The Friends of the Farmville-Prince Edward Community Library was incorporated in 1984 with three specific purposes: raising revenues the library needs, promoting library use and helping develop library programs and services.

Vicky Page, vice chair of the board of the Friends, said the three goals have been in full swing this year.

“That’s our mission,” Page said.

She said the board, which meets six times a year on the second Monday of the month, focus on programs that will help a wide demographic of people in the community.

A few programs include the library’s computer room and computer training classes. She said the computer training provides a unique advantage for elderly members of the community, or those who don’t have access to internet.

“If you want a job at Sweet Frog, if you want a job at Lowe’s, if you want a job at McDonald’s, they don’t give you a paper application anymore, they tell you, ‘go online and complete our application form,” Page said, “and there are many, many people in this county who either can’t afford internet access or can’t get internet access. So they come to the library.”

“We try to do programs that would be of community and local interest because we want to draw people into the library,” Page said. If they’re new to the area or haven’t visited the library before, if we offer a program that’s of interest to them, then they will see what a wonderful library we have to offer the community.”

She said the addition of Megan Almond as youth programmer has opened new opportunities for youth programs at the library, including everything from doll tea parties to learning introductory coding skills through tiny Ozobots.

Page said the board consists of 12 members, but that the total number of people who pay to be included in the Friends group total 125.

She said for people who invest in the group, they typically are first in line when the library holds the spring and fall book sales.

She said despite the name of the library recently changing to include Barbara Rose Johns’ name, the Friends group has not gone through the proper state protocol to change the name.

She said the Dillwyn Branch has its own Friends group.

A point of pride for the group is the creation of the Little Free Libraries. Page said there are five of these little libraries pocketed in convenience stores or other areas throughout Prince Edward, in every voting district in the county.

“Sometimes it’s not possible to drive from Prospect just because you want to read a book,” Page said. “But if you’re going to get gas at the gas station up there, there’s a little free library that you can take a book and leave a book.”

She said people don’t need to worry about two-week returns. They can keep a book, read it and bring it back, or leave a book. Page said volunteers travel to the little libraries every week to change out the books and organize the shelves.

“It’s garnered wonderful goodwill for the library,” Page said. “It’s been a hugely successful project and we’re very proud of it.” “It’s been a real, real success story for the county,” Page said.

A strong advocate for the Little Free Libraries had been Farmville 101 District Supervisor Howard Simpson, who passed away in February.

She said he had been awarded honorary membership to the Friends, and had, shortly before he died, suggested a few other places Little Free Libraries could be installed in the county.

“He really loved then,” Page said. “He was a very strong advocate for them.”

To learn more about the Friends of the Farmville-Prince Edward Community Library, visit the group’s Facebook page.