Perk (purk)  Short for perquisite.
1.n. A reward or added benefit received in addition to a regular satisfaction.
2. v. To become more cheerful and lively.

Why do people join and remain members of the Friends of the Brown County Library? In its most basic sense, we hope that they believe in and want to support our mission, which is to help the Brown County Library in its broad efforts to improve childhood, teen, and adult literacy in the county. 

But let’s be honest, the perks sure do make a membership that much more valuable and worthwhile.

1. Book Sale perks - Your membership gives you exclusive admittance to the members-only opening day of our bi-annual BIG Book Sale. New this year, members will have more hours to shop on opening day, as doors will now open at 1 p.m. instead of 3 p.m. as in years past. And in addition, an informal Member Appreciation reception is held during this opening day, offering snacks and refreshments to tide you over during your shopping spree.
   
   

2. Newsletter perk - While our newsletter is available free of charge at any Library location, your membership entitles you to be first in line to receive a paper copy mailed directly to your home.
   
   

3. Exclusive Discount perks - Members who show their membership card receive a 10% savings at these participating booksellers: The Attic (730 Bodart St. in Green Bay), Lion’s Mouth Bookstore (401 N. Washington St. in Green Bay), and Powers Comics & Collectibles (two locations, Powers Comics at 2180 S. Ridge Rd in Ashwaubenon and Powers East at 1230 Main St. in Green Bay). Thank you to these retailers for supporting the Friends!
   
   

4. Exclusive Book Club perk - The Reading Between the Spines book club was established by the Friends as a local book discussion club open to members only. For each limited-attendance event, the club purchases the books of that title for members to read. After the in-person discussion, the books are then donated to the Library for their collections.
   
   

5. Exclusive Event perks - The Friends have begun scheduling events that are only open to Friends members. 
   

As a member, you will receive an email notice of upcoming members-only Events and Book Club discussions as they are scheduled.

The above are the more tangible “Definition #1” benefits of being a Friend, but “Definition #2” also has its satisfaction. The pleasure of finding that special book at the Book Sale…Seeing a parent’s gratitude at receiving books for their kids’ Holiday gifts from the Friends Give-A-Kid-A-Book program…Knowing that newborns and their parents will start their journey to literacy with baby books provided by the Friends Born-to-Read program. …the satisfaction of helping children, tweens, teens, and even adults maintain their reading enjoyment over the Summer by helping the Library’s Summer Reading Program.

Those are the real perks of our Friends memberships. Perhaps not to the level of becoming “lively and cheerful,” but certainly “warm and satisfied.”  I’ll take that as a perk.