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NEWBERRY — The Newberry County Friends of the Library opened a new chapter on Sunday at its annual meeting.

The group reported it had a successful year and has donated funds to help the library expand its services.

Members donated $6,000 to help the library start using e-books, which can be borrowed from the library system like regular books but are downloaded to personal electronic devises.

The group is also donating $5,000 for furniture at the Whitmire library.

Head Librarian Sam Ziady said a letter to the editor for the Whitmire library asking for computers to help residents with job searches and other uses gained support of the community. The library is getting the computers through a Community Development Block Grant and the furniture will be used in the new area.

Newberry County Friends of the Library also donated $1,000 to First Steps to help foster reading for the youngest residents.

During the meeting Audrey Henry was re-elected the group’s president and Karen Scott was re-elected treasurer.

Henry said her wish list for the coming year is for more people to attend the Friends of the Library monthly meeting held at 3 p.m. on the third Monday of each month.

She said she would also like more men to come to the annual literary luncheon, which is a fundraiser for the group.

The Friends of the Library will host this year’s luncheon at noon April 19. C. Hope Clark, author of the South Carolina based “Low Country Bribe,” will be the guest speaker. “Low Country Bribe” is a mystery novel about a farm loan officer involved in a loan scheme.

Last year’s luncheon was the biggest one held by the group with more than 200 tickets being sold to hear nationally know author Mary Alice Monroe.

Henry is also asking for volunteers to help produce the Friends of the Library’s newsletter and to market books online.

After the business meeting, a panel of local authors — including Kevin Boozer of The Newberry Observer, former Observer editor Ollie Moye and Newberry Magazine owner Robert Summer — discussed their recent releases.

Boozer’s book, “Scar, the Helpful Wolf,” is a children’s book featuring the Newberry College mascot, Scar. In the book, the helpful wolf guides the family of a prospective student around the Newberry College campus. Boozer, a 2010 alumnus of the college, has been writing children’s stories for over 10 years and has been published in “Little Lutheran.”

Moye’s book, “North to Prosperity,” is a murder mystery, which has been receiving favorable reviews from readers. The book has a Lake Murray setting and includes fictional characters from Newberry and Lexington counties. He also wrote “Daddy, Tell Them We Don’t Shoot Bambi.”

Summer recently published book is titled “Newberry, South Carolina, Homes and Gardens.” Filled with photography, it highlights homes and gardens that have been featured in the magazine.