Friends of the Library

Who are the Friends of the Ottawa Library?

The Friends of the Ottawa Library support the Ottawa Library and local reading initiatives by providing funding for materials, programs and special projects through their weekly used book sales at their store and through memberships.

Book Sales

Every Monday

1:00 PM - 2:30 PM

1st & 3rd Saturday
9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

The Friends of the Ottawa Library hosts volunteer driven books sales Hours may vary due to public holidays, inclement weather, and volunteer staffing. The books are generally donations or retired library copies. It is a great way to help a starting teacher build a classroom book collection, encourage reading through inexpensive gifts of books, and support library programs.

Children's Books $0.25 each

Paperback Books $0.50 each

Hardback Books $1.00 each

Contact

Friends of the Ottawa Library
209 E 2nd St

Ottawa, KS 66067

Library Contact

Lisa Slavin

Lisa.Slavin@OttawaLibrary.org

Donations

Properly serving our community relies on the support of our community. Fortunately, the Friends of the Ottawa Library receives both material and monetary donations from members, the general public, the Ottawa Library, local businesses and more. These donations help provide library events and community opportunities.

Tax deductible
Rejoice. The Friends of the Ottawa Library’s 501(c)(3) status means that all donations to the Friends of the Ottawa Library are tax deductible. If you need a letter acknowledging your donation, please request it at the time of the donation and one will be sent to you. We cannot place a value on your items.

How to donate
Donations can be taken to the Friends of the Ottawa Library book store during operating hours. Outside the hours of the FOL book sales, items can be dropped off at the Ottawa Library Reference Desk.

Acceptable Donations

We are happy to accept any of the following items in good condition:

Books, DVDs, Blu-Rays, Music CDs Records, Puzzles, Board Games, and Video Games.

Unacceptable Donations

Unfortunately, we are unable to accept the following items:

Items that are unhealthy to handle, newspapers, damaged items, encyclopedias, yearbooks, VHS tapes, cassette tapes, homemade media (DVDs, CDs, videos, or tapes), Reader's Digest books, and magazines.

Membership

Being a member of the Friends of the Ottawa Library organization is like giving a gift that keeps on giving.

Membership dues are used for many things – from buying books and other materials for the Library, to providing training for staff and volunteers, to assisting with childhood literacy initiatives and advocating for strong libraries everywhere. Details about Business Memberships can be found on the Business Members Page. Here are a few of the opportunities that membership dues assist with:

Summer Reading Programs for all ages
Support the Franklin County Children's Literature Festival, Donate books to several local groups such as LifeCare Center for Women, Sunflower Plaza, and Hope House.
Fund the Pegg Carr Large Print Memorial Fund
Fund the O-Town Reads community events
Ottawa Library Endowment Fund
Ottawa Library New Building Fund

2020 Business Members

By becoming a member of the Friends of Ottawa Library, your business will be promoted as a supporter of the many programs and events offered at the library. We will devote a page to our Business Members on our website that lists the business with a description of their services. Business Members will appear on signs at FOL events, on our Facebook page and newsletter, and on the TV screen located by the Circulation Department desk. You will receive our “Among Friends Newsletter,” get invitations to special events, and be able to serve in unique volunteer opportunities if you wish. Look for a newsletter to arrive at your business that has a donation envelope inside. If you don’t receive an envelope, you may become a member by either sending a check for $30 to 105 S Hickory St., Ottawa, KS, 66067, or by coming to the library. We will contact you for a description of your business to start promoting you