Chapters

Potomac Chapter

Potomac Library
10101 Glenolden Drive
Potomac, MD 20854
Chapter President: Edie Wingate
Contact: potomac@folmc.org

Check out our newsletters here.
Check out our ongoing programs here.

Newsletter

Read our latest Spring 2020 Newsletter.

For a complete list of activities, please check out the MCPL calendar of events here. 

Great Decisions

Began its eighth year at the Potomac Library on February 6, 2020. A national program of the non-partisan Foreign Policy Association, Great Decisions is America’s largest discussion program on world affairs. We are fortunate to have a local group that meets, usually with a guest speaker, eight times a year on the first Thursday of the month from 12:30-2:00 pm in the library’s community meeting room.

The program, sponsored by Friends of the Library, Potomac, is free and open to the public. A copy of the 2020 Briefing Book, providing analysis on the wide range of topics selected for discussion, will be available beginning in early January at the library’s Information Desk. The book cannot be checked out, but it only takes about an hour to read the relevant article. A dvd is also available and it is available for checkout—ask at the Information Desk.

For further information please contact us at potomacfol@gmail.com with Great Decisions in the subject line.

Conflict Prevention by Dr. Henry Nau
February 6, 2020, 12:30-2:00
In view of the on-going tensions with Iran we will begin the year by departing from the Great Decisions 2020 topics and offering a special program. Dr. Nau is a former senior staff member of the National Security Council and special assistant to the Undersecretary of State.

Climate Change and the Global Order by Ronald Bee
March 5, 2020, 12:30-2:00
Climate change has become one of the defining issues of our time. As much of the world bands together to come up with a plan, the U.S. remains the notable holdout. What is the rest of the world doing to combat climate change? What impact will the effects of climate change have on global geopolitics?

India and Pakistan by Barbara Crossette
April 2, 2020, 12:30-2:00
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi rode a wave of Hindu nationalism to a historic reelection in 2019. His first order of business was to revoke the special status granted to the Kashmir region, inflaming the rivalry between India and Pakistan. How will the Kashmir situation affect the region, both economically and politically?

Red Sea Security by David Shinn
May 7, 2020, 12:30-2:00
The Red Sea has remained vital for global trade since the time of ancient Egypt. Once home to the spice trade, the Red Sea now sees millions of barrels of oil a day transported across its waters. With major nations like China, France, Italy, and the U.S. building large ports and bases in the region, what does the future of the region look like? How important is Red Sea security for global security? Can the region be a place of global cooperation?

Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking by Ronald Weitzer
June 4, 2020, 12:30-2:00
Almost every nation has enacted laws criminalizing human trafficking, and international organizations, governments, and NGOs sponsor a large variety of projects to curb trafficking and slavery. Billions of dollars have been allocated to these efforts. What is the international community doing to combat slavery and trafficking? What are the experiences like for those being trafficked?

Honored (and Humbled) to be Potomac Citizen of the Year

“The Friends of the Library – Potomac Chapter serves the community in so many invaluable ways… For anyone who loves to read and share reading, this organization is a conduit to books, discussions of books, authors and activities as well as programs to help children learn to love and cherish books.”

The Potomac Chamber of Commerce selected FOL-Potomac as its Citizen of the Year, based on a nomination by resident Ginny Barnes (excerpted above) citing the ways we strive to support and enhance our local branch library.

Primarily through the book sales and memberships, FOL-Potomac is able to sponsor and/or underwrite a wide variety of adult and children’s programs, bringing in guest authors and other speakers, performers and even plants and animals! (A live wallaby was a big hit this past summer; the fish tank in the children’s area is made possible by a long-time anonymous donor; and we support the Potomac Village Garden Club in their work keeping the library grounds attractive.)

You too can be Citizen of the Year!

Consider becoming a member of the friends—no time obligation involved, just membership dues ($25; only $15 for seniors, students and teachers) to help in bolstering your library. You’ll also receive this quarterly newsletter listing upcoming events and activities, well in advance of it being available at the library. To join, use the form on page 5 or online at www.folmc.org/join.