By Marcia Howe, Treasurer, Friends of Trone Memorial Library in East Berlin
There are many ways to get lost in the world these days. One of the best ways, though, is in a good book. Libraries offer thousands of ways to lose yourself in stories that go well beyond their walls. You can be transported to a different time, a different place, a different culture – all while curled up in your favorite comfy chair.
The Jean Barnett Trone Memorial Library of East Berlin is one of Adams County’s six libraries and is right in the heart of downtown East Berlin. And, there is a group of book loving fans that cherish this fabulous place – a group called the Friends of Trone Memorial Library.
If you are not familiar with Friends groups, they are library support groups that raise funds and awareness of the libraries in their community. The people that join and run them can best be described as supportive, helpful, generous, enthusiastic, altruistic, good hearted, —well, you get the point. The Friends of Trone Memorial group is a fairly new group that just started in early 2021. After their first partial year in operation, they were able to donate $7,000 in funds they raised directly to the Jean Barnett Trone Memorial Library. The Friends have many generous members in the community and continue to grow. Through outreach to local businesses that support the cause and want to keep the library up and running in their community, and through talking to members that join, they’ve found how much the library means to so many people.
One of the hallmarks of the Friends of Trone group is the used bookstore on the lower level of the East Berlin library. It is run entirely by volunteers, who have busy lives, but find the time to help out when they can. You can visit the library on Saturdays and Mondays, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. Carla VanCuren is the devoted, enthusiastic, outgoing store manager there and makes everyone feel at home when they walk in. Fun fact – Carla was related to Jean Barnett Trone!
When not at the bookstore, the volunteers work on outreach in the community. They are excited to be taking part in the upcoming East Berlin Community Easter Egg Hunt on April 9, 2022, at the East Berlin Community Park. Make sure you come by and say “Hi”!
Friends secretary, Jackie King and bookstore manager, Carla are always on the lookout for new and fun ways to get out in the community and have the community become more aware of the gem we have in the Jean Barnett Trone Memorial Library. There are book sales, yard sales, trivia nights, and more planned for their 2nd year as a Friends group. In fact, the next fill-a-bag book sale will be coming up June 1st through the 4th. In fact, the bookstore will have a fill-a-bag sale in conjunction with every book sale the East Berlin Area Community Center has. So, if you are in the area for that sale, swing on by to the library’s lower-level bookstore, too. The generous amount of book donations that have been coming in lately have been keeping inventory in the store fresh each time you visit.
These ladies can’t do it alone, though. In fact, the Friends of Trone group is actively looking for additional members to join the board and keep more ideas coming in. If you are able to share your time and can see yourself as part of the Friends of Trone, please send an email to tronefriends@adamslibrary.org. Next time you are in East Berlin (Saturdays and Mondays, 10am – 2pm), make sure to stop in to see your Friends.