Raising revenue
Raising revenue
Keywords: Fund-raising, Public libraries
Dateline: Pipestone and Jasper, Minnesota
A local jurisdiction, district committee had recommended cutting almost$700,000 from the 2001-2002 school district budget, including $85,000 in salaries, which would mean eliminating the school district's librarian and four support positions. The teachers of the district, however, felt that the learning center was a crucial component of the school and voted to use half of their$120,000 staff development funds to save these five positions. The school board accepted the offer and then gave an additional $25,000 to fund the positions until 2002-2003. http://www.ala.org/alonline/news/2001/010514.html
Dateline: Marshall, Wisconsin
Last year, the Marshall (Wis.) Community Library began a fundraising effort to raise $1.2 million for a new building. Clarissa Porter, 87, a member of the Friends of the Library, proved herself to be a friend indeed. Apparently the money just wasn't coming in fast enough for her, because, according to the May 19 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, she sped things up with a donation of$885,000. Porter is the granddaughter of one of the original settlers of Marshall (which currently has a population of 3,400), who began her fortune 60 years ago when the family farm was sold. Because she has always shown support for the public library it was not unexpected that she would make a donation. The size of the donation, however, was a great surprise. The current 1,800-square-foot library will be replaced with a building of 9,000 square feet. Porter will be matching gifts of $1,000 or more, up to a total of $250,000. http://www.ala.org/alonline/news/2001/010528.html
Dateline: Fall River, Massachusetts
A local public library, Fall River (Mass.) Public Library is hoping to raise$500,000 of the $3.5 million needed to renovate the main library with the sale of its rare books. The May 23 Fall River Herald News reported that four of the most valuable books were sold at auction on May 22, with several more to be sold on June 12. The most valuable was a copy of F.V. Hayden's The Yellowstone National Park (1876), estimated to be worth $90,000-$120,000. Another title to be sold is a 1493 edition of the Nuremberg Chronicle,with numerous woodcuts, portraits and maps. There has been some opposition to the library's sale of the books, as there are those who want the books to remain in the library for the use of the Fall River residents. However, this is not a practical stance, as the library does not have appropriate climate-controlled storage, and most of the books already show slight damage from moisture. http://www.ala.org/alaonline/news/2001/010528.html
Eileen FitzsimonsFitzsimons Editorial Services
