MESSAGE FROM OUR PRESIDENT

If you are reading this message I know you are a library user and perhaps a book lover. You may also be a member of the Friends. 

I would like to tell you a little about us.  We are group of supporters of the library whose mission is to enhance our library. 

Fifteen years ago, we lobbied for a library.  Yes, before 1993 there wasn’t a real library in Ponte Vedra, just a small room in the annex on route 210.  Jack Morgan and a group of the Friends fought diligently to bring a library to Ponte Vedra.  They felt that to be a great community one needed a first class library.  Therefore, after much effort and fund raising, the library was finally built and opened in 1993. 

During the later remodeling of the library, in an endeavor to make our library a central gathering place, the Friends donated the money for the FOL Community Room. The gazebo overlooking  Bird Island was envisioned and built by the Friends in 2005 to provide a quiet space to read and reflect. However, we are most active behind the scenes: the funds for new computers in the reference room, the children’s desk, as well as the new computer stations in the children’s area were recently purchased by the Friends. 

 Every year we purchase books for all sections of the library.  Relying on the librarians and our own knowledge, we tailor these purchases to the needs of our community.   In the past three years, we have enlarged the selection of DVDs.  This year we are continuing a program started in the past to supply extra copies of high demand books to the Ponte Vedra Library.  This will mean that your wait for bestsellers will be less.  I could fill this page with nothing but a list of books and equipment given yearly by the FOL. 

We are particularly proud of our programming.  We have three on going series: Book Talk Café, Adventures in Art, and the Music Program.  Last year we sponsored 144 children’s programs: story hour, puppeteers, family movie nights, the Florida Library Youth Programs in the summer, and many more. The acquisition of a Baldwin baby grand piano made it possible for us to attract first-rate musicians to play at the library. 

With the support of people like you who join the Friends, we are able to continue in our mission to enhance the library. Thanks to you all. 

Jan Bialka
President of the Board of Directors
Ponte Vedra Branch Library

FROM THE DESK OF AMY RING, BRANCH MANAGER                                                                    

Have you ever wondered how the Library is able to bring such programs as Book Talk Café and the Florida Library Youth Program to our patrons? It is thanks to the enduring support of our Friends of the Library group. Their financial contributions and thousands of volunteer hours per year (6,637 hours in 2007 alone!) make our library branch a relevant and vital community center.  

Thank you for your interest in our library branch and our Friends of the Library group. I hope you will make it a point to regularly visit this web site to find out what’s happening at our library and what the Friends are up to!