Activities of the Friends

Book Sales The Friends hold three book sales a year, in February, May and October. For specific dates, check the Friends Activities Calendar. These sales usually run from Thursday evening through Saturday afternoon. Book sales are held on the 4th floor of Alden Library. Most books sell for $1 each during the main part of the sale. The Thursday evening pre-sale is open to the public; book prices are doubled then. After 1 p.m. on Saturday books sell for $3 per plastic bag.

Readathon The Friends began an annual Readathon event in 1998 to focus on the central place reading has in the academic community and the place and role the Libraries have for readers. Readers representing the broad campus community--faculty, administration, student body, and community members--read from favorite literary works for a maximum period of 15 minutes throughout the day, from morning to late afternoon. Along with its focus on reading, the Friends also use the event to raise funds for the Friends Scholarship Fund, an endowment that provides scholarship aid for library student assistants.

Public Lectures The Friends sponsor 1-2 public talks, lectures, panels, etc. per quarter-term during the academic year. The talks generally feature faculty members or visitors to campus who make presentations of interest to the campus and the community. They are usually publicized through fliers placed in instructional buildings on campus, brief news articles in the local media, and notices posted to the Friends Activities Calendar.

Friends Scholarships for Library Student Assistants The Friends completed establishing an endowment fund for library student assistants in 1999, to recognize the important role student assistants have in the Libraries' operations. The first scholarships were awarded in Spring 2000 for the 2000-01 academic year. The Friends group plans to increase the endowment's principal in order to provide a greater number of scholarships for its student workers.

Since 1990 the Friends have held a reception to honor publicly and collectively Ohio University Authors, Editors & Performers of the previous year. The event is held annually. Faculty and staff with book publications, journal articles, book chapters, and significant performances or exhibitions receive recognition for their scholarly and creative endeavors.

The Friends and the Libraries publish the newsletter, Gatherings, to provide friends with news about developments in the Libraries and with commentary about the changing world of librarianship. Past issues of Gatherings can be viewed online here.

From January 2004 through December 2005, the Friends sponsored a monthly guest column in the local newspaper, the Athens Messenger. From My Armchair writers addressed a variety of topics related to the libraries, books and reading.

The entire archived From My Armchair collection can be found on the Friends' website by clicking here.