About The Friends of the TCPL
The Friends of the Tompkins County Public Library, founded in 1946, is a not-for-profit membership organization for people interested in books and libraries.
Our purpose is to stimulate public interest in the library, purchase library materials, and support other cultural and educational programs in Tompkins County.
We are able to accomplish many of our goals by the distribution of funds raised during our twice-yearly book sales. Be sure to visit our Book Sale site. If you're interested in our organization, check out our Board of Directors and our bylaws.
Our Mission
The mission of the Friends of the Tompkins County Public Library is to support high-quality library resources for everyone in Tompkins County by...
Promoting
Promoting reading by placing more books in more hands
Raising
Raising funds through book sales and other activities
Awarding
Awarding grants to libraries and community organizations
Advocating
Advocating for library funding in Ithaca and beyond
Encouraging
Encouraging Volunteerism in its many forms
Our Vision
Our members, volunteers, and customers will reflect the broad diversity of Tompkins County.
We will sustain and strengthen our financial support for TCPL, FLLS, and local libraries in Tompkins County.
We will conduct a wider range of activities in addition to the book sales, in collaboration rather than competition with other community organizations.
We will strengthen our support both for community organizations which promote literacy and for education of professional librarians.
We will expand our recycling and green efforts, including reducing our carbon footprint, across all endeavors.
We will increase our active partnerships with other organizations such as area friends of the library groups, schools, and arts groups; we will conduct joint activities with TCPL, FLLS, and the TCPL Foundation.