Satisfied book sale customer.

this update provided by Friends’ administrator Elizabeth Nevers

There was not a book to be seen by 1:15 pm on Saturday, November 10th, the last day of the Friends of the Libraries’ book sale.

An estimated 3,000 buyers purchased around 15,000 used books, CDs, DVDs and maps during the four-day event.  LP records also sold briskly.  New customers, as well regulars, scoured through the well organized tables. In fact, a new sales record was set!

Many thanks to Jim Dast and his able volunteers for picking up, sorting and setting up the donated materials.  Also thanks to Beth Kubly and her crew of friendly volunteers who staffed the sale. The funds from the book sales help to support library grants and special public events.

Shoppers peruse the goods.

Our next sale is scheduled from April 3rd through April 6th.  To donate materials, please email friends@library.wisc.edu or call our office at 608.265-2505.

To learn more about the Friends of the Libraries, visit our website.

Co-winners Ed Van Gemert and Tina Denker emerged victorious and were showered with prizes and bragging rights.

Friday was pie day at the UW-Madison Libraries! Dozens of staff members from libraries all over campus convened upon Memorial Library to sample and vote on their favorite pies baked by their colleagues.

The annual Libraries Thanksgiving Bash is a celebration of the fundraising campaign Partners in Giving, the campus-wide effort that supports a number of non-profit organizations like Gathering Waters Conservancy, Access to Community Services, Inc., and Community Shares of Wisconsin.

Apple ended up being the winner of the day: a classic apple pie baked by Libraries Interim Director Ed Van Gemert and a caramel pecan apple pie baked by Financial Specialist Tina Denker generated twenty nods apiece.

Noted Van Gemert, “We may be approaching the fiscal cliff, but we’ll always have apple pie.”

Indeed. Happy Thanksgiving, from the Libraries!

Join us for Wisconsin’s largest used book sale November 7-10.

With more than 15,000 books to choose from, this is one of the largest used book sales in Wisconsin. The book sale is open to the public and held in Room 116 Memorial Library, 728 State St., Madison.

Sale dates and hours:

• Wednesday, November 7, 5:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m. (Preview Sale: $5 entry)
• Thursday, November 8 and Friday, November 9, 10:30 a.m.–7:00 p.m. (Regular Sale, no entry fee)
• Saturday, November 10, 10:30 a.m.–1 p.m. (Bag Sale: $4-a-Bag) Bring a grocery-sized bag to fill or buy a bag for $1.
• Saturday, November 10, 1:05 and 2 p.m. All remaining books are free.

Book prices are reduced each day of the sale, but the books sell quickly. So shop early and shop often!

Featured in the sale are collections of modern fiction, philosophy, art history, and French studies. Other areas include children’s books, American studies, foreign languages, cooking, physical and biological sciences, computer science, political science, law, education, self-help, reference, business, religion, women’s studies, and much more. There are also maps, DVDs, CDs, and many LPs. Note that this is the last sale at which LP records will be offered.

The sale takes nearly 60 volunteers to manage, and draws students, faculty, and the general public from around the Midwest. Books are donated by University of Wisconsin faculty, staff, and students, as well as many Madison-area residents. The sales help fund special purchases for the libraries’ collections, preservation of materials, a Friends annual lecture series and other special events open to the public, and grants for a visiting scholar program.

The Friends accept donations for upcoming sales on a continual basis and such donations are tax-deductible. For more information about the book sale or donating books, visit the Friends website or call 608-265-2505.

Help us spread the word! Download the flier PDF.

The Friends of the Libraries Book Sale is part of the Wisconsin Book Festival.

Liz Nevers.

Liz Nevers grew up on a dairy farm in northeast Ohio where books and reading were considered as important as the farm work. She then came “way out west to Wisconsin” to go to school. She now calls Wisconsin home and has lived and worked in various communities around the state.

Liz has a BA from Beloit College and a MS from the UW-Madison. She has worked in community and economic development since 1998. One of her areas of focus is nonprofit management. She has served on several nonprofit boards and has worked as administrator for several nonprofits.

