The Friends of the Peter White Public Library are a volunteer support group made up of community members helping to enrich library services beyond what public funding covers. Their efforts help fund almost all library programs, expand collections, cover film licensing, and supply materials for reading and educational activities for all ages.

Annually, the Friends of PWPL help fund the large print book collection. A recent addition is Crux by Gabriel Tallent. This novel follows two teenage climbers in a small desert town whose intense friendship is shaped by risk, ambition, and the pull of their different home lives. As they push themselves on dangerous rock faces, they also confront questions about identity, loyalty, and the possibility of escape.

The Friends also funded the creation and maintenance of our book club collections. We provide kits for check out with 10 copies of a book, conversation prompts, facts and extension ideas for each book. The Friends also purchase multiple copies of all PWPL Book Group selections so they’re available for checkout without lengthy holds.

An exciting kit recently added is for the 2026 Great Michigan Read selection, “Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant” by Curtis Chin. This selection is a coming-of-age memoir about growing up in 1980s Detroit while working in his family’s bustling restaurant. Through stories of family, community, and first love, Chin reflects on identity, resilience, and the lessons he learned navigating culture, racism, and belonging. PWPL will be hosting Chin on May 13 to celebrate his book. Please watch www.pwpl.info for more details to come.

Thanks to our Friends, PWPL has kits for children, too. The themed kits available for check out combine educational toys, puzzles, books, music, and games to support early learning and school readiness. They’re grouped into categories including Play Kits (career themes like chef or firefighter, world music, family games), Learning Kits (focusing on letters, numbers, colors, mindfulness, storytelling, multicultural puppets), and STEM Kits (with building sets, human body models, LEGOs, KEVA planks, space exploration tools, and more). These kits are designed for fun, at-home learning play to help kids explore concepts through hands-on activities rather than only traditional books.

The Friends also keep the travel guide book collection current. Those traveling internationally or closer to home may enjoy reading more about their destination from the trusted sources such as Fodors or Frommers. PWPL recently added a guide to a U.P. favorite: Mackinac Island. “Mackinac Island: Holidays, Tourists, and Trivia” is a conversational collection of memories and local lore from lifelong Mackinac Island resident Tom Chambers about life on Michigan’s iconic island. It highlights how holidays are celebrated, shares humorous tourist encounters, and offers fun trivia and little-known stories about the island’s people, places, and traditions. Blending personal memoir with local history and practical tips for visitors, the book paints a vivid picture of seasonal life and change on Mackinac Island.

The Friends are able to provide funds for these items and so much more through sales from the Friends of PWPL Used Book Store and their semi-annual sales. The next sale is coming up March 12-14 in the PWPL Community Room. The Store is open during regular library hours. Proceeds are raised from the sale of used books, media and other items donated by the public. Donation of books in good condition, commercially published music on CD or videos on DVD and BluRay, audio CD books, framed art prints, and rare or local books are always accepted at the PWPL circulation desk. If you have more than two bags of items, please call ahead to arrange for drop off. More information about the Friends can be found at www.pwpl.info/friends-of-pwpl.

By Heather Steltenpohl

Development Director