Chapel Hill Public Library Foundation Presents $36,000 to the Library
Funds will be used to add to print and non-print collections
June 25, 2008 — The Chapel Hill Public Library Foundation donated $36,000 to the Town of Chapel Hill at the June 25 meeting of the Town Council. Foundation President, Gene Pease, reported on the progress of the Foundation’s fundraising work. The Foundation hired Melissa Cain to serve as the Executive Director and has a new office located at the VilCom Campus. The office space is donated by Jim Heavner of Chapel Hill.
Pease presented Mayor Pro Tem Jim Ward with the donation which is the Foundation’s third Ensuring Excellence Campaign contribution to the Chapel Hill Public Library. The $36,000 donation is earmarked for the purchase of an expansive new DVD collection for children as well as nearly 500 new books for adults, young adults and children. Shelving for these materials also will be purchased with this donation.
The Chapel Hill Public Library Foundation is leading a five-year $2.5 million fundraising capital campaign, Ensuring Excellence. The campaign began in 2006 and ends in 2011 when the newly expanded Chapel Hill Public Library opens to the public. At this time the Library will need an additional 68,000 collection items to meet the heavy demand of its service population.
The first $12,000 campaign donation purchased new non-fiction print materials for children as well as shelving for these items. The second $50,000 campaign donation purchased 900 print and audio-visual items for patrons of all ages, with 200 of these items in the Spanish language and another 200 in Chinese. Sixteen new electronic resources were acquired and many of these offer remote access. Bookcases and shelves also were purchased for these materials.
Since 2006, the Foundation has given $98,000 in private capital campaign funds to the Town for the Library’s use.
Even with strong support from the Town, the Library needs private support in order to enlarge its collection to meet its service goals. The Chapel Hill Public Library is the busiest public library in North Carolina. Library users check out approximately 14 books per capita each year--over three times the State average. In a heavy use community like Chapel Hill, a library collection should have 4.0 collection items per person. The Chapel Hill Public Library has only 2.6 items per person.
The Chapel Hill Public Library Foundation is a private, non-profit, tax-exempt organization, completely separate from the Town of Chapel Hill. The mission of the Foundation is to develop and encourage long-term financial health and growth of the Library through annual gifts, endowment and capital contributions. The Foundation oversees the management of the Love Trust, with a current value of $1.8 million. Earned income from the trust is distributed quarterly to the Library. The Foundation’s $36,000 gift will supplement regular trust distributions.
For more information on the Ensuring Excellence Campaign and to make a gift, please visit the Foundation’s web site, www.chplfoundation.org or call 919-929-1666.
