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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo I volunteered and worked as part-time help [for the library],\u201d said Diane, \u201cand from there, the Chico Friends. I started by helping with their website and it kind of built from there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think people have a misconception that libraries are just for books,\u201d said Diane.<\/p>\n
The work the CFOL does in supporting the Chico library goes beyond just books, working with the library to expand its programs as well.<\/p>\n
The struggle for funding has been an ongoing issue for the library. CFOL\u2019s biggest goal is supporting programs at the library.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Diane views her time with CFOL as an opportunity to make a difference in the community.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll the time at board meetings the library will have something they want to do for the community,\u201d said Diane. \u201cIt\u2019s such a pleasure to say \u2018we can do that\u2019 when they ask.\u201d<\/p>\n
And CFOL has been able to say yes a lot to the library\u2019s requests.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s nice to walk through the library and go \u2018we did that, we did that,\u2019\u201d said Diane.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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 … Continue reading