Friends in Need: Friends of the Corbin Public Library asking for more help and input in the New Year

The Corbin Public Library, located at 215 Roy Kidd Ave., serves as a hub of activity for the local community, offering visitors a wide range of print and digital resources, as well as regular special events and educational opportunities. Of course, all of this could not happen without the necessary funding and manpower. Enter the Friends of the Corbin Public Library.

This non-profit organization is made up of volunteers who wish to preserve, support and strengthen Corbin’s public library. The group meets monthly, and they are actively seeking new members. According to their informational pamphlet, which can be picked up at the library, some of their main goal include:

• Providing the library with materials and services that cannot be supplied through normal budget resources.
• Conduct an annual book sale with donated or used library materials.
• Hold special programs on literary topics and current issues.
• Provide citizens with an opportunity to make a difference in the community.

Current Friends of the CPL Chairperson, Karen Nies, said of the group, “Our primary function is just to help the library. We help pay for the things that they need, and we have special events so that people can visit the library. We want to help make people aware of what the library is offering the community.”

Another current member of the group, Diane Mitchell, spoke about what is needed to help ensure that the Friends of the Corbin Public Library can continue their important work into the future.

“We need more friends who will be active in helping with the activities that we want to do,” Mitchell said. “We would like to encourage people interested in the library, and who are willing to put some effort behind it, to join our group and attend our meetings.”

“We need donations to do the things that we need to do,” Mitchell added, explaining that the Friends of the CPL is currently trying to raise funds to expand options in the library’s Internet café area.

“The purpose here is to look at our community, and see what the library can do to help things be better. We want to try to raise funds and do activities that will help the library do things that they couldn’t otherwise do within their budget.”

Looking ahead to 2024, the Friends of the CPL is hoping to help present many special events, including their yearly book sale, a possible rummage sale, and hopefully some guest speakers. They are also planning on assisting with the library’s ongoing efforts to preserve various historical documents, and they are looking into expanding the library’s book club options as well.

To learn more about what the Corbin Public Library has to offer, and to find out how you can help the Friends of the Corbin Public Library, visit or call (606) 528-6366. Those interested can also go online to www.corbinkylibrary.org, where they can sign up for the library’s monthly newsletter.

Both the Corbin Public Library and the Friends of the CPL group can also be followed on Facebook.

(This story is dedicated to the memory of Friends of the Corbin Public Library member and all-around community servant Anne Hoskins, who passed on October 26, 2023)