Friends of the Agawam Public Library to host annual meeting

Jan. 12, 2021 | Ryan Feyre
rfeyre@thewestfieldnewsgroup.com

AGAWAM – The Friends of the Agawam Public Library has announced that their annual meeting of members will take place Feb. 3 at 11 a.m.

According to the Agawam Public Library website, the meeting will take place in the main reading room at the library. However, due to COVID-19 restrictions, the number of in-person attendees is limited to 10 people. Despite this restriction, the meeting is open to the public by registration and attendance via Zoom.

“We’re a nonprofit, so we’re required to have this meeting,” said Marcia Capuano, the president of the Friends of the Agawam Public Library. “We looked at the past year, and talk about all of the fantastic things we’ve done, and then we look at the future, and say, ‘this is what we think we’re going to be doing.”

During this meeting, the election of board members will take place. Voting at this meeting is limited to members of the Friends, but anyone interested in joining the Friends organization can pay their dues before the meeting, so they can be eligible to vote. Payments can be mailed to Friends Of The Agawam Public Library PO Box 478 Feeding Hills, MA 01030-0478, according to the website. If anyone has any questions involving dues, they can email Nancy Siegel, the library director.    

According to Capuano, there will be a Board of Directors meeting following the completion of the annual meeting. Officers will be elected for the upcoming year during this portion of the meeting. Voting for officers is limited to the members of the Board of Directors.

The Friends of the Agawam Public Library was formed in 2003 as a nonprofit 501 c (3) organization. Their mission is to support the Agawam Public Library by providing funds through purchased items, or by providing activities that may not be within the library’s budget.

“We’re totally volunteers, and we’ve been lucky that membership has been growing over the years,” said Capuano.

The Friends also provide help through fundraising, educational activities, and workshops. Over the years, the organization has been able to obtain a color printer for the library , as well as a wireless microphone system, a slide projector, a portable address system, a lectern, and a bench and bookcase alcove.

“What we have been doing on a regular basis in the last few years is that we’ve been providing English as a Second Language course classes,” said Capuano. The Friends have also contributed museum passes, supplies for the library’s copier, card sleeves, walkie-talkie radios for the library staff, as well as prize money for the Agawam Elementary Schools Summer Reading program.

“The elementary school that has the kids that read the most books, they win a reward,” said Capuano, with regards to the summer reading contest.

On top of all this, the Friends have also hosted book sales, basket raffles, appraisal shows, and juried art and photography shows. COVID-19, however, has had somewhat of an effect on most of these events.

“A lot of what we’ve done because of COVID has gone underground,” said Capuano. “We have been able to do the photography show online, and that, interestingly enough, takes a lot more effort.”

For the photography show, Capuano said that the Friends have received around 100 submissions from photographers. A jury will decide which photos will be included in the show itself. There will be a grand prize for the winner based on five different categories the judges will look at, according to Capuano.

“The stuff that we would normally do, we just can’t,” said Capuano, with regards to the other events they normally run. “We’ve been able to support the library well, but I still want people to know that we exist.”

With so much up in the air regarding COVID, Capuano said that the organization is still not sure if they can even do their spring or summer events, but they will try to discuss what’s to come during the annual meeting.

“If the world goes according to plan, theoretically, we could potentially have some type of a summer basket raffle,” said Capuano. “We would again then support the kids’ reading program…we would do an art show again, as well as one or two other things. If things work out, we can get back on track”

In the meantime, people who want to watch the annual Friends meeting can register on the Agawam Public Library website.

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