Bees and Trees took root (pun intended) after the Friends learned that the Pine County Soil and Water Conservation District (PCSWCD) hosts occasional tree and shrub sales. After crunching some numbers, the board realized that they could procure a significant number of saplings for a reasonable cost and host some kind of community giveaway.

Literary legend C.S. Lewis once quipped: "You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me." If you share that sentiment with the Narnia creator, you may want to look into the latest news from the Minnesota Book Awards.

With a population just shy of 3,500, the west-central Minnesota town of Benson faces a challenge familiar to many rural communities of its type: outside of school-sponsored extracurriculars, local youth have few recreational or social outlets. Benson Public Library has tried to step into that void.

United for Libraries Virtual 2026 is fast approaching. United is the umbrella division of the American Library Association devoted to Friends, foundations and trustees. Mirroring its member base, this online conference spans three days and dedicates one day of programming to each group.

How should a Friends board of directors prioritize its limited time and precious funds? How should a board approach the discussion of sensitive topics? How should board peers hold each other accountable? Propel for Nonprofits covered these and many other important “shoulds” at yesterday’s webinar, Effective Board Decision-Making.

The summer months have a strange way of slipping through our fingers. With the Fourth of July lull just around the corner, don’t forget these July deadlines: Evy Nordley Award - Friday, July 10 // Stand Up for Standout Friends - Friday, July 31

Minnesota Libraries Read Together is back for 2026, and the new name is not the only notable change. This time around, festivities will stretch for multiple days, between September 18-20. This expansion is intended to allow more libraries to coordinate tie-in events that fit their calendar and “at a level that fits their capacity, partnerships, and community needs.”

MALF wants to hear what you’ve been up to, and our annual Evy Nordley Award is the perfect mechanism for you to share! Any Friends-supported project is eligible for consideration, provided that (1) project implementation began after January 1, 2025; and (2) either the Friends or their Minnesota library was the primary beneficiary. Top prize is $1,000.

The Friends of the Library are unique among charities for our stalwart support of libraries. In most other respects, however, we’re a lot like all Minnesota nonprofits – regardless of their mission bent. With that in mind, MALF’s next two member webinars shine the spotlight on “nonprofit fundamentals” important to our organizations’ health. Please join us live for: "Twelve Golden Rules of Nonprofit Finance" and "Empowering Effective Board Decision-Making."

Libraries are uniquely responsive community hubs. Within their public service mission, they have flexibility to adopt or adapt priorities to match real-time needs. In practice, of course, any library’s ability to do good is constrained by resource limitations… That’s where Friends of the Library can swoop in and make a critical difference. And as of today, 16 groups from across the state have applied for a Minnesota Good Neighbor Grant through MALF in order to do exactly this!

Last week brought exciting news to no fewer than fifty Friends of the Library groups across the country. Penguin Random House announced these as awardees in the second cycle of its annual Grants to U.S. Rural and Small Libraries program.

Less than a week remains until the 38th annual Minnesota Book Awards! Hundreds of writers and book-lovers from across Minnesota will converge in St. Paul on Wednesday, May 6 to celebrate the rich literary landscape right here in our own…