Foundation Receives $150,000 Donation
Donation Completes 9300 Books Now! Campaign
[ Left to right: Mayor Pro Tem Jim Ward; Foundation Executive Director Melissa Cain; Library Director Kathleen Thompson; Foundation President Gene Pease; Mayor Kevin Foy ]
03/24/2009 – The Chapel Hill Public Library Foundation has received a gift of $150,000 from the Anonymous Fund of the Triangle Community Foundation to purchase additional books and non-print materials for the library's collection.
The donation completes the 9300 Books Now! Campaign started by the Chapel Hill Public Library Foundation in 2006. The library foundation has met its goal of raising $300,000, the amount that officially fills the library to the brim. It is estimated that the library will be at capacity with 9300 books, hence the campaign goal for 9300 books. The new materials will be available to the public in the next several months and will be incorporated into the opening day collection in the expanded library.
"This wonderful donation will have a lasting impact on our library and on our community of readers," said Melissa Cain, the library foundation's executive director. "9300 more books and non-print items will result in thousands more library loans each year. A single book at the Chapel Hill Public Library is borrowed on average five times per year."
Since 2006, the Chapel Hill Public Library Foundation has donated nearly $100,000 to the library for the purchase of new materials. This includes circulating books for adults and children, educational DVD's for children, books in Spanish and Chinese, audio books and electronic information resources.
Foundation President Gene Pease said the library foundation will continue to seek private donations to help a library that is recognized for intensive use. Every day more than 1,000 people use the library, and more than 2,000 items are checked out. Such heavy borrowing puts extreme stress on the collection, he said.
"In tough economic times, more people than ever turn to their public library and the demand for services and materials explode," Pease said. "During this economic downturn, all public services are struggling to maintain services with fewer resources. The Chapel Hill Public Library Foundation recognizes this."
Chapel Hill Public Library Director Kathleen Thompson and her staff are working hard to meet the increased use and new demands brought about by the recent economic downturn. Thompson estimates that the current 6 percent increase in circulation will generate an additional 54,660 materials checked out this year.
"We are so grateful to our anonymous donor, to the Triangle Community Foundation, and to the Chapel Hill Public Library Foundation for helping us serve the community," Thompson said. "This generous gift is especially important now, because there always is a spike in public library use during a recession."
With 9300 Books Now! completed, the Chapel Hill Public Library Foundation will move on with its long-term goal of securing private funding to purchase about 55,000 additional print and non-print items for the expanded library facility.
Donations will be used to target specific areas of the collection that require updating, enhancement, or need to be built from scratch. This phase of the Ensuring Excellence Campaign is now the foundation's primary focus through 2012.
The Chapel Hill Public Library opened for service on Dec. 15, 1958, and originated because of the vision of volunteers and the generosity of private donations. Now, 50 years later, the library is the heart and soul of the community, Cain said.
"Our library offers opportunities that no other public agency does – free access to learning, a place for solace, a gateway to information and even to employment," Cain said. "Investment in our library is a direct investment in our community and improves the general welfare of our Town."
For more information on the Chapel Hill Public Library Foundation or to make a gift, please visit the pages about us or ways to give. You can also call (919) 929-1666 for assistance.
Support for this project has been provided by the Anonymous Fund of the Triangle Community Foundation.
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