John Belding

Who or what got you started with the Friends?
We moved to Belchertown in December 2014 and shortly afterwards my wife, Meredith Weiss, became a volunteer at the library. When I retired from my job as Director of Planning at Central Massachusetts Agency on Aging at the end of last summer I was looking for a community group to become involved with and the Friends provided a logical opportunity.

How long have you been involved with the Friends?
When we were moving here we donated a number of books to the book sale and supported the sale by buying books for our grandchildren. We also attended the wine tasting event sponsored by the Friends in 2015 and joined the group at that time. However, I didn’t attend my first meeting until this past November. 

What is your favorite part of being a Friend?
I haven’t been active for a whole year yet, but I enjoyed pouring wine at the tasting this past February and was happy to help with packing up the remaining books after the spring sale. We recently attended the African Storyteller program co-sponsored by the Friends with two of our grandchildren. We all enjoyed it immensely and it was a great experience to see the world through their eyes.

What would you tell someone who is interested in joining the Friends?
It’s a wonderful way to give something of value to the community and to work with some great people who are similarly committed. 

Do you have a favorite author or book?
I don’t have any particular favorite author or book but I’ve been a passionate reader since I was a child. As kids, my brother Wayne and I even used to read the encyclopedia for fun on rainy days.  I’m primarily interested in non-fiction but still read the occasional novel or mystery. 

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