Winter Newsletter 2025

November 30, 2025

Welcome to the Winter Newsletter for the Friends of Augusta County Library Foundation (FACLF), and Happy Holidays! 

As we wind down the year, we’re counting our blessings, and chief among those is your support. Thanks to the proceeds from the plant and used book sales, 3D printing revenue and donations, the FACLF has been able to support a cornucopia full of varied programs for community members of all ages. Thank you for your generosity. Read on for more news from your library Friends.

In this issue: 

• Thank you for being a friend - National Friends of the Library Week October 2025
• Friends on the move - departure of our Library Director and a longtime member of FACLF Board
• Support our book sale - great shopping opportunities that also help the library
• What we're reading - book recommendations from FACLF
• Winter Schedules and Snow Policy - be informed about hours at your local library branch
• Holidays at ACL - upcoming programs for the winter holidays 

And, as always, we invite you to join us at our next Board Meeting, scheduled for Thursday, December 4, at 6 pm at the Fishersville location. We welcome your participation! Contact us at friends@augustacountylibrary.org 

Thank you for being a friend!

In celebration of National Friends of the Library Week, October 20-29, 2025, the staff of the Fishersville library put together and displayed a giant card thanking the Friends.  Enjoy these messages of gratitude for each of you who has ever donated your money, your time, or your books for the used book sale. Your efforts are appreciated! Messages on the card included:  

• "Thank you for everything you do for staff and patrons!"

• "Thank you for helping in every step of the way to shape this library into a community resource that brings joy, and advocacy, and knowledge to everyone who comes through. We could not do this without you!"

• "Cannot thank you enough for the support you give us. We are able to provide hundreds of programs a year because of your support! That is a lot of good for our community because of you! Thank you!"

• "Thank you for all the work you do to ensure our community has access to WiFi and learning opportunities! Not to mention the extras toward staff feeling valued."

• "Your support is an integral underpinning of what the library is able to accomplish. Things would not be the same without your help – thank you for all the important work you do!"

• "Thank you for all you do for us and the community! We couldn’t do what we do without you!"

• ♪♬♫♩ … and if you threw a party, and invited everyone you knew, you would see the biggest gift would be a card from me and the card attached would say: THANK YOU FOR BEING A FRIEND!!

Find out more about the Friends by joining us at the next Friends of Augusta County Library Foundation meeting at 6pm on Thursday, December 4 at the Fishersville library.

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Friends on the move

In September, Dr. Jennifer Brown transitioned from the Director of the Augusta County Library to Executive Director of the nonprofit Virginia Library Association. She had been with the county since 2021 where she led strategic initiatives across seven locations focusing on building a responsive, community-driven library network. With VLA she will use her talents to help develop, promote and improve library and information services across the commonwealth. We wish her the best.

We also note the upcoming retirement of long-time FACLF board member Oakley Pearson who will finish his final term as treasurer in December. A reliable and organized manager of the Friends’ accounts, he has kept our financial information in good order many years, including helping steer FACLF through its merger with the library foundation in 2023. He will be missed.

Oakley’s retirement leaves the Friends with an open board seat. Friends with financial experience are encouraged to apply.

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What we're reading

In this issue of the Newsletter, the Friends share a few books we've enjoyed that feature libraries.

The Lions of Fifth Avenue, by Fiona Davis (Adult Fiction F Davis)

This part historical-fiction, part-detective novel follows two generations of strong-minded women connected to a mysterious series of rare book thefts from the New York Public Library. The first follows Laura Lyons, the wife of the superintendent of the New York Public Library, who lives with her husband and children in an apartment within the library. As Laura becomes interested in women’s issues like birth control and suffrage, she finds herself questioning her traditional role in life. And when valuable books are stolen from the library, she's forced to confront her shifting priorities head on. Eighty years later, in 1993, Laura’s granddaughter Sadie Donovan lands her dream job as a curator at the New York Public Library. But the job quickly becomes a nightmare when rare manuscripts, notes, and books begin disappearing from the library, just as her grandmother's story from the past resurfaces.

Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World, by Vicki Myron (Adult Non-Fiction 636.8 Myr)

 After a stray kitten was left in the book return drop box in the small town library on a winter night the life of librarian Vicki Myron and the small town of Spencer Iowa was never the same. Dewey, as the townspeople named the kitten, who grew into a comical and sensitive library cat whose antics kept patrons in stitches, and whose sixth sense about those in need created hundreds of deep and loving friendships. As his fame grew, people drove hundreds of miles to meet Dewey, and he even ended up in a hit Japanese television documentary. Through it all, Dewey remained a loyal companion, a beacon of hope not just for Myron, but for the entire town of Spencer as it slowly, steadily pulled itself up from the worst financial crisis in its long history.

The Library Book, by Susan Orlean (Adult NonFiction 027.4 Orl 2018)

In 1986 a catastrophic library fire in the Los Angeles Public Library raged through the stacks, burning for more than seven hours, destroying 400,000 books and damaging 700,000 more, and closing the library down for seven years. The mystery remains: Did someone intentionally set fire to the library—and if so, who? Weaving her life-long love of books and reading with the fascinating history of libraries and the sometimes-eccentric characters people who see the library as a second home, Orlean investigates the legendary Los Angeles Public Library fire to showcase the larger, crucial role that libraries play and reveals how these buildings provide much more than just books.

The Midnight Library, by Matt Haig (Adult Fiction F Haig)

When Nora Seed finds herself in the Midnight Library, she’s offered a chance to try another life – to see how things would turn out had she had made other choices. Faced with the possibility of exchanging her life for a new one, following a different career, undoing old breakups, she must decide what is truly fulfilling in life, and what makes it worth living in the first place.

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Support our book sale

Need a present for someone who has everything? Looking for inexpensive gifts children can purchase for family members? Interested in mixing up a ho-hum recipe rotation with a new cookbook? Feel like trying a new hobby? Check out the lower level of the Fishersville Library for the Friends book sale. 

When you buy a gently used book, DVD or puzzle from the book sale, you’re not only getting a great deal and keeping unwanted items out of the landfill, you’re also supporting the Friends who funnel funds from the sale back into library programming. So your purchase makes it possible for the Augusta County Library to continue to offer supplies for holiday programs, crafting workshops and children’s activities from puppet shows to get-togethers for fans of boardgames, Legos and anime. 

Check out our bargain basement prices:

• Hardbacks $1
• Paperbacks 50¢
• Children’s Books 50¢
• Current Bestsellers  $3 - $5
• CDs & DVDs $1
• Bag of Items $5
• Video Games $3

DONATE BOOKS

And when it’s time to thin your overstuffed bookshelves, donate the surplus to the Friends. Drop donations at your library front desk clearly labeled “Book Sale Donations.” Please do not use the library book return.

We accept:

Hardback and paperback books in NEW or LIKE NEW condition; Books on CD; DVDs; Magazines from the past 12 months; Puzzles with all their pieces; Antique or collectible books

We do NOT accept:

Books in poor condition, with torn pages, stains, water damage, missing covers or mold; Textbooks or encyclopedias; Readers Digest Condensed Books; Cassettes, VHS tapes; Business, computer, travel guides, science or medical books published more than 5 years ago

VOLUNTEER

Volunteers are usually in the shop sorting and shelving donations Friday mornings from 10am to noon in the lower level of the Fishersville library. Feel free to drop by and help out.  Or, contact us by  email us for more details: friends@augustacountylibrary.org

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New Winter Hours and Weather Closings

Middlebrook

• Tuesday 10 am - 2 pm
• Wednesday 10 am - 2 pm
• Thursday 10 am - 2 pm
• Saturday 10 am - 2 pm

Craigsville

• Tuesday - Friday 12 pm - 5 pm
• Saturday 10 am - 2 pm

Weyers Cave

• Tuesday 11 am - 5 pm
• Wednesday 10 am - 5 pm
• Thursday 11 am - 5 pm
• Saturday 10 am - 2 pm

The following library stations will follow the Augusta County School’s decision on inclement weather closing decisions: Craigsville Library Station, Deerfield Library Station, Middlebrook Library Station, Stuarts Draft Library Station, Weyers Cave Library Station.

