Catfish Chronicle, Issue 11, Winter 2026

“Bad libraries build collections, good libraries build services, great libraries build communities.”  This is an oft-circulated quote from R. David Lankes who is the Virginia & Charles Bowden Professor of Librarianship at the University of Texas at Austin’s School of Information. You might think that there is no such thing as a bad library (somewhat true) as how can any space that is designated “free library” or “third space” and filled with books and so much more be bad? But I agree with the latter part of the quote that great libraries build communities. And I also believe that the Friends play a vital role in this mission of community-building. At its core, a community is a group of people with shared interests, values, goals or experiences. In this, the Friends promote the needs and values of Falls Library, a neighborhood treasure.

Many times, we “promote the needs and values” through fund-raising efforts such as our popular biannual book sales, on the other side, we bolster by funding library programs and services, for instance support for Summer Quest or Spanish Storytime or funding a special topics speaker. Other times, “promoting the needs and values of the Falls library” is demonstrated through quiet labors of love such as garden members bending or kneeling to plant flowers or pull weeds, watering the indoor plants around the library, pulling ivy off the back of the building, or carrying tables to set up at community events. And still other times, that sense of community is noticeable in the chatter and laughter of a growing number of people who meet for fiber arts, engrossing conversations with library staff at the circulation desk, or even the sadness of children who gather to say good-bye to a Children’s librarian who in their eyes has rock-star status.

In building a community of Friends that support our branch library, I note that the start of our fiscal year is July 1.  If you are a current (or past member), I encourage you to renew; and if you are not a member, I invite you to join. You can join or renew online and pay via PayPal (credit card; you don’t need a PayPal account to do this) or pick up an application at the library and mail in a check. Membership dollars provide books, DVDs and CDs; maintenance of a beautiful, welcoming garden; speakers and refreshments for adult and children’s programs; and building enhancements (e.g. considering new carpeting, painting bookshelves, duct cleaning, etc. this year). The biggest building enhancement projected for this year, of course, is the much-anticipated installation of a new HVAC system made possible by pledged funding of $500,000 from Councilman Curtis Jones, Jr.’s capital project budget. (Thank you Councilman Jones!) While we still have not received confirmation of a projected timeframe for this major project, we did get a tentative heads up that this “might” take place starting in October. In early June, a representative of the city’s Capital Program Office conducted a walk-through with two HVAC estimators.  I will keep you updated as things progress.

If great libraries build communities, the new HVAC system will keep the doors of the library open more frequently in both summer and winter.  This directly builds community by transforming the library into a reliable, year round refuge and community hub that ensures access to essential resources, educational programs. This is our future.

For now, I look forward to seeing you in the library or in the garden over the summer, chatting about what we are reading among many other things that friends talk about.

Warmly,
Jenna

Jenna Musket, President
Friends of Falls of Schuylkill Library