Background Statement
The history of The Friends of the Aurora Public Library and The Book Outlet shows a fascinating legacy of growth, dedication and commitment in service to the community:
• In 1977, The Friends of the Aurora Public Library was originally created by the Board of Trustees of the Aurora Public Library to help support the efforts to build a new library.
• For several years, the Friends hosted annual book sales that provided operating revenues for the organization as well as some financial support to the Aurora Public Library.
• The Friends was reinstituted and reinvigorated by a dedicated group of volunteers in 1987 and became a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in the State of Colorado in January of 1987.
• In 1990, the Aurora City Council and the Aurora Public Library granted permission to the Friends to reactivate and convert a bookmobile to a used book outlet.
• In July, 1990, the Mobile Aurora Book Library Exchange (MABLE) was born in this unique space.
• MABLE operated from the parking lot of the Central Aurora Public Library and also traveled to branch libraries around the City of Aurora.
• Seeking a permanent storefront location for book sales and through the generous support of a local business, the Friends were able to open their first retail location in January 1991 at 14573 East Alameda Avenue. This would become the now famous Friends of the Aurora Public Library Book Outlet.
• The extra space and stable location facilitated the acceptance of donated materials from the community and the library, enhanced the Friends ability to attract volunteers, allowed memberships to grow and vastly improved the Friends ability to provide financial support to the Library.
• In May 2000, a new and larger location for The Book Outlet was opened in a more visible location at 340 South Chambers Road. Memberships and sales continued to increase as did donations. This continued to present challenges due to ongoing space constraints.
• In March, 2005, The Book Outlet moved once again to a new, larger location adjacent to the Iliff Square Branch of the Aurora Public Library. With more than twice the space of previous locations, the Friends of the Aurora Public Library and The Book Outlet continue to grow in volunteers, members and donations.
• Now, we challenge the community of readers to help us continue to achieve our important mission by supporting the Friends of the Aurora Public Library through Colorado Gives Day and the Community First Foundation.