FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — July 30, 2026 

A Message to Our Community from Friends of the Memphis and Shelby County Public Libraries 

Dear Friends, 

For more than 60 years, Friends of the Memphis and Shelby County Public Libraries have stood beside our community with one purpose: supporting literacy, lifelong learning, and  access to knowledge for everyone. 

We want to be direct with you about a change in our relationship with the City of Memphis and Memphis Public Libraries. After the parties’ prior agreement expired earlier this year, the City asked Friends to end its volunteer role inside library branches and to transfer to the City the charitable funds our members and donors have entrusted to us over many years. Our Board of Directors, guided by its fiduciary duty under Tennessee law and its obligation  to honor our donors’ intent, determined that we could not agree to those terms. 

Friends of the Library is, and has always been, an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit  corporation governed by its own Board of Directors. We have never been a City department or agency. That independence is what allows us to safeguard the donations our community has given in good faith, and to make sure those gifts continue to serve the purpose for which they were given. 

While our formal partnership with the City and the Library is changing, our commitment to serving this community has not. We remain deeply grateful to the many library staff  members, volunteers, donors, educators, community partners, and supporters who have worked alongside us through the decades. 

Together, we have helped provide books, educational opportunities, volunteer support, advocacy, and programs that have enriched countless lives. 

Our story is far from over. In the months ahead, we will continue building new partnerships, expanding programs, supporting readers of every age, and investing in initiatives that strengthen our community. 

Here is how you can help us continue this work: 

Thank you for believing in our mission and in the future of Friends of the Library. Together, we will continue turning pages, opening doors, and changing lives. 

With gratitude, on behalf of the Board of Directors, 

 Ann Bailey-Mitchell                                                                                                                                                                                                   President, Friends of the Memphis and Shelby County Public Libraries