News

February 2024 Newsletter During our sales it is great to hear the “Thank yous” and those tell us how nice everything looks, etc. But once in a while someone asks, “What do you do with the money from the sales”. So I thought I would just mention a few of the things in this newsletter. Many of our programs are listed on our membership forms, but most probably just fill out the forms and either send the whole page back or tear off the top and throw it away.

We support the Summer Reading Program. This program encourages young people to read – which is one of our major goals. We support Children’s Yoga, Krafty Things with Katie, and Paw Print Ministries who come with their dogs so that young people can read to the dogs.

Other programs we have supported are The Auschwitz Experience in the Art of Prisoners, the upcoming Black History Month Master Class with Michelle Smith, READiculous and READiculous Jr., Baby Talk, and Books Between Bites, and many others.

This month at the board meeting we agreed to order and sell the t-shirts for the summer reading program. Rick Meyer asked if we were interested in taking this over. We will be ordering 100 shirts. Since our opening of our book room in August we have added puzzles, CDs, DVDs, audio books. We decided we were ready to add one more thing.

If you would like to learn more we are there Monday and Tuesday 10:00 – 2:00, Thursday 3:00 – 6:30, and the 2nd and 4th Saturdays 9:30 – 12:30. If you have questions, be sure to ask. If we don’t know the answer, we’ll get back to you.


FOL President



Books Between Bites – March 6, 2024

mark sorensonPlease join us March 6, 2024 at 12:15 – 1 p.m. in the Decatur Public Library’s Madden Auditorium for our monthly Books Between Bites review.

HISTORICAL HEADLINES: FACT OR FICTION Mark W. Sorensen, Macon County’s Official Historian Illinois historian Mark Sorensen will discuss how he selected material to write about the “Trail of Death” and “Trail of Tears” native American journeys through Illinois in 1838 - 1839 which led him to study and report about the life of an enslaved mixed-race girl in Southern Illinois. He will include a reading of the children’s book about that girl, Priscilla’s Hollyhocks. Mark is starting his 55th year in Decatur. A former teacher and archivist, he is a recipient of the Illinois State Historical Society’s “Lifetime Achievement Award” and the Illinois Humanities Council’s “Studs Terkel Service Award.” He was appointed Official Macon County Historian by the Macon County Board and currently serves as president of the Decatur Public Library Foundation.

Books Between Bites is a free program at the Decatur Public Library, sponsored by Friends of Decatur Library




Weekday and Second Saturday Book Sales! FOL booksales are at the library 3 to 4 days a week! At the new Friends area on the lower level of the library. Every Monday from 10:30am – 2:30pm, Tuesdays from 10:30am – 2:30pm, Thursdays from 3pm – 6:30pm. Second & fourth Saturdays sales will be from 9:30am – 12:30pm.

Come see us in our new home on the lower level of the library!