Friends of the Library is a non-profit 501(c)3  organization.   We have existed in Nogales since the opening of the library in 1922 when the Nogales Woman's Club started it with donated books, tables and chairs and volunteer staff.  Lack of funding has always been an issue, and Friends became a non-profit in 2005, hoping to serve the greater Santa Cruz County communities.  Our goal is to support the Nogales, Rio Rico, Tubac and Sonoita library staff in serving these urban and rural communities.  Friends maintain more than 20 Free Little Libraries throughout Santa Cruz County, Arizona.

Friends promote knowledge of the librarys' functions and resources.  Our’ funding supports library staff who purchase quality books, technology and material, offer meaningful programs and unique opportunities for growth.  Only one in three toddlers in Santa Cruz County have access to a preschool experience.  The public library system is the key to those opportunities.

The Santa Cruz County community; teachers, school staff, preschool teachers, daycare providers, home visitation preschool specialists, social service agency staff, parents and even middle and high school students have been trained through "Books Save Lives" on how to motivate resistant readers to become confident readers.  These trained community members are all working on getting non readers (birth to high school) reading in English for school success and the home languages (mostly Spanish here on the border) to ensure the transfer of family values, traditions, customs and even family recipes. Your donations are tax deductible.