Bill of Rights."
In recent years, the Friends have sponsored book sales, conducted programs for the public, funded a discussion series, and provided money to purchase books and other material for all of the Sheppard Memorial Library facilities.
Membership in the Friends is open to the public. Each members will receive The Bookmark, the monthly newsletter of Sheppard Memorial Library.
The executive board of the organization meets quarterly and they hold the annual meeting in February. They invite all members to attend any meetings.
You are invited to be a part of the Friends of the Sheppard Memorial Library. You may join or renew your membership two ways:
Click here to join or renew online using a debit or credit card.
Click here (PDF) to open a copy of the memberships form. Print it out and complete it, then either mail it or bring it to the Main Library. Please include the appropriate membership dues.
Many Friends members and non-members anticipate the annual used book sale at the Greenville Convention Center. Of course, they want to shop but they also want to volunteer and make the sale a success. The March 2023 sale grossed over $32,000. It was an all-volunteer group that made that happen! Over 825 boxes of books and assorted items were moved to the sale, unpacked, displayed, routinely straightened up, and rearranged by the volunteer force over five days. Checkout staff did their job assisting buyers who purchased 804 boxes worth of materials. The 65 volunteers working the sale logged over 320 hours. Wonderful!
It’s just not in March that we need you. All year long, books need to be sorted and shelved for pricing. DVDs, CDs, and audio books need to be checked for completeness and quality. Sheppard Library staff helps to get donated materials from their lobby to our sorting room in the basement. Sometimes people who want to donate material are not able to get those items to Sheppard on their own. We try to provide a pick-up service using Friends volunteers and their own vehicles. You can help with all of this.
The Friends are partnering with READ ENC to stock Pitt County Little Libraries and Book Nooks. If you would like to serve as a caretaker for a current location, please email the READ ENC Coordinator at info@readenc.org. You can visit https://readenc.org to learn more about the program and Little Library locations. Book Nooks can be found in pediatric health care offices, local laundromats and restaurants, and other locations throughout Pitt County.
Jan Lewis remains our volunteer coordinator for the March sale. Contact her at lewisja@ecu.edu
To assist with other volunteer duties, contact Lisa Brunette at lkbradley80@suddenlink.net
