he Friends of the Ottawa Public Library have received the first annual Friends of the Year Award from FOCAL (Friends of Canadian Libraries), the national association of Friends groups. The award is sponsored by Random House and recognizes "outstanding community and volunteer involvement".
"We are very proud of our Friends and are delighted that they have been recognized in this way," remarked Tannis Yankewicz, Chair of the Ottawa Public Library Board. "They have become an integral part of the library and we rely on their commitment and support on so many levels."
The Friends of the Ottawa Public Library recorded a banner year in 1999 when fundraising reached an annual all-time high of $94,000. Most of this money was raised by volunteers selling used books at abookstore and book bar located in the library's downtown branch.
During the year, the Friends helped fund 1,2,3, Read with Me, a millennium project sponsored by Ottawa region public libraries to promote early childhood literacy. They also contributed to the Looking Good, Carlingwood! community campaign to refurbish the OPL's busiest branch.
Since their establishment in 1981, the Friends of the Ottawa Public Library have provided delivery vans for the library's home reader service, audiovisual equipment, thousands of books and other materials, start-up funds for projects, computer equipment for the public and adaptive technology for the visually impaired.
The Ottawa Public Library will receive $250 worth of books from Random House as part of the FOCAL Award.