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the vastly popular "Bookmobile" service. In 1992 their help included a gift of $22,500 towards purchase and "customizing" of a new vehicle for this purpose. Incidentally, for comparison, the City Council contributed $40,000 to this project. Very valuable special books have been bought by the Friends for the Library on at least three occasions. The stupendous multi-volume "Groves Dictionary of Art" was donated at a cost of over $9000. That was in 1996. The following year, that gift led to the donation by the Friends of the monumental "Birds of North America", which cost $4,950, and soon again the "Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy", at a tab of $3,868. Annual sales of surplus books by the Friends have become a hugely popular feature since 1949, as well as one of their most effective fund-raising tools. These sales are organized and operated by the Friends. They appear to require far more hours of volunteer work by our members than any of our other activities. In recent years, each annual sale has raised between $7 & 8,000. The latest major project of the Friends has been to have built the two new Group Study Rooms, and to supply their furnishings. This undertaking brought from the Friends a plum of about $32,350. And all the above falls far short of mentioning all of the Friends' contributions. One could go on for pages more about their support of the Language Learning Laboratory, (amounting to well over $15,000), the purchase of a laminator at $4,876 and numerous small items such as a lectern and microphone, drapes, tiles, a display system, T-shirts, brass plaques, materials for the sight -and-hearing impaired, CD's and CD ROM's, a power tailgate for wheelchair access to the "Bookmobile" -- and so on and on. But modesty - at last -suggests we stop right here! Ted Hill ART GALLERY The Friends continue to host the artists' "opening night" receptions. Thank you, Gisele Black for so capably coordinating the receptions and to Joanne Milne, and Maureen Essen for assisting at the last reception. Upcoming Gallery Exhibits are: January 2nd - 21st "Floral Abundance" Acrylic on canvas, Watercolour, Conte, Pastel, Mixed Media By Sharon Tokarchuk January 22nd - February 11th "Explorations" Mixed Collage, Found Objects, Acrylic By E.M. Brossard 4 CHRISTMAS CLOSING The Library will be closed for the Christmas and New Years holidays from 5:00 p.m. December 23rd until 10:00 a.m. January 2nd 2001 Remember to stock up with holiday reading on or before December 23rd. The next meeting of The Friends will be the Annual General Meeting on Wednesday January 31st 2001 at 7 p.m. in the Library's 3rd Floor Story House *Please note change in date of meeting* To one and all from your Newsletter Staff Editor - Mary Holland Printing & Circulation -Maureen Eagle Contributing Writers -Sophia Weremchuk Mary Holland Ted Hill Eileen de Bues