The Friends group of the Madison branch has grown to nearly 40 members strong. Most members show their support by donations supplies for Madison’s programs. Friends have supplied our winning prizes for our annual Two-Sentence Horror Story contest, our Bingo Nights, and they keep the library’s treasure box full of trinkets and toys for Madison’s children. They also donate books to the Madison book sale. This year, the children’s department of the Madison Library was able to purchase 12 sets of 10 board books to use in their popular infant story times, as well as new toys for the play area.
Sarah Vandergriff is a long-time supporter of the Madison Library who is proud of her service. “Libraries are at the heart of every community. There is no better place to learn about yourself and the world, explore your interests, develop an imagination, and discover your dreams than at a library.”
Alexandria Payne loves keeping the children’s department treasure box stocked with trinkets. “My 2nd grade daughter and I are self-proclaimed library super-fans. Our neighborhood library (Nashville’s Madison branch) is not only the place we love to visit to pick up our hold requests for the newest picture books (for her) or queer romance (for me) or to stop by and browse the titles curated by the library staff – it’s also where we go to early vote, where I’ve taken Spanish classes and even where we’ve picked up seeds for our summer vegetable garden. Supporting our library is a non-negotiable way we will forever support our community.”
The Noblitt family fell in love with the library through the eyes of their daughter, Camila, who has been a regular story time attendee since she was a toddler. “We absolutely love Nashville Public Library’s Madison Branch and the incredible team whose passion and spirit breathe life into the space. Our daughter has attended storytime each week since she was old enough to crawl — she’ll be 4 this December — and we couldn’t have asked for a better environment to prepare her for Montessori preschool. To our library friends, thank you for fostering community among the families who live and work in the neighborhood. We are immensely grateful for an opportunity to give back and support you all.”