History of The Friends

It all started in January 2004, when then Chief Librarian, Jonathon Bengston, gathered with a small group of St. Mike’s alumni/ae with the plan to start a sale at our College like the ones at Victoria, Trinity and University Colleges at the U of T St. George campus. The original planning group included Peter Rogers, Ann Sullivan, Rick Ficek and Caroline Di Giovanni. We reached out to the other College book sale committees; the others had been established for almost 30 years and St. Mike’s would be the newcomer. When we met for tea at Victoria College, we agreed the St. Mike’s sale would take the fourth date in the series, October 28 – 31, 2004. The Colleges agreed to not compete for the same running dates. That agreement continues. 

Book donations came in, mainly from alumni and faculty. The Committee chose the name Friends of the John M. Kelly Library. At the meeting after the first book sale the Executive Committee consisted of President Caroline Di Giovanni, Book Sale Coordinator Peter Rogers, Treasurer Marley Carroll, Vice-President Rick Ficek, Secretary Ann Sullivan. Chief Librarian Bengston contributed greatly to the early organizing, offering support from library staff as needed. Dave Hagelaar was of great assistance. The first Book Sale took place in the Kelly Library Reading Room, now the Kelly Café. 

The Alumni Board agreed to host the opening night reception, offering wine and cheese refreshments and the first opportunity to buy the books. A guest was invited to give brief remarks. The entry fee was $20.00. The guest speakers included Philip Marchand, alumnus and book review editor of the Toronto Star; Prof. Fred Flahaff, on his donation of the Sheila Watson archives; and CBC Radio host Michael Enright. At times there were no guest speakers. The final guest, in 2013, was the niece of the sculptor Dora De Peteri Hunt, who contributed draft models and books. Gradually the book sellers outnumbered the alumni so it was decided to end the opening night reception and start the sale at mid-day, for a $5 entry fee, students for free. 

Recruiting volunteers for the book sale was a challenge met by the committee members by enlisting friends and neighbours and appealing to St. Mike’s alumni. We had learned from the other Colleges that the long-established book sales at Vic, Trinity and UC counted up to 100 volunteers on their rosters. That seemed an impossible goal but in 2024, the St. Mike’s Book Sale matched that number. A combination of student helpers, especially for heavy lifting, and community members creates a motivated work force essential to success. Over the years the Friends’ committee has sought to find ways to thank volunteers, offering special events on campus and a lunch or a supper together. 

From the beginning, when the revenue of the sale was confirmed, the Chief Librarian would present a list of items that were needed for the students and library users but not available in the College budget. Funds from the first sale  replaced many of the chairs in the reading room which had been in use daily by students since the library opened in 1969! Requests throughout the years have contributed to reconfiguring a study area on the second floor, furniture, bookshelves, and assistance to the Print Studio. One trend of special note came about when laptop computers entered the everyday life of students on campus. What began with approval to purchase three laptops to lend students became an urgent need to replace furniture in the study areas with tables and desks equipped with charging outlets. All that change took place between 2012 and 2024. 

The Friends have worked closely with all the Chief Librarians, from Jonathon Bengtson, Dave Hagelaar (Acting), Sheril Hook and James Roussain, maintaining good communications on the use of the funds. In  2012, the committee agreed that there was enough revenue to set aside an initial amount of $10,000 for a Special Purpose Fund, apart from the other Friends’ account. That fund then received transfers approved by the committee when the other needs were met. By the year 2022 the Special Purpose Fund amounted to over $100,000. That was the post-pandemic year, marked by the departure of Sheril Hook and the arrival of James Roussain as Interim Chief Librarian. At the farewell meeting with Sheril, when she introduced James, the committee heard his proposal to use the Special Purpose Fund to reconfigure a space on the first floor as a student study area. The committee approved the request; the work was contracted out and overseen carefully by James up to the opening of the delightful, glass-walled Multipurpose Room 105, used in January 2023 for the Friends of the John M. Kelly Library Annual General Meeting. 

Another trend that started small in the early years was recognizing the high value of the some of the books donated. For the first few years one bookshelf near the cash desk was enough space to display books that the librarians brought to our attention for special pricing. Otherwise, the pricing was quite simple: one price for hard covers, one for trade paperbacks, one for pocket paperbacks, low prices for children’s books and CD’s / DVD’s and records. With the arrival of our expert volunteers Sylvia and Ross Petras in 2013, the Friends gained the ability to identify rare books and special editions to set aside for the annual sale. In addition, they opened an agreement to list certain volumes for sale online, dividing the sale price with the Friends committee as book sale revenue. This has proven to be a real asset to the book sale activities, enabling a separate room at the sale specifically for rare books and special editions. 

