Edith Anderson, FoML's first President, dies in Bangor at 94

Edith Anderson, a lifelong friend of libraries, died on Wednesday, May 27, at St. Joseph's Hospital in Bangor after a brief illness. Edith, shown here with her husband, Bill, and Shirley Helfrich at the 2002 FoML conference, was the first president of the Friends of Maine Libraries. FoML was established in 1985 through the efforts of Edith, Shirley, and the late Maureen Goff.

Bill Anderson said his wife was dedicated to reading, literacy education and libraries. "If she didn't have a book in her hand, she didn't know what to do. She was not much for radio or TV, but until about two weeks ago, she read constantly."

The FoML executive board extends, on behalf of all library Friends, our deepest condolences to Bill and to their five children.

(A May 27 obituary notice from the Bangor Daily News may be seen here.)

The IRS now wants an annual 'e-postcard' from every 501c3 non-profit corporation saying "We're still here." Only groups with more than $25,000 in annual revenue are currently required to file a 990 form and the IRS has simply lost track of the hundreds of thousands of smaller groups it never hears from. So starting in '08 it wants a brief on-line report with contact and activity information.

Most groups have already been alerted but the full story can be found at the IRS website: here.

HELP WANTED -

The Friends of Maine Libraries is seeking new members for its Executive Board to replace members whose terms expired in October. If you would like to learn more about what is involved in helping the group that helps those who help Maine libraries, please contact us at 938-4702 or at berek@tds.net.