Friends & Foundation

Your Support Matters

Access to information, resources, and technology is both essential and critical. Without it, the world is harder to navigate, both people and help can feel out of reach, and keeping up with advances in technology can make all the difference in finding employment and staying connected.

The Library Friends & Foundation (LPLFF) provides access and opportunities for Lawrence to learn, connect, create, and grow, and you can help sustain our efforts at any level. From donating books, making a financial contribution, or including the library in your estate plan — your gift will make a life-changing impact.

Ways You Can Give

Help support and sustain our efforts at any level.

Online (or) by Mail

Help others in our community experience the wonders of the public library. Make a gift today to the Friends & Foundation.

Click here for a full list of benefits.

Online - Click here to give through our secure site using your debit or credit card
By Telephone - Please call 785-843-3833 x 153
By Mail - Please send your check, payable to: Lawrence Public Library Friends & Foundation (LPLFF), PO Box 973, Lawrence KS 66044
In Person - Grab a membership pamphlet at the Lawrence Public Library welcome desk.

Your online recurring donation can be updated at any time. Please contact Logan at LIsaman(at)lplks(dot)org or call them at 785-843-3833 x 153 to update your card, adjust your donation amount, etc.

Planned Giving

New Chapter Society

We invite you to join the New Chapter Society, our giving circle made up of the library's strongest supporters.

Two ways to join:

Annual Gift - Donors who make an unrestricted or restricted annual gift of $1,000 or more to the library.

Planned or Deferred Gift - Donors who make a bequest or other planned gift through their estate for the library's endowment.

Membership benefits include opportunities to meet noted authors and recognition on the New Chapter Society donor wall in the library lobby.

Click here to join the New Chapter Society.

Honor with Books

Is there someone special in your life you’d like to honor? Your gift to Lawrence Public Library's Honor with Books program is a thoughtful way to remember a special person or occasion while helping to build the library’s collection. The honoree, or member of the honoree's family, will receive a special card acknowledging your gift and a bookplate will be placed into the donated book acknowledging the donation.

Minimum donation is $25 per book. You can donate online or by mail:

Online - Click here to give online. Fill out all fields as required.
By Mail - If you would prefer to mail your gift, please send your check with honoree's name on the memo line to:
Lawrence Public Library Friends and Foundation
Attn: Honor with Books
PO Box 973
Lawrence, KS 66044

We will send you a receipt for your gift and confirmation that the honoree or their family has been contacted.

IRA Charitable Contribution

If you are over 70 ½ years old and receiving IRA distributions, you can make a tax free gift of up to $100,000 to the Lawrence Public Library Friends and Foundation directly from your IRA.

How it works:

Contact your financial advisor to initiate a transfer. The gift must come directly from your IRA administrator to the Lawrence Public Library Friends and Foundation.
You must be age 70 ½ or older when the gift is made.
The gift must come from an IRA or Roth IRA account.
Total gifts from your IRA in any one year cannot exceed $100,000.
The gift to the Friends and Foundation can count toward your Required Minimum Distribution if you have not already taken it for the year you make your gift.
The gift from your IRA will be excluded from income.
The gift from your IRA will not be available as an income tax charitable deduction.

Vehicles

Wondering what to do with your used car, boat, or truck? Donating your old vehicle to the Lawrence Public Library Friends & Foundation is convenient, easy, and tax deductible. Best of all, your donation will make a big difference in supporting the Lawrence Public Library.

We have partnered with Denver-based Vehicles for Charity. If you have a usable but unwanted vehicle, call VFC's toll-free number 1-866-628-2277 or fill out this online form and VFC will arrange to have your vehicle picked up, transfer the title, and provide you with a tax-deductible receipt, all at no charge to you. The vehicle is auctioned and the library receives 70 percent of the net proceeds. It’s an easy way to give.

Questions? Contact Kathleen Morgan , opens a new windowat the Library Foundation, 843-3833 x131.

More Ways to Give

The Friends and Foundation can accept many kinds of gifts, including appreciated securities, real estate, works of art, life insurance policies, charitable trusts, memorials and bequest provisions. In addition, many companies support the library by matching employee contributions. As a 501 (c)(3) organization, your donations to Friends & Foundation may be deductible for personal or corporate tax purposes. Please discuss the deductibility of donations with your tax advisor.

We also recommend that you consult a finance professional for advice on the methods of giving that are most appropriate for your benefit as well as the long-term growth of the library.

For more information, please contact Kathleen Morgan at 785-843-3833 x 131, or by email at kmorgan@lplks.org.

Book Sales & Donations

Find us at 7th & Kentucky Streets on the back side of the library! Every donation or purchase you make supports the library.

BUY BOOKS

DONATE BOOKS

Volunteer with Us

Give back to the library and meet fellow book lovers. From shelving, working book sales, and greeting patrons, we need you!

APPLY

LPLFF Board Info

We believe that libraries play a vital role in communities and private donations are needed to enhance public funding libraries receive.

LEARN MORE

What We Fund

In 2024 we gave $521,000 to the library, including funding 100% of all library programming.

• DIY Memory Lab

• Kanopy movie streaming service

• RetroActive Program for retirees

• Sing and Rhyme Storytime

• Summer Reading for all ages

• Dottie maintenance and awning repair

• Wakarusa Wetlands Celebration

• Dottie Outreach programs

• Dolly Parton Imagination Library

• Stories for All Mural Grant

• BiblioWeb subscription for library email marketing

• Staff birthday coffee cards

• Outdoor programming

• Music Storytellers with Elijah Wald

• Goldenberg Duo concert

• Weave A Tale storytelling workshop

• Community resource programs

• Programs for all ages

• Honor with Books

• Kansas Book Festival support

• Library Space Audit study

• Picture Book Room maintenance fund

• Read Across Lawrence/Booktoberfest

• Seed Library

• Technology upgrades

• Dr. Bob books for outreach

• Computer replacement and upgrades for staff

• SOUND+VISION equipment and programs

• Data Axle business database

• The Least of Us books and program

• Storytime at Home kits

• New round auditorium tables

• Urban Libraries Council membership

• Library school scholarship for staff

• Plant and aquarium maintenance

• Digital Library supplement

Upcoming Events

Retiree Events

Beers around the Block

Jul 10th | 4:00pm - 5:00pm

Fields and Ivy Brewery
Coffee Break

Jul 11th | 10:00am - 11:00am

Online Event
Summer Book Sale

Jul 11th | 10:00am - 6:00pm

Lawrence Public Library

View more events

Library Book Sales

Learn more about how you can support your library

VIEW UPDATE

The Lawrence Public Library Friends & Foundation, opens a new window (LPLFF for short) does a lot and we have a lot of fun doing it.

Our board meetings are held every fourth Monday of the month at 4:30 pm in the library's Meeting Room A (no meetings in July and December). You are welcome to join us.

Read our 2024 Annual Report.

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Retiree Events

Beers around the Block

Coffee Break

Summer Book Sale

Library Book Sales

Summer Book Sale

Summer Book Sale

Summer Book Sale

Questions? Contact us at friendsfoundation (at) lplks (dot) org.

Lawrence Public Library

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Questions? Contact us at friendsfoundation (at) lplks (dot) org.