Annual Membership Levels
| Basic | $25-49 | Join or Renew Now |
| Contributor | $50-99 | Join or Renew Now |
| Advocate | $100-249 | Join or Renew Now |
| Sponsor | $250-499 | Join or Renew Now |
| Patron | $500-999 | Join or Renew Now |
| Benefactor | $1,000 and above | Join or Renew Now |
June is Membership Month!!
Won’t you please join us?
We promise not to cut in on your radio show. We won’t interrupt your favorite television show. In fact, we’re not really sure what a "Doo-Wop" is, or why you would want the box set!! We’ll just let you know every June that it’s time to renew your membership with The Friends.
For the last several years we have sent membership renewal reminders on a monthly basis, depending on when you joined. We have discovered that it is confusing to our members and very time consuming for our staff. Accordingly… JUNE IS NOW MEMBERSHIP MONTH! All of our members will renew in June. Your membership card will be good from one June to the next. Easy enough!
We anticipate some confusion during 2012. We don’t want anyone to feel cheated out of some of their months of membership benefits. So your card continues to be good throughout 2012 – no matter the date listed. By June 2013, all of our cards will carry the same dates.
Why renew at all? The Friends continue to do amazing things for our Library and the community of Saint Paul. For the last 18 months we have hosted more than 100 cultural programs and readings. W e provide over a $1 million in financial support to the library every year, and we have held some of the most popular literary events in Saint Paul and the state of Minnesota. We introduced Book It: Loud at the Library! and the Minnesota Crossword Tournament. We're now planning a year's worth of great events to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Minnesota Book Awards in 2013.
The need for a strong library is greater than ever. Attendance and use has jumped as demand for the services and resources offered by the library increases. The Friends’ mission is to expand the Saint Paul Public Library’s capacity to serve, but we can’t do it without your continued support.
Membership in The Friends brings many rewards, including the knowledge that your gift makes a real difference to our public library.
What Do The Friends Do?
- We advocate for strong public funding of the Library
- We provide private funding for special Library programs, enriching and enhancing Library services
- We work to increase the use of the Library through public awareness and cultural programming
Through this work, The Friends serves as a national model for its unique, comprehensive support of the Saint Paul Public Library.
Why Become a Friend?
- The Saint Paul Public Library stands at the forefront of our nation’s public libraries. Thanks to strong community support, our Library has beautiful new buildings, enhanced collections, advanced technology, and an expert staff engaged in vigorous public outreach and service.
- The Saint Paul Public Library had 2,916,759 visitors last year, checking out 3,442,777 items. Your annual membership and involvement help to sustain this record of excellence.
- As a member of The Friends, your voice will be heard on Library issues – and together our voices become louder as our membership grows.
Member Benefits:
Basic level ($25 - $49)
- Friendly Connections, our member newsletter, keeping you updated on Friends’ activities, Library programs, and other happenings.
- Events and Classes - the Library’s bi-monthly program calendar - mailed directly to your home.
- Special discounts at local, independent bookstores, at Park
Square Theatre shows and Rose Ensemble concerts, as well as other
one-time special discounted offers. Currently, the following
discounts and special offers are offered to Friends members:
- Minnesota Book Awards – $5 discount per ticket to the annual Awards Gala.
- Micawbers Books – 20% off coupon for a one-time purchase, sent with membership card. (Visit www.micawbers.com or call 651-646-5506)
- Common Good Books – 10% off coupon for a one-time purchase, sent with membership card. (Visit www.commongoodbooks.com or call 651-225-8989)
- Park Square Theatre - $5 off ticket purchase or ½ price preview tickets. Mention that you are a Friends member when ordering. Additional discount offers with participation in theater discussion programs at the Library. Special offer not available with website purchases. (Visit www.parksquaretheatre.org or call 651-291-7005)
- The Red Balloon Bookshop – 15% off coupon for a one-time purchase, sent with membership card beginning August 15. (Visit www.redballoonbookshop.com or call 651-224-8320)
- Rain Taxi Review of Books – 10% off a one-year subscription to the Twin Cities’ award-winning quarterly literary review. To subscribe, send a check or money order for $13.50 to Rain Taxi, P.O. Box 3840, Minneapolis, MN 55403 and mention you are a Friends member. (Visit www.raintaxi.com)
- The Rose Ensemble – Free ticket upgrade with purchase. Mention that you are a Friends member when ordering. Special offer not available with website purchases. (Visit www.roseensemble.org or call 651-225-4340)
- The University of Minnesota Bookstore at Coffman Memorial Union – 20% off coupon for your entire purchase of U of M campus fashions, novelties and general books, sent with membership card. (Visit www.bookstore.umn.edu or call 612-625-6000)
- Advance notice of Friends and Library events.
- The sense of fulfillment that comes with supporting an important and vital community institution.
Contributor level ($50 - $99)
- all of the above benefits, plus:
- $10 gift card at The Bibelot Shops
- listing in our annual report (optional)
Advocate level ($100 - $499)
- all of the Basic and Contributor level benefits, plus:
- one free gift item (see list below)
Patron level ($500 - $999)
- all of the Basic, Contributor and Advocate level benefits, plus:
- an invitation to our annual Donor Society author luncheon.
