Friends of the Library

09/06/2026

We’re pretty excited about this one!

The Friends of the Library are getting ready to once again become a local sponsor for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library for our community, and we are SO ready to get to work!

Thank you to Connor and Saint James Press for taking the time to talk with us about the program, why it matters, and what FOL is working toward.

We have lots of details to figure out and plenty of work ahead of us - but getting more books into the homes of local children? That’s work we’re very happy to do. 📚

Thank you for helping us spread the word!

The Friends of the James Memorial Library (FOL) announced that they will once again become a local nonprofit sponsor of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. The Imagination Library is a …

09/01/2026

WE ARE SO READY TO FUND THE IMAGINATION LIBRARY AND SUPPORT LITERACY IN OUR COMMUNITY! 📚💜

We are incredibly excited for the Friends of the Library to take on sponsoring Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library for children in our community.

Thank you to Connor Todd with the Saint James Press for taking the time to talk with us last week about FOL, the Imagination Library, and what bringing this program back means for our community.

And now you can read all about it! 📰

https://www.threeriverspublishing.com/stories/friends-of-the-james-memorial-library-sponsor-dolly-partons-imagination-library,292196

We have a lot of work ahead of us, but this is the kind of work we are VERY excited to do.

08/31/2026

The St. James Grape and Fall Festival Parade is almost here!

Friends of the Library members can’t wait to see everyone at the parade, and we are so excited to announce that, for the third year in a row, we’ll be handing out books to children along the parade route!

This year, making that happen took a little more help. We found out earlier this summer that the price of books had increased dramatically, which meant we had to ask our community for more support than ever before -- and our community showed up. 💜

A HUGE thank you to Phelps Health, Phelps County Bank, Johnnie's Bar, and Friends of the Library donors! Because of their generosity, we were able to purchase 350 brand-new books to hand out at the parade.

FOL believes literacy is for everyone — and that every book we can help put into a home matters. Helping children grow up surrounded by books helps create readers, and we hope, a whole new generation of library lovers. 📚💜

That’s why there will be something extra tucked inside each of those 350 books this year: information about our plans to once again support Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library for children in our area.

And we want to reach as many children as we possibly can!

Friends of the Library will be accepting donations specifically toward our Imagination Library sponsorship. Every donation, no matter the size, helps us extend the program’s reach and put more books into the homes of local children -- not just at the parade, but month after month.

And what book did we choose for this year’s parade?

You’ll have to come see us on September 12 to find out. 🍇

Thank you to everyone helping us put more books into more homes and build a stronger community of readers and library lovers!

08/28/2026

Now that we’ve shared the news a little earlier than planned…

Make sure you find our FOL Vice President at the 25th Annual Community Tailgate Night! She is handing out information about Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and FOL’s return as a local program sponsor.

Come say hi, learn about the program, and help us spread the word!

Go Tigers!

08/26/2026

The Friends of the Library are so sad to hear of the passing of Dolly Parton.

Dolly was many things to many people, but to us, one of the most meaningful parts of her legacy will always be her extraordinary belief in the power of books. Through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, she helped put millions of books into the hands and homes of children and helped make early literacy something communities everywhere could rally around.

That mission has a special history with our Friends group.

Before Missouri began funding the Imagination Library statewide, Friends of the James Memorial Public Library served as a local nonprofit sponsor of the program in our area. With that statewide funding scheduled to end in 2027, FOL recently made the decision to once again help support the Imagination Library locally.

We were actually planning to keep that news a secret for just a little longer.

Our plan was to announce it as part of our Grape and Fall Festival Parade participation. We have already printed signs, materials, and other parade pieces that very boldly, and happily, celebrate Dolly and the Imagination Library.

And now, that excitement feels a little bittersweet.

We want our community to know that all of our parade materials mentioning Dolly were designed and printed before we learned of her passing. We don't believe there is anything disrespectful about them; they were created out of genuine excitement and admiration for a program we deeply believe in. But we also recognize that, had we known, we might have designed some of those pieces a little differently.

So when you see us at the parade, please know what you are seeing was created in celebration and will now also be carried in remembrance.

We owe Dolly Parton an enormous debt of gratitude for the work she did to share the love of reading and to make sure children could grow up surrounded by books. It is a mission that FOL believes in deeply, just as Lucy believed in the importance of books, literacy, and access to knowledge in our own community.

We do not want to turn Dolly's passing into a fundraiser. But her family has asked that, in lieu of flowers, those wishing to honor her memory consider supporting the Imagination Library. If that feels meaningful to you, you can donate directly to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library here: https://donate.imaginationlibrary.com/

And for those who would prefer to support the program here at home, you can support Friends of the James Memorial Public Library's local nonprofit sponsorship of the Imagination Library here: https://cfozarks.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund?funit_id=5984

Mostly, today, we just want to say:

Thank you, Dolly.

Thank you for the books.
Thank you for believing that every child deserves them.

We'll be very proud to carry a little piece of that legacy forward.

“If I’m remembered 100 years from now, I hope it will be not for looks, but for books.” - Dolly Parton

07/26/2026

Last month, the Friends of the Library donated $1,000 to James Memorial Public Library to support this year's Summer Reading Program, bringing our total contribution this summer to $3,000.

This gift was designated specifically to help fund Summer Reading Program presenters, performers, and speakers. We hope local children and families had the opportunity to attend SRP programs that inspired a love of reading, learning, and curiosity.

Thank you to everyone who helps make donations like this possible. Your support allows us to continue investing in literacy programs and opportunities that benefit our community.

Interested in learning more or getting involved?

Join us for our next Friends of the Library meeting on Thursday, July 30, at James Memorial Public Library. We'd love to see you there!

05/19/2026

𝑭𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑱𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝑴𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝑷𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒄 𝑳𝒊𝒃𝒓𝒂𝒓𝒚 𝒊𝒔 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒅𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒆 $𝟐,𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑱𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝑴𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝑷𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒄 𝑳𝒊𝒃𝒓𝒂𝒓𝒚 𝒊𝒏 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓’𝒔 𝑺𝒖𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒓 𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑷𝒓𝒐𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒎.

Friends of the Library strongly believes in the importance of literacy programs, like the Summer Reading Program, and the positive impact they have on children, families, and the community. Programs like SRP help children maintain reading skills over the summer, encourage creativity and learning, and provide fun, safe community activities for local families.

We love libraries and believe they are an important part of strong, connected communities. We are happy to continue supporting James Memorial Public Library, literacy, and educational opportunities in our community, and we hope this donation helps make this year’s Summer Reading Program a success.

05/12/2026

Thank you! Thank you!

05/12/2026

We want to thank everyone who helped with this year’s Spring Book Sale -- from moving countless boxes, organizing books, setting up tables, working shifts, donating materials, shopping the sale, and everything in between. Putting together a book sale is a tremendous amount of work, and this event only happens because of volunteers and community support.

Thank you.

05/07/2026

Thank you to FOL member, Maretta, for talking with Mayor Rick this morning about our Spring Book Sale!