Friends of the Library – Supporting your library!

Who are the Friends of the Library?

The Friends of the L.E. Phillip Memorial Public Library is a small non-profit organization with two paid part-time employees and a team of over 100 volunteers whose mission is to encourage literacy, expression, and discovery in the Chippewa Valley through support to the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library and the surrounding community.

What do the Friends of the Library do?

Friends of the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library enhance and support the library through fundraising and volunteer efforts. Their contributions enable the library to provide the community with additional equipment, programs and services. The Friends organization provides approximately $15,000 to $20,000 a year to the library.

How can I support the Friends of the Library?

There are several ways to support the Friends of the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library.

Becoming a Member. Membership donations help support programs and services offered at the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library and the Friends two self-funded literacy programs, Give a Kid a Book and Books for Babies. To become a member of the Friends of the Library, visit: https://www.ecpubliclibrary.info/friends/membership/
Volunteer for the Friends of the Library. The Friends are always looking for volunteers to help out with a variety of activities. Our volunteer tab has a full list of volunteer opportunities. https://www.ecpubliclibrary.info/friends/volunteer/
Donate to one of the Friends self-funded literacy programs. The Friends have a strong desire to make sure that children in the Chippewa Valley enjoy reading. We have a two literacy program that do just that, Give a Kid a Book and Books for Babies. There is more information about both of these programs under the programs tab: https://www.ecpubliclibrary.info/friends/programs/
Visit the Friends of the Library Bookstore. The Friends have a bookstore located on level 0 of the library. It is like visiting a Friends Book Sale every day! We have wonderful gently used books for all ages. Prices start at 25¢ for children’s paperback books and $1 for adult paperback books. Our inventory changes daily.
Donate gently used books to our bookstore. The Friends accept donations of gently used books in good condition. For more information about the types of items the Friends will accept for donation visit https://www.ecpubliclibrary.info/friends/programs/book-sales-2/
Help spread the word about the Friends of the Library. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook.
If you like to shop online, visit our Pango site https://pangobooks.com/bookstore/eclibraryfriends or our AbeBooks store front https://www.abebooks.com/eau-claire-friendly-reader-eau-claire/63358701/sf.

Did You Know?

Upcoming Events

Friends of the Library Board Meeting

Third Mondays of each month

The Friends of the Library Executive Board meets at 6 pm in Room 105 of the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library. Committee chairs and members are welcome. Please email friendsofthelibrary@eauclaire.lib.wi.us if you would like a copy of the agenda before the meeting.

The Board does not meet in August or December.

Seasonal Train Event

Saturday, December 5th – Tuesday, December 29th, 2026, Riverview Room

Join volunteers from the Standard Gauge Module Association as they display toy trains from 1906 to 1940. The exhibit is a 448 square foot standard gauge layout decorated for the season, featuring both original and reproduction model trains. Three trains will run each day or night of the exhibit. Trains run Tuesday & Thursday evenings and Saturday afternoons.