Friends of Bend Libraries disbands, forms new nonprofit
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The Friends of Bend Libraries is dissolving its 501(c)(3) nonprofit status and transitioning into a new nonprofit, Supporters of Literacy in Deschutes County (SOLID), after nearly 40 years.
The Deschutes County Public Library has asked FOBL and the other Friends of Libraries groups in Sisters, Redmond, La Pine and Sunriver to disband.
Each year, a portion of the funds raised by each of the Friends groups was distributed to the Deschutes Public Library, to help support library services.
SOLID was formed to fund literacy programs throughout Deschutes County, with an emphasis on early childhood literacy. It also plans to fund reading proficiency programs for adults.
A Jan. 9 letter from the Deschutes Public Library District to the Friends of Bend Libraries group stated, “The hard work and dedication of all of our library partners created a stable future for the Deschutes Public Library District, and we are most grateful for your efforts…”
The letter goes on to say, “In discussions with the leadership and members of our Friends groups, it is clear that raising funds through book sales is becoming or has already become untenable.”
Another letter was sent to FOBL dated Jan. 16, this time from the director of Deschutes Public Libraries, Todd Dunkelberg, who said, “As you begin the process of dissolving your assets, please make it known that with your donations of $100,000 and $15,000 to the Deschutes Public Library Foundation, the Deschutes Public Library considers that you have met the requirements for dissolution.”
NewsChannel 21 spoke with Dunkelberg on Tuesday to learn what went into the decision to disband the Friends groups and stop receiving funds from their book sales.
“For us, it was about .06 percent of our entire budget, so it wasn’t a huge piece of our budget,” Dunkelberg said. “It was a very important piece, and it was greatly appreciated by us. It had to do with our lack of space, where we actually needed space in the libraries.”
Toby Bayard, the secretary of the SOLID Foundation and a longtime member of FOBL, said the organization is in need of more book donations and, more importantly, a new space to host their book sales.
“The library was unable because of their RFID (radio frequency ID) project to store books for us so we were kind of on our own,” Bayard said Tuesday. “So we felt it was really important to fund literacy, and then we started to talk to different people, and we realized it wasn’t just reading. It’s comprehension, it’s going out and getting different sources of information, and then, of course, literacy.”
SOLID’s next book sale will take place Sunday, April 26 from 1-4 p.m. in the modular building at Ponderosa Elementary School. Bayard said the organization seeks recommendations for new spaces to host its book sales.