Benefactor level ($1,000 and above)
- all membership level benefits, plus:
- an exclusive, private event with the Library Director and The Friends’ Board Chair
Membership Premium Gift Items
At the Advocate membership level and above, choose from the following Friends-branded gift items, while supplies last. Visit our Gift Items page for additional details about these and all our premium offerings. (Gifts will reduce the tax-deductibility of your donation)
- Rainy days are best for reading, but when you have to go out, take your auto-open, compact umbrella with you! (value: $13)
- Black pocket jotter made of scuba material with integrated business card pockets, includes 3" x 4" writing pad and twist-retractable pen. (value: $7)
- Go green with our reusable and tear-resistant high-tech tote! Roomy: 14” x 16” x 8” and folds to compact size, with snap closure. (value: $5)
- Super-bright, compact LED book light with rotating head and base for easy use, or clip it on your book as you read. (value: $5)
- Friends Rock! So says our 100% cotton T-shirt, in rebus format. Has small Friends logo on back in "locker patch" position. (value: $15)
A Great Gift for Booklovers and Lifelong Learners - A Friends Membership
Purchase or Renew Gift Membership Now
Searching for the perfect gift for the bibliophile who has everything? Give them a Friends membership! They’ll value your appreciation of their interests, and you will be supporting your library at the same time. You can give a Friends gift membership at any level. The recipient of your gift will receive all of the benefits of Friends membership, plus a card notifying them of your gift.
Special Offer: Purchase a Gift Membership at $50 or above and the recipient of your gift will receive all the benefits of membership, plus a card notifying them of your gift, and a bonus gift: a 2013 Saint Paul Almanac!
The 2013 Saint Paul Almanac—an indispensable guide
book to Minnesota’s capital city and Saint Paul’s unique
and eclectic community storytelling hub of record!
The unparalleled city guide offers up-to-date listings for
art galleries, bookstores, museums, libraries, historical sites,
parks and nature preserves, bars and restaurants, coffee houses and
tea shops, deli grocers and food co-ops, and music, dance, theater
and performing arts venues. The Calendar—which includes a handy
datebook where you can write your appointments and
notes—includes listings for Saint Paul’s festivals,
parades, exhibitions, and events.
Stories, articles, poems, and more—all about Saint Paul! In full color with gorgeous, updated, hand-drawn, poster-sized, pull-out maps of the city of Saint Paul and Downtown, and—another first—artwork by Ta-coumba Aiken! Cover art by Andy Singer. Every story has a unique individual voice which, when combined with other stories in the Saint Paul Almanac, becomes a chorus encompassing all the energy of Saint Paul today. Includes work by new, emerging writers alongside work by Saint Paul literary greats such as Garrison Keillor and Patricia Hampl.
The 2013 Almanac includes stories about jailbird ancestors and ice palaces, first kisses and school bullies, flood-threatened weddings and matchmaking worms, buses and bicycles, steamboats and cars, brave kids and wise elders, new immigration experiences and generations of Saint Paul memories, Rondo recollections and Hmong dreams, Irish ghosts and 1920s brewery workers, Bob Dylan’s piano skills and one roadkilled iguana—the latter two apparently having more in common than you might suspect!
416 pages, 5 3/16 x 8 inches, full-color book with 132 pieces by 114 writers, 167 photos and illustrations, a full-color, two-sided 18 3/4 x 15-inch color map (revised), 4-page color pullout of Lowertown Reading Jams drawn by Ta-coumba Aiken. ISBN: 978-0-9772651-9-0. Read more about the 2013 Almanac.
The Saint Paul Almanac is a literary campfire around which the diverse Saint Paul community gathers to share its stories. An experiment in democratic publishing, the Almanac brought together a multigenerational team of 21 volunteer community editors to blind-select from submissions by 114 writers the 132 stories, poems, and recipes chosen to appear in this latest edition.
The 2013 Saint Paul Almanac is a reliable companion for the endless exploration of new delights in our beautiful city, and a wonderful gift—packed full of thoughtfulness that will keep on counting all through the year!
The gift membership level will be determined by the amount you enter on the payment screen. Please give the recipient's information under the shipping address so we may send them the membership packet and FREE GIFT.
Sustaining Friends
Becoming a Sustaining Member is a way to put more of your dollars into supporting the Library you love. As a Sustaining Member, you will help to save postage, paper and administrative costs and invest more into the library resources you value.
It's convenient. Your contribution is deducted automatically from the account of your choice (until you tell us to stop) which means no reminders from us. So, we spend less of your contribution on postage and paper. Plus, all the benefits that come with being a member remain yours to enjoy.
It's powerful. By eliminating administrative expenses, more of your contribution goes into library materials and programs.
It's enduring. Spreading your support over time is easier on your budget. Plus it gives The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library the security of a steady, reliable stream of support. You'll feel good knowing that you’re continuing to support the library’s vital service to our community.
Become a Sustaining Member
- Choose the amount that you want to contribute every month.
- Decide which credit card you want to use.
- Call the Friends office at 651-222-3242 to have our staff set up your sustaining membership.
It’s that easy. If your life changes, you can choose to increase, decrease or suspend your monthly gift. All you have to do is call us at 651-222-3242 or send us an email.
Sustaining Member Benefits
- Guaranteed uninterrupted Member status
- The satisfaction of providing continuous support for the Saint Paul Public Library
- Saving the environment by helping us cut back on using paper
- The opportunity to select a special, members-only thank-you gift
Your contribution will appear on your credit card statement as "Network For Good" but we will send you an official receipt for income tax purposes, as well.
For More Information
Please contact us at friends@thefriends.org or call 651-222-3242 if you'd like more details about Friends membership.
