I’ve said before that I cannot live without books. You know what follows that? I cannot live without my library.
I thought I was a good library patron. My family visits the library weekly, and we usually walk out of there with a (reusable, made from recycled materials) grocery bag FULL of books. I joined the “Friends of the Library” and donate gently used books for sales and circulation.
But last month, I found out how much more I could do.
Every summer the library has a Reading Program, but my family never signs up. Too much work, too little time. Besides, my kids love to read and don’t need prizes to motivate them. But this year, when I explained this to the branch manager, Anita, she shook her head sadly and said, “That’s too bad, because we get funding based on participation in our reading programs.”
Well. I dropped the overloaded shopping bag to the floor. If it meant better funding, maybe we could manage.
Anita went on to share some other interesting facts about our little library system in southwest Virginia, but I’m sure libraries everywhere face similar challenges. (See ilovelibraries.org for more information on how libraries suffer in this tough economic climate):
- Funding for our library system has dropped significantly in the past five years; last year the budget had $13,000 less for materials- in a small budget, that’s a large proportion of funding
- Library workers here get paid less than people who work at McDonalds
- Libraries can use reading programs, or any other programs that generate statistics, to get better funding from state officials
- The My Coke Rewards Program helps our local branch buy $1500 worth of periodicals each year; patrons just need to bring in their bottle caps/ rewards codes from 12 & 24 packs
Anita and her coworkers, (who get paid minimum wage, remember) spend lots of energy finding alternative sources for funding because they believe communities need libraries. Many people who live in my county, one of the poorest in Virginia, don’t have money to buy a book, much less a computer. They use the library to access news, entertainment, and even job applications, things many of us take for granted. If only bookstores or online resources provided reading material, a fraction of our population would lose access to important information. And that portion of our society is getting bigger and poorer.
Libraries offer more than books; they offer education, enrichment, and connection to the world. click to tweet
So, I decided to try and do at least one more thing to help my library; my kids and I will be filling out reading logs this summer.
Do you think that libraries deserve a little extra effort? What can you do to support your local branch? Share your thoughts in the comments below, and thanks for stopping by.
You can find more information about libraries at www.ilovelibraries.org and www.ala.org.
You might also like:
Like Thomas Jefferson, I Need Books
And this great article:
Nine Reasons to Save Public Libraries
(Thanks for the tip, Jennifer Hartling
Julia
Thanks for a great post and for reminding me to use my library more. We have a teeny library, but it is connected to the main branch & all the other 10 branches in the area. So if I want a bk & one of the branches have it, then it can be delivered to my tiny branch for me. Libraries offer great services and they surpass the benefits of a McDonalds!!
Monique
Yes, I can do that at my library too. And, we can also check out e-books! I hope that’s another way to keep people reading!
Thanks Julia,
I had not idea this is the case for libraries – we just got connected to ours after our recent move so I will keep this in mind as they offer their programs. 😉
Blessings, Hester 😉
Great!
Thanks for this post Julia.
Our library’s roof has leaked on books (mostly the fiction section) for several years. This year funding was finally available and the repairs are under way.
Our library has a wonderful program where men read to fourth-grade boys. Boys often grow up seeing reading as a sissy activity and having grown men read to them changes that perception.
Libraries need funding donations but time and contribution of talents are valued too.
The click to tweet feature is handy. Thanks.
Kris, I LOVE the idea of adult men reading to boys. What a great way to combat the misconception. And you make a very valid point- libraries need more than just money. We all have a little something we could give.
Glad you like the “click” function; I still need to work on it!
I didn’t realize the funding had taken such deep cuts. Roanoke County invested some money in their libraries, and they offer so much! Hopefully Wythe Co will be able to do the same soon. It’d be a shame for public libraries to disappear because of $$ issues.
Anita told me that libraries in wealthier areas suffer because they are losing business to the book stores. She said many are making changes to encourage a “book store atmosphere” to bring readers back. Perhaps that is what’s going on in Roanoke. I’m glad they are investing resources…
This is such a great reminder – much of it new to me. I don’t sign up for summer reading programs for exactly the reason you didn’t. Once I wanted to go to the planetarium and knew the library had a free family pass. The librarian shook her head and said, “People just don’t use it.” I thought that was such a shame. Many times we don’t use all the resources because we don’t know about them – and we’d know if we visited and asked. I hope there never is a day when we don’t have libraries. On-line reading has its place, but never in place of a good library full of good books.
I agree! Maybe libraries can learn to use social media to get the word out about their programs. Imagine a Facebook Fan page for your local branch!