RELEASE: IMMEDIATE      DATE: 3/19/04
CONTACT: EMILY SILVERMAN, (413) 545-0995

FRIENDS OF THE UMASS AMHERST LIBRARY
HOSTS SECOND ANNUAL FUNDRAISER

“Dinner with Friends”

     Amherst , Mass. – On Saturday, April 3, 2004 , at 6:30 p.m. , the Friends of the UMass Amherst Library will host its second annual “Dinner with Friends” at the University Club on the UMass Amherst campus. This elegant and fun evening is the primary fundraising event for the UMass Amherst Library.

     The goal of the event is to raise awareness of and support for the UMass Amherst Library. The Library is the largest public research library in the region, and this outstanding resource is open to all residents of Massachusetts.

     The evening includes a four-course “Far East Feast,” a Yankee book swap, an autographed book raffle, and table-side conversations with four notable authors: Jeannine Atkins , children's literature; Elinor Lipman , fiction; Ron Welburn , poetry; and Barry Werth , nonfiction. Tickets are $100 per person. The tax-deductible donation is $65 per person ($35 per person covers the expenses of the evening and is not deductible).

     Last year attendees raised over $4,000 for the Library. This year several business sponsors are helping to make the event a success. To date, sponsors include Arnold 's Meats, Bonbons de Bourguignon ® , Boyden & Perron, Dell Inc., Fowler & Hunting Co., Hadley Garden Center, Jeffery Amherst Bookshop, National Evaluation Systems Inc., Thurston Foods, and Trader Joe's.

     For more information, and to make reservations, contact Susan McBride at the UMass Amherst Library at (413) 545-3974 or email friends@library.umass.edu.