Friends of the Tempe Public Library

Oct 24 - Lupe Camargo, President of the Friends of the Tempe Public Library, gave a most informative presentation. She explained that the Friends of the Tempe Public Library is a member-supported nonprofit organization that provides funding for Library programs and services beyond what is allocated in the City's budget.  Their overall goal is to support life long learning.
The Friends do a number of activities such as: nurture early childhood literacy with the Summer Reading Program; promote lifelong learning with Tempe Connections adult programming; and provide library resources for children and adults at Tempe community centers.  Their work helps grow the book collections and ensures free access to superior resources and programs for all ages. 
Interestingly, Lupe told us that the Tempe Library has the largest youth library in the nation. The Friends also support the Tempe Connections program which has the Connections Cafe as one of its components. The bookstore, she explained, is so successful that they are also branching out into online booksale services to reach a global audience. It is clear that the Friends are a significant asset to the Tempe Library and are helping the library stay current and move creatively into the future.