The Oberlin College Friends of the Library is making efforts to recruit current students. The 700-member organization supports the College library system in various ways, including fundraisers, sponsoring annual speakers, and purchasing acquisitions. Students interested in their library are encouraged to participate in decision-making. Student Friends would largely be a self-defining group. Among other things, they could decide on various activities and choose speakers to bring to campus.
The two main goals of having students participate in the library’s operation are to get student support and to make students more aware of library resources. The Friends would “both serve students and make them better able to take advantage of library resources,” Director of Libraries Ray English said. “It tries to get students to see that the library is something worthy of being supported.”
Being a Student Friend would have some benefits and incentives. This coming Saturday is the Friends of the Library annual dinner, in which author Nicholson Baker will be the featured speaker. The event will take place in the Root Room in Carnegie. The dinner is at 6:30 p.m. and the lecture at 8 p.m. Student Friends will receive an invitation to the dinner. Anyone interested in joining must contact Sandy Austin by Monday in order to attend.