Liz is currently the administrator for the UW-Madison Friends of the Libraries. Says Liz, “Libraries and books have always been an important part of my life. I remember how excited I was when my mother would drive us to town to visit that small rural library. And I still feel that delightful sense of discovery whenever I walk into a library.” Liz and her husband Fridtjof reside in Baraboo along with two bossy dachshunds and a mellow yellow cat.

Katrina Dombrowsky.

Katrina Dombrowsky is the new Student Assistant for the Friends of the Libraries. Katrina is a first year Graduate student at UW-Madison’s School of Library and Information Studies. She is from Park Rapids, MN and attended college at the University of Minnesota-Duluth for her Bachelor’s degree in English.

Katrina and her husband are still new to the area as they just recently moved to Madison so she could attend grad school. Katrina is really enjoying living in Madison and looks forward to continuing to explore all that the area has to offer.

Says Katrina, “Being an avid library-goer my whole life, I am very excited to be able to have the opportunity to work for the Friends of the Libraries. It is very satisfying to work for a group that actively promotes library collections and events. Having no prior library work experience as an incoming SLIS student was a little intimidating, so I would have to say that the most exciting thing about my job is probably the fact that I now get to work inside a library! It is an environment in which I feel very comfortable and happy.”

We are so pleased to welcome Liz and Katrina to the Libraries! Learn more about the Friends of the UW-Madison Libraries.

Friends groups serve as the fundraising body for libraries of all sizes and types. Here at UW–Madison, the support from the Friends makes it possible for the Libraries to maintain, expand, and preserve the Libraries’ collections.

The Friends also facilitate special events that enrich the Libraries’ program schedule and showcase unique materials from the Libraries’ holdings. So far, Friends events this fall include a presentation by Building Taliesin author Ron McCrea and, in conjunction with Mills Music Library, a Sound Salon featuring Hawaiian musician Alan Akaka.

Check out the gallery of Friends event photos*:

What’s up next for the Friends? The ever-popular Friends of the Libraries Semiannual Book Sale is just around the corner, November 7 – November 10. The used book sale (Wisconsin’s largest!) pops up twice a year in Memorial Library. Terrific deals on books of all kinds!

Interested in learning more about the Friends of the Libraries, including benefits and opportunities for members? Visit the Friends website for more information.

*Photos courtesy of the Friends of the Libraries.

Study space at Ebling Library.

This month the University of Wisconsin-Madison launched its first multimedia fundraising campaign to encourage annual support for world-class education and research on campus. The campaign’s goal is to encourage more alumni to include UW-Madison in their annual gift plans.

Gifts of every size make a difference. If, for example, every alumnus gave just $100 annually, together, we would contribute nearly $40 million a year to support the university’s mission. Collectively, annual gifts will ensure tomorrow’s students encounter the kinds of life-changing experiences that foster creativity, excellence and leadership.

The campaign runs from September 15 to October 31 to encourage gifts to annual funds across campus. These funds give the chancellor and the deans the ability to support students and retain and recruit faculty who inspire them.

Learn more about the university’s campaign by visiting the main Share the Wonderful website, or find out about the Libraries’ participation in the campaign.

The Parents Program seeks to improve the quality of life and instruction for all UW-Madison students.

As a key support system for learning in all disciplines, the UW-Madison Libraries have benefited greatly from the Parents Fund in recent years. For example, the fund was used to enhance multiple aspects of the undergraduate experience in various campus libraries on campus, such as in College, Memorial, and Steenbock libraries.

• Attractive reading areas were created for three heavily used collections.
• The new Information Commons in Steenbock Library with more study space and a computer lab.
• New chairs were purchased for group-study and quiet-study areas.
• More plug-ins with campus network connections were added for laptop use, and several laptops were purchased for check-out by students.
• The Open Book Cafe opened in College Library in 2003.

Since its inception in 1989, the Parents Fund has received $5.1 million from more than 109,000 parents.

To donate to the UW Foundation Parents Fund, which will again be supporting the UW-Madison Libraries in the coming year, make checks payable to “UW Foundation – Parents Fund” and send them to:

University of Wisconsin Foundation
P.O. Box 8860
Madison, Wis. 53708-8860

For more information, please contact Niki Graham at the UW Foundation, either by phone (608-263-0372) or e-mail Niki Graham.