Author Archives: cfolblogger

History with Chico Friends

Diane Friedman, the president of the Chico Friends of the Library, has been involved with the organization for nearly 10 years. She came to Chico from San Jose in 2001 after retiring from her career as a software engineer at IBM.

Diane needed an outlet for all of her energy during retirement, which is how she got involved at the local library volunteering after a friend recommended it to her.

“So I volunteered and worked as part-time help [for the library],” said Diane, “and from there, the Chico Friends. I started by helping with their website and it kind of built from there.”

Why Libraries?

“I think people have a misconception that libraries are just for books,” said Diane.

The work the CFOL does in supporting the Chico library goes beyond just books, working with the library to expand its programs as well.

The struggle for funding has been an ongoing issue for the library. CFOL’s biggest goal is supporting programs at the library.

Most of the funding for CFOL is generated through its weekly book sales that are put on by a group of incredible volunteers, as well as private donations made by members of the Chico community.

Working with the Chico Friends

Diane views her time with CFOL as an opportunity to make a difference in the community.

“All the time at board meetings the library will have something they want to do for the community,” said Diane. “It’s such a pleasure to say ‘we can do that’ when they ask.”

And CFOL has been able to say yes a lot to the library’s requests.

Recently, the Chico Branch Library proposed a $70,000 remodel of the library, which CFOL was able to approve and help fund through the revenue generated by their weekly book sales.

“It’s nice to walk through the library and go ‘we did that, we did that,’” said Diane.

The Butte County BookBike made a successful appearance at the A Bridge for Books event Sunday, September 27. The event took place at the Honey Run Covered Bridge in Butte County where the Chico community enjoyed live music, literature and dancing. As the live music played and the hula-hoop girls danced away, there was a silent auction with a variety of items up for sale. In addition, attendees had the opportunity to sign up for a Butte County library card and to check out a book from the infamous BookBike.

The Chico and Oroville Friends of the Library donated $500 each toward the creation of the bike and the library was able to receive an additional mini-grant for the BookBike as well. The BookBike has become an innovative way to encourage new members to enjoy the benefits of a library. The bike makes appearances around different Butte County events, giving the community a new and fun way to check out some of their favorite novels.

The event was held at the Honey Run Covered Bridge. Did you know that this is one of the only three tiered covered bridges in the United States? It was built in 1886 and was eventually covered in 1894.

Outreach coordinator, Oliver Allen, stands proudly next to the Butte County BookBike, which the Chico Friends of the Library donated $500 towards.

There was a silent auction set up at the event consisting of numerous authentic items.

The Honey Run Bridge crosses over the Butte Creek where the community can enjoy the fresh running water.

The band, Smokey Groove serenades the event goers with jazz fusion music while they peruse the silent auction and check out books from the BookBike.

Thank you to everyone who came out to support the Chico branch of the Butte County Library and made this a successful and fun event!

The Chico Friends of the Library is an organization that relies on its dedicated volunteers and board members to make an impact in the community. As a valued board member of the CFOL, Marian Milling has devoted 10 years to volunteering at the Chico Library since she retired.

Having worked with libraries during her career, she experienced the negative effects the economy took on other library organizations firsthand and has found the CFOL to be a perfect way of helping the Chico community to keep its library thriving.

Marian’s history in CFOL

Marian moved to Chico with her husband from Chicago, Illinois 14 years ago in search of better weather and the quaint feeling of a college town. They were familiar with the Northern California area because one of their two sons had attended UC Berkeley to study engineering. Chico was exactly what they were looking for in their move to California and Marian has been a member of the CFOL for the last 10 of those years.

Marian plays an important role in the CFOL as the secretary and as a very active board member who attends monthly meetings and plays a part in making important decisions that impact the library. She also works on the CFOL monthly book sales, which are very successful and benefit the library greatly. She even volunteers to shelve books in the library.
The best part about working at the library

Marian’s passion for helping the community brings her joy and satisfaction. Committing three to four hours a week allows her to help put things in order and ensure that operations run smoothly. Even though she does most of her work alone, she did mention that doing a group activity is always great when the people she’s working with are nice.

Marian has dedicated so much of her life to libraries because she likes to think of them as an American tradition. She said, “(Libraries are) a place where you can go and don’t have to be invited.” Libraries are a cornerstone of a community and she enjoys being a part of that.
Favorite Books:

Some of Milling’s favorite books by Ethan Frome include:

• God of Small Things
• Remains of the Day
• The Poisonwood Bible

It has begun!  Now is the time to donate to the Annie B’s fund drive.  You can click on the above Annie B’s logo to donate online.  If you would rather send a check, make it out to

“Annie B’s/Chico Friends of the Butte County Library”.

Mail to:
North Valley Community Foundation
240 Main Street, Suite 260
Chico, CA 95928.

If you have shares of stock to donate, call the North Valley Community Fund finance office at 530.891.1150 ext. 25 for routing information.

We sent a letter to all CFOL members explaining the fund drive and including a donation envelope.  We hope you increase the value of your dontation by taking advantage of this opportunity to have the North Valley Community Fund and the Chico Community Fund match your donation with a contribution of their own.