Focus on Friends - The Friends of the Hallandale Beach Branch

The Friends of the Hallandale Beach Branch was organized in 1969, with Dr. Sidney Rachlin serving as the first president. They supported, and solicited additional support for, each expansion and move of the Hallandale Beach Branch.

The organization was established for the purpose of aiding the library. Their objectives are to promote understanding of the library -- its problems, its resources, and its needs. They aim to foster a favorable climate for support of the library -- its services, its physical facilities, and its resources.

The Friends accomplish these aims by sponsoring exhibits, speakers and other programs as well as assisting in the acquisition of materials beyond the provisions of the operating budget.

In the 1980s, the Friends sponsored classical music recitals held monthly at the library. They have purchased shelving, film projectors, DVD and video players, framed art reproductions and a puppet theater for the Hallandale Beach Branch.

The wide variety of events the group has supported includes: Book Groups, Tutankhamen: the Untold Story, Music: The International Language, Flamenco Dance Co., American Heritage/ Country Dance, Rhythms from Trinidad and Tobago, and children's programs such as The Little Red Riding Hood puppet play, The Pink Fairy's Stories, Music and Magic, and the Mad Science program. A featured event for 2006 was the Library Week Book Fair on April 4.

For more information about The Friends of the Hallandale Beach Branch, call 954-357-6380.

Opportunities for involvement in Friends groups exist at most Broward County Library branches. For information about other Friends groups, contact Friends of Broward County Libraries, Inc. at 954-357-7771.

Remember: Good Friends make Great Libraries!