he Winston-Salem State Friends of the Library will be celebrating 25 years of service and support to C.G. O’Kelly Library Nov. 5 at the Village Inn Golf and Conference Center in Clemmons, N.C.
The silver anniversary gala will honor those who have assisted with Friends programs and events over the years.
The event is also a fundraiser to support the library staff’s efforts to provide scholarships to students who have “been excellent” workers in the library for more than two years.
Founded in April 1985, Friends of the Library, is one of the longest running library-based organizations at HBCU’s.
Membership consists of alumni, retired faculty, current faculty and staff, and members of the community.
When state financial support has been exhausted, Friends provides funds for C.G. O’Kelly to purchase books, DVDs, equipment and furniture.
The organization co-sponsors workshops for faculty and staff designed to encourage students to use the Library’s resources.
Jocelyn Corpening, a rehabilitation studies major from Salisbury, is a student employee at the Library and will be assisting with the gala.
“I feel that the organization [Friends of the Library] is essential so that the cycle of giving and receiving will remain, which will ensure that the Library is the foundation of knowledge,” Corpening said.
The event will include music, dinner, dancing, and a video montage of interviews from members of the organization who have attended past events. The Library media production team conducted the interviews during the summer. The video clips are designed to capture the organization’s history and accomplishments.
Friends is also raising money by selling advertisement space in the souvenir booklet.
The gala has been advertised in The Winston-Salem Chronicle newspaper and during Time Warner Cable local programming on CNN and Lifetime networks.
“Because it’s the 25th anniversary, I feel it is important for the organization to shine at its brightest, and I think that the programming committee has accomplished this goal,” said Melde Rutledge, program specialist at the Library. He has been the photographer for various programs and events since 2008