Bonnie Horowitz is a long-time member of the Friends of Round Rock Public Library. Why did Bonnie join the Friends and remain loyal over these many years? In her own words:
“If one is going to be a library patron and is going to volunteer at the library, then he or she needs to become a Friend. As a Friend one finds ways of helping the library in addition to utilizing its resources and meeting the great people who volunteer and work for the library.”
Bonnie and her family returned to Round Rock after her husband’s 30-year service in the U.S. Navy. At that time, they had a youngster who was attending middle school, and they chose Round Rock because of the quality of the schools in the community. At that time, Bonnie was named to the Round Rock’s library board, an advisory board responsible for assisting and overseeing library funding. However, shortly after being appointed to the advisory board the board dissolved, and so Bonnie joined the Friends of Round Rock Public Library.
The first activity she remembers participating in with the Friends was the first Mystery Night Production. They bought a script for a theatre production from another library, rewrote it into one that was more germane to Round Rock, and performed it for the community. The play was well received, everyone had lots of fun, and that was the beginning of Mystery Night.
Bonnie became president of the Friends in 1985. Under her leadership there have been many exciting activities over the years, with Mystery Night being an enduring favorite. She is very proud of the way it grew over the years, and of the fact that her husband, Norman, wrote the script for Mystery Night one year and she produced it. However, she will be quick to tell you that Mystery Night wasn’t a one person show and that the members of Friends work collaboratively not only on Mystery Night, but for all of the library’s activities. For Mystery Nights, the Friends provided the meals, and it is not unusual to see the Friends in the kitchen fixing salads, serving suppers, and accommodating the needs of the attendees. They even were responsible for setting up tables and taking down tables at the end of the show, which was a tedious job, but no one complained because it was their project. It was wonderful to see the attendees leaving these sessions pleased and excited about what they had experienced.
Bonnie has also been involved in the Book Nook since its inception. She sees it as a valuable source of resources for the community in that it places quality reading materials in homes for a fraction of the cost. The Book Nook also raises funds for the library. It has expanded over the years, and we now have a kids Nook in the children’s section downstairs and a Nook for the adults in the adult sections upstairs.
And on any Monday and Wednesday morning one will find Bonnie in the English as a Second Language program tutoring students who wish to learn English. She is very dedicated to this program and devotes much time to helping her students.
When asked about the new library, Bonnie’s excitement was obvious, and the interviewers enjoyed seeing the twinkle in Bonnie’s eyes as she expressed her hopes for the new library. Looking forward to the new library she sees lots of fun things to do and the Friends will be intricately involved in all aspects of the endeavor.
Moving into the new library, Bonnie envisions the Friends making the necessary changes to accommodate the library’s needs. She feels comfortable with what is being done and thinks the library is doing a great job. She knows that the library staff are great people known for their friendliness to the public and for their service. They are always helpful when someone comes in and she knows those practices will carry over to the new library.
The Friends, Bonnie included, have been helpful to the library during the pandemic, and they will continue to be a liaison between the library and the community. They will help convey the status of the library’s move while recruiting new members. We can always use many, many more Friends.