Fishersville Library and Churchville Branch Library will follow the Augusta County Government’s decision on inclement weather closing decisions.

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Check out holiday programming at your library!

Visit with Santa. Make wreaths, ornaments, snowflakes, gingerbread houses and more. Enjoy hot cocoa and gift wrapping. There's something for everyone at this library this winter!

Visit with Santa

Drop in to visit with Santa, make crafts and share some snacks!  For children of all ages with their caregivers. No registration is required.

• Weyers Cave: Wednesday, December 3, 10:30 am - 11:30 am
• Stuarts Draft: Wednesday, December 3, 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm
• Fishersville: Wednesday, December 10, 10:30 am - 12:30 pm
• Middlebrook: Tuesday, December 16, 10:30 am - 11:30 am
• Churchville: Tuesday, December 16, 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm

Annual Wreath-making Workshop

Join the time-honored Deerfield tradition of annual wreath making. Fresh greenery and decorating supplies will be available. Please bring a wreath form, basket, or vase to assemble your creation. This event is free and open to all ages.

Saturday, December 6, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm

Deerfield Branch

Giant 3-D Paper Snowflakes

Learn how to make large, beautiful showpiece snowflakes to decorate your house for the holiday season.

Wednesday, December 10, 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Stuarts Draft

Holiday Cocoa

Warm up and relax for awhile at the library.  Come enjoy yummy holiday cocoa with your favorite toppings. Open to all ages.

Tuesday, December 9 - Saturday, December 13 1:00 pm - 4:30 pm

Craigsville

Christmas with Puppets

Join us for a fun afternoon of holiday puppet shows.

Friday, December 19, 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm

Stuarts Draft

Gingerbread House Making

Have fun creating a mini gingerbread house.  All supplies will be provided.

Churchville: Thursday, December 11, 3:30 pm - 6:00 pm (Limited supply. Stop by or call the Churchville Branch Library 540-245-5287 to REGISTER. Ages 5+)

Middlebrook: Saturday, December 20, 11:00 am - 1:00 pm

Spice Ornaments

Craft spicy, cinnamon scented ornaments for  holiday decorations and keepsakes.

Tuesday, December 23, 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm

Stuarts Draft

Adult Gift Wrapping Party

Tuesday, December 23, 4:30 pm - 5:45 pm. Open to adults (ages 19+)

Stuarts Draft

New Year New You: Craft & Clutter Swap

New year, new clutter? Come to the library to get rid of your unwanted art and crafting supplies, and refresh with new and exciting things.

Friday, January 2 - Saturday, January 3 12:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Stuarts Draft

Click on the ACL PROGRAMS button to check out the Augusta County Library's website for more details and the latest programs. *Note: schedule can be subject to change, so check back frequently.

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More about the Friends

The non-profit Friends of Augusta County Library Foundation was formed in January 2023 through a merger of the Friends of the ACL and ACL Foundation to provide additional financial support for library programming and resident services.

FACLF is also dedicated to keeping the community informed about library-related news and developments. This newsletter will keep you up to date with the Friends’ current and upcoming work to ensure Augusta County residents have easy and continued access to the vital services our libraries provide.

Join the Friends by signing up online, or pick up an FACLF brochure at your local library checkout counter.

Thank you for your support! Together we can make a difference in our community.

Connect with Us

We look forward to hearing from you!

Visit our website at friendsofalc.org

Email us at friends@augustacountylibrary.org

Join us!

Next Board Meeting:

Thursday, December 4 at 6pm at the Fishersville branch