Some highlights of the two decades include the move to holding the book sale in September 2015, second in line after Vic. The next year the location was moved from the Kelly Café to Robert Madden Hall. This involved moving hundreds of boxes of books stored in the Kelly basement across St. Joseph Street to the first floor of Carr Hall. A second space in classroom 103 was designated for the Rare Books and Special Editions. This location was used again in 2018, 2019 and for the post-pandemic sale of Sept. 2022. In 2023, the book sale returned to the Kelly Café. This time the Special Editions were installed in the new student space Room 105, which had been paid for with the Special Purpose Fund. Another decision made in 2015 after the sale was to put a table in the Kelly Café with “remainders”, books not sold that year. A wooden box was attached to the table with a sign inviting buyers to select a book or books and put 50 cents in the box for each. It works on the honour system, with the total collected after a few weeks. The books are replaced every week, using up the surplus. By 2023 the donation price was raised to $1; this table continues to be featured in the Café, helping to get rid of leftovers and providing some modest additional revenue. 

During the Pandemic years 2020 and 2021 the Library was not available for any public activities. There was no book sale, no sorting and boxing and no book donations. The members of the Friends’ Executive Committee kept in touch by a monthly Zoom contact meeting, important to care for each other and maintain morale. By March, 2022, as the campus began to reopen, the Friends got back to planning for the book sale in September. The new Interim Chief Librarian James Roussain would become an active participant in the planning meetings. Once again the sale involved moving the boxes across the street to Robert Madden Hall and Room 103. To help with this heavy loading the Friends employed the professional movers who had occasionally picked up large book donations. Students and community members also helped with the move. By 2023, the book sale was returned to the Kelly Café in the Library, with the Special Editions displayed and sold in the new study room 105. 

One task that should not be overlooked is the incredible attention that must be given to the physical set up of the tables in order to show the wide range of subjects available. Peter Rogers took special pride in designing the room layout for many years. Executive committee member Wendy Brennan added the feature of tracking which subjects sold and which were left over, helping to plan for the next sale. The subject arrangements evolved over time from general categories to more sophisticated fine sorting done first in 2023 and refined in 2024. Input from the volunteer sorters continues to contribute to this improvement. 

From the beginning, the role of the Treasurer was important for maintaining an account distinct from any other fundraising at St. Mike’s. It was a fundamental principle that the Friends of the Kelly Library were dedicated specifically to the needs of the Library. When Mary Ellen and Ken Burns joined the Friends Committee, Ken brought his experience from a career in banking to organize the budgets and make the quarterly reports. He established positive contact with the College accounting department, including identifying the interest due on the Friends’ accounts. In 2024 Luba Mycak took over this position. 

The fundraising purpose of the annual book sale depends on receiving hundreds of books donated by generous alumni, staff and members of the public. Donors may contact the library directly or the Friends website with details about the size of their donation. The Friends committee has always offered to pick up boxes of books if the donor cannot bring them in person. Over the years, books have been picked up from high rise apartment buildings, single family homes, musty garages and basements. Boxes can be unloaded at the library loading dock and brought inside for sorting. In the first years the sorting location moved from Alumni Hall to the 5th floor of the Kelly even to an unused hallway. The sorting room now in use behind the circulation desk was created under Sheril Hook’s direction, providing lots of shelf space for different subjects, large tables for sorting, and room for boxes and other supplies. When a box is filled with a particular subject a label is attached. The sorted boxes are then stored away for the next sale. 

All of this activity brings together the members of the Friends of the Kelly Library committee plus a number of friends who volunteer to go through the donations and organize the books by subject. This gives the sorters a fine opportunity to chat about the books they find, discuss their own interests and keep in touch with the atmosphere on the St. Mike’s campus. In 20 years many good times have been shared by working together. 

Students at St. Mike’s benefit from the enhancements purchased for the Kelly Library with the funds raised by the book sale. The Friends have paid for furniture, technical upgrades, water stations and the student study room, among other things. Students also contribute hours of enthusiastic assistance for the book sale every year. Moving the heavy boxes of books from storage to the sale tables requires strong muscles and energy. Our student volunteers are on hand at the end to pack up the remainders. They help with signage and publicity and enjoy the reward of selecting a few books. 

This set of notes and memories does not cover all the details that can be found in the meticulous minutes kept for almost every single year of these 20 years by the Friends of the Kelly Library committee Secretary, Ann Sullivan. The minutes show the dates, times, attendees, motions moved, issues discussed, and reports tabled, along with the Treasurer’s reports. The official minutes will remain on record for years to come. My decision to write this personal essay came as the new Executive Committee under the leadership of President Liz Gilbert, Wendy Brennan as Book Sale Coordinator, and new volunteer members make their contribution to the Friends of the John M. Kelly Library project. What started very small on St. Michael’s wing and a prayer has taken root as a permanent feature on campus. May it long carry on! 

Please note: In an informal story like this, the names of some participants may, unfortunately, be left out. I am grateful to all volunteers who have taken part over these years, and I thank every single one. Special thanks to library staff Manda Vrkljan; Astrida Ezergailis; and Neill Edmondstone. 

Members we have lost: Rest in peace Anne Anderson; Wiebke Smythe; Marley Carroll; Rita Shaughnessy, and student volunteer Shane Beal.