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Joining the Friends of the Crestline Library
The Friends of the Crestline Library is a volunteer committee covering the extras a library budget never quite stretches to: children's books, program materials and reading prizes. Members pay a modest annual fee, vote at meetings and pitch in at fundraising events.
Sound familiar? Australian public libraries run on the same partnership. Paid staff handle lending while a crew of retirees, uni students and stay-at-home parents run the sausage sizzle at the local Bunnings, the raffle and the op shop in the church hall.
Joining is a small, well-defined job rather than a vague promise of support. You pick a level, complete a short form, choose how you would like to pay, and pick up a card that unlocks a few practical perks.
Here is what membership funds, which level suits your household, and the simplest way to arrange a monthly gift from an Australian account. Current meeting times and contact details sit on the Friends of the Library website.
What the Friends of the Crestline Library actually do
The committee supports the Crestline Library, a free public library run by a small staff. It raises money, buys the books the collection budget misses, and funds the children's and teen programs that turn a visit into a habit. A set share of every membership fee goes to the young readers' corner.
Members give money and members give time. Cash covers new arrivals, audiobook licences, reading prizes and craft supplies; time covers the annual Memorial Day Book Sale, where volunteers price, sort and sell thousands of donated titles, plus shelving days. Like many Australian Friends groups, the committee meets in the library meeting room on the first Tuesday of the month with a thermos of tea and homemade cake.
Choosing a membership level that suits your household
Levels differ by how much you give and how many library cards hang off one membership. Higher tiers steer more money toward a particular shelf or service.
| Level | Fee | Where it goes | What you receive |
|---|---|---|---|
| Friend | $15 a year | Picture books, early readers | Card, sale preview |
| Family | $35 a year | Teen novels, graphic novels | Up to four cards |
| Student or senior | $8 a year | Large print, audiobooks | Same as Friend |
| Monthly donor | From $5 a month | Program supplies, event costs | Donor updates, supporter list |
| Patron | $250 a year | A named shelf for young readers | Certificate, morning tea invite |
| Volunteer | Free | Wherever help is needed | Sale shifts, a meeting vote |
Fees are quoted in US dollars, so Australian members should watch the exchange rate their bank adds. Most households start with the family level, and the monthly tier is the easiest to change because it can be paused or cancelled without paperwork.
Setting up a monthly gift the Australian way
Monthly giving is the committee's steadiest income, and Australians are comfortable with it. A direct debit set up in your banking app takes a couple of taps, and naming it "Crestline library" makes it easy to spot on the statement. Ten dollars a month roughly funds a new picture book a year, about the price of a flat white a week.
Watch the small print: some Australian institutions charge a monthly account fee on low-value debits, which can eat a five-dollar gift alive. Bundling it with other recurring payments works out cheaper. Travelling? Pause the gift and restart it when you land.
If you prefer a set amount each month, the committee's guide to become a monthly donor covers the form, the welcome pack and pausing your gift between trips.
Where your membership shows up on the shelves
Follow the money and it ends up in the children's room: picture books on the top shelf, graphic novels for the teens, a renewed audiobook licence and craft supplies for the December program. Members also vote on the annual buying list, so a request for translated titles can start as a chat and end as a purchase order.
The clearest example is the summer reading program, where children log their reading, collect patches and finish with a party in the meeting room. Sign-ups run through the library's summer reading program page, and Friends members fund the prizes and the reading buddies who sit with younger children. Northern-hemisphere summer falls between June and August, so down here the program lands in winter — a warm drink and a reading challenge on the long weekend.
The principle is well tested. Organisations such as the literacy charity Booker have spent decades showing that a child supported by an adult reader stays in reading, the aim behind the collection and the volunteer reading roster.
Volunteering at the book sale and beyond
The Memorial Day Book Sale is the biggest fundraiser of the year. Volunteers arrive before opening to price donations, then take turns on the trundle tables, the card reader and the cash tin while families hunt for a bargain the way they do at a Sunday arvo market. Volunteers get a preview of the stock, a lunch voucher and the satisfaction of a job finished.
You do not have to do it alone. Networks like the regional volunteer network link libraries, historical societies and community centres across the north-west, sharing volunteer newsletters, insurance advice and grant deadlines. The roster is flexible: one Saturday morning, a fortnight sorting in the back room, or half a day on the kids' craft table.
Small steps that turn into a library habit
A membership only helps if you use it, and a few simple habits keep the link between you and the library active rather than lapsing at renewal time.
Habits that keep your membership worthwhile
- Choose a level you can sustain for a year, then upgrade rather than cancel.
- Label the direct debit clearly so you can track it.
- Put the renewal date in your calendar with a reminder a fortnight ahead.
- Volunteer one shift a season; crews fall apart when nobody turns up.
- Read the newsletter, because budget and grant decisions happen in meetings.
- Mention the library at the school pick-up line or the footy club, where one chat can recruit two members.
Joining takes about ten minutes: pick a level, complete the form at the library desk or online, and collect your card at the next meeting. Bring a mate along, because the family level covers more than one card. Choose your level, and let the next new arrival on the shelf be yours.