Friends of the Great Falls Library, a membership organization that meets once a month to generate ideas for ways to support the library, conducted its biannual book sale Oct. 23-24 to benefit the library. All of the books were donated from community members and all of the profits will go toward improvements to the Great Falls Library and fund events for the public.

Friends of the Great Falls Library provides items and services to the library that the county government does not. Throughout the year, the organization sponsors book discussion groups, ice cream socials, puppet shows, arts and crafts bazaars, a rotating art exhibit featuring local artists, a children’s summer reading program and other events for the Great Falls community. Among other contributions, Friends provided comfortable sofas and chairs to the children’s reading section of the library and paid for the framing of a large collage created by Ronnie Jolles, a local artist.

Kurt Cylke, a member of the Board of Directors of the organization, devoted his Saturday to working at the used book sale. “The main point is to have people enjoy the book sale and to help the children,” he said. Cylke works full time as the director of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped at the Library of Congress and has been working in libraries since 1946 when he started his first job at Yale Library. He stops by the library every evening after work to organize and refresh the used-book shelf.

Half of the money from the ongoing book sale goes directly to the Great Falls Library and the other half goes to other libraries in the county.

The Great Falls Library provides a welcoming and educational environment for residents and the Friends organization works to enhance the experience of visitors to the library. To learn more about the organization or become a member at any level from “Good Friend” to “Lifetime Friend,” visit the Friends’ Web site at http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/LIBRARY/friends/gf/gffriends.htm.