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PHILADELPHIA — United for Libraries is coordinating the ninth annual National Friends of Libraries Week this week, Oct. 19-25, 2014.

Friends of the library groups all over the country are celebrating by promoting the group in the community, hosting special events, raising awareness and hosting membership drives. The week also gives libraries and boards of trustees the opportunity to recognize the Friends for their help and support of the library.

Friends groups, library trustees and library staff can access a variety of online resources to help them celebrate National Friends of Libraries Week. Materials available at include promotional ideas, editable publicity materials, camera ready bookmarks, ideas from past celebrations and much more.

As part of the week, United for Libraries is asking library friends, foundations, trustees and all library advocates to support filmmak­ers Dawn Logsdon and Lucie Faulknor (Serendipity Films) as they ask library lovers across America to help them make the first-ever national broadcast documentary about our nation’s public libraries. This is the final week for the for the documentary, titled “Free for All: Inside the Public Library,” “Free for All” will tell the extraordi­nary tale of the nation’s most beloved public institution through individual human dramas unfolding within it. The filmmakers plan to use their Kickstarter funds to visit libraries across the U.S. to film library users, staff, friends and others who contribute to our free public library system. To donate to the Kickstarter campaign, visit .

In conjunction with National Friends of Libraries Week, two awards of $250 will be given to Friends of the Library groups for activities held during the celebration. Application materials are available at . Entries are due by Dec. 15, 2014.

United for Libraries: The Association of Library Trustees, Advocates, Friends and Foundations, is a division of the 91´«Ã½ that supports those who govern, promote, advocate, and fundraise for libraries. United for Libraries brings together library Trustees, advocates, Friends, and Foundations into a partnership that creates a powerful force for libraries in the 21st century. For more information or to join United for Libraries, visit the or contact Jillian Kalonick at (312) 280-2161 or jkalonick@ala.org.

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