Ensuring Excellence Campaign
More Books, More Readers
Aware that a much bigger, more efficient and comfortable Library increases interest in and use of library materials, the Chapel Hill Public Library Foundation is taking action. Additional private funds are needed to help build a larger, more diverse book collection. Presently, print materials account for 12% of the Library's total budget allocation. The Chapel Hill Public Library's book budget is barely within the top third of public libraries in North Carolina.
Private donations for collection development will have an immediate effect on the quality of the Library's service because:
- The current collection is under intense demand and patrons must often wait for books to be available. Multiple copies of some titles would eliminate this problem.
- Constant use wears books out, requiring the purchase of replacement copies.
- Every year publishers produce a greater number of trade books for children and adults. Broad access to these new titles keeps a book collection up-to-date and gives readers a wide range of choice.
- The cost of building a library collection is higher every year. Books and non-print materials cost more because publishers raise their prices.
- The Library could upgrade and create a better audio-visual collection. The number of audio recordings, including music and audio-books is low. There is no loan of videos and DVDs, a standard practice for most public libraries.
- Electronic books could become available. The number of titles in this format is growing rapidly and so is the demand for them.
- Such explosive growth in the population and its needs challenges the Library just to maintain its collection of books and non-print materials at the current level. With supplemental private funds, the Library will achieve a higher level of service.
By 2011, the newly expanded Library can meet its service goal of 4 collection items per capita by adding approximately 68,000 items. Most of these materials will be books. Some items will be in audio-visual formats. All are important for the enrichment of our community.
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