Something to Think About: Where Do the Books Come From?
Southern Neighbor, June 2005
Thanks to the Chapel Hill Public Library Foundation, this summer the library will have many more copies of the books on your child‘s summer reading list.
Last summer, Michelle Lewis, President of the Library Foundation, heard complaints from parents that the library did not have enough copies of the books on the school system‘s recommended summer reading list. It was clear that the library needed to buy more copies of the books on the list. But to do that, the library needed money.
Enter the Library Foundation. “Excellent libraries like ours cannot be sustained by public funding alone,” explained Lewis, “That is why the Chapel Hill Public Library Foundation exists — to raise private funds to ensure the continued excellence of the library.” Contributions to the Foundation (which is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization) are tax-deductible.
Over the past five years, the Foundation has donated $200,000 to the library. The result has been improved collections and enhanced technology services. In some cases, the improvements have been very targeted. For example, one donor gave $5,000 to the Foundation and specified that the money be used to purchase additional Spanish-language materials for the library‘s children‘s collection.
When Lewis learned about the difficulty parents were having checking out books from the schools‘ summer reading list, she proposed that the Foundation donate the money needed to buy additional copies of the books. The Foundation‘s Board agreed and voted to give the library $5,000 to purchase the books.
The Board also was concerned that the children‘s non-fiction collection needed refurbishing, especially in the sciences areas. “We were worried about children reading outdated materials,” Lewis explained. So the Board voted to give the library an additional $5,000 to update the non-fiction collection.
“This is just the beginning,” promises Lewis. In the fall, the Foundation will make a major announcement about its plans to “ensure the library‘s excellence well into the future” notwithstanding what may happen with the Town‘s budget. One way to improve the library is to augment its book collection. Library consultants recommend that communities such as ours maintain a collection of 4.0 books per capita, yet the Chapel Hill Public Library only has 2.7 books per capita. “Clearly, we need to work on this,” concluded Lewis, “The Foundation wants to make sure that the library has a steady supply of new, stimulating books to meet the community‘s appetite for learning.”
Fortunately, the Foundation does not plan to make its announcement this fall with just a plain vanilla press release. It has something much more appetizing in store. Hors d‘oeuvres, to be exact. The Foundation will host a house party fundraiser in the fall with lots of good food to eat and well-known local authors with whom to talk. “It should be an interesting — and fun -- event,” noted Lewis, “The authors who will be joining us are, well, rather colorful and I have no doubt that they will create some lively discussions as they mingle with the guests!”
One would think that this is quite enough for the Library Foundation to do this year. But the Foundation‘s Board has one more surprise up it‘s sleeve — in February 2006, the Foundation will hold a month-long “One Community, One Book” event based on a nonfiction novel about one of North Carolina‘s most famous real-life mysteries. The Foundation will announce the name of the book in the fall, at its house party fundraiser.
“One Town, One Book” events have been held in towns all over America. “Usually communities choose serious books about societal issues,” Lewis noted, “But the book we have chosen is just plain fun, particularly if you like mysteries.” Lewis confessed to us that she wrote notes to herself throughout the book, highlighted key facts, and put together a timeline to try to solve the mystery. “ I failed,” Lewis complained, then added, “But that doesn‘t mean I‘m giving up!”
We tried to get Lewis to give us more hints about the name of the book, but she would not budge. Looks like we all will need to wait until the fall to find out this mystery, as well as the mystery of how the Library Foundation intends to “ensure the library‘s excellence well into the future.”
If you are interested in volunteering for the Foundation, or would like to make a tax-deductible donation, please call 968-2777, extension 128. And if you find out any clues about the name of the book for the “One Community, One Book,” event, please let us know!
