Friends of the Library

Welcome to the Friends of the Burke County Public Library!

Our purpose is to heighten public awareness of library services, to support library staff, to augment services and programs, and to offer volunteers for programs if needed.

Currently, we sponsor three main events each year:
The Annual Author’s Luncheon was held on Thursday, March 20, 2025, in the First Baptist Church (Morganton) fellowship hall. This year we were proud to host author Sarah Loudin Thomas, who is also the director of Jan Karon’s Mitford Museum in Hudson, NC.The Book Sales, our main fund-raising events, are held in the Spring (this year it will be April 11 and 12) and again in September (dates TBA for 2025) at the Collett Street Recreation Center. This is a much anticipated event, and members receive a notice entitling them to come to the sale a day before it is open to the public.

If you’re cleaning out closets and find books, we’ll be glad to have them. Just drop them off at the library during operating hours. Our library staff retains books that will be of use in the library system, and books are sold throughout the year at the Libraries. Since November 23, 2015 our Book Nook, in the Morganton library, has offered used books in excellent condition for sale. Smaller Book Nooks are avaliable at the Valdese Public Library and the C.B. Hildebrand Public Library.

The Friends sort books throughout the year for our book sales. The book sale is a major volunteer undertaking. If you would like to be a part of the book sale or any event sponsored by the Friends, please email us. The Friends funding is separate from the library’s operating budget. We raise money through our book sales in order to support library programs for all ages. This has been a very fulfilling project for our Friends group.

This page will soon contain links to join the friends of the library!