Celebrating her 10th anniversary as the Friends Operations Manager, Melissa has spent more than 5,000 hours training volunteers, creating new systems, advocating for the Wichita Public Library, and championing the Friends' mission.

The big picture Most people think of libraries as places for books and storytimes. But research shows they're also a public safety tool. “We find within the nearby proximity of the library; there is a substantial reduction in frequency of burglaries, vandalism, robberies, fraud, and assaults,” wrote Amir B. Ferriera Neto, Jennifer Nowicki, and Shishir Shakya (2023, Journal of Cultural Economics study: Do public libraries help mitigate crime? Evidence from Kansas City, Missouri). Why it...

Leslie has brought her love of books and community to the Friends of Wichita Public Library. She enjoys volunteering at FWPL book sales and connecting people with great reads. Books and reading have been a big influence in her life and it's something she's instilled in her own family. How long have you been a Friends volunteer? This is my fourth year. How long have you served on the Board of Directors and what is your current office? I started my volunteering by being voted in as Treasurer...