Sunday, September 21, 2008
More budget cuts
At their September meeting the Highland County Board of Supervisors announced that county departments receiving state aid would have that aid cut by approximately 4% this fiscal year. This cut originated with the state and it was up to each locality how it would be applied. The options were an across-the-board cut to all departments, cuts made to some departments and not others, or the county could step in and cover the costs of the cut by writing a check from their reserves. Our supervisors chose the option suggested by Virginia's Department of Planning and Budget, which seemed most fair to all departments affected by the cuts. In our case it will be a loss of $708. This money will be cut directly from the library materials budget.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Longer Saturday hours to serve you!
We recently added to our Saturday hours. You can now stop by the library on Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. That's three more hours to get your stuff done!
It's fundraising time!
September is when we send out our annual letter asking for donations for the library. Since we're a 501(c)3 non-profit we are more dependent on local donations than most other libraries. We raise local funds for our operating budget, not extras. It's vitally important that our community continues to support the library with contributions if we are to continue to provide the services that everyone has come to enjoy.
For those of you who didn't receive a letter, here's what we said:
Greetings,
Since this is Chris Scott’s second year as library board president, and he had already written one of these letters, he asked me if I’d like to write it this year. I jumped at the chance.
This year the library has faced challenges as budget cuts have hit us again and again.
We understand that the cuts are happening because of a larger problem with loss of revenue across the state. Difficult economic times are hitting everyone and we realize there is less discretionary income to go around. Gas and food come first. However, hard times are when libraries really prove their worth.
When economic times are tough people seek ways to cut expenses. Books and web sites that preach frugality and debt reduction nearly always publish lists of ways to economize. On almost every one of these lists you’ll find, “Use your public library.” Libraries can save the expense of buying books, renting DVDs, and paying for internet service. In your library you can search for a better job, find books to help you improve your current job skills, or plan to start your own business. Libraries offer programs for an educational and/or entertaining evening out. Libraries are a fun and exciting destination for families with children.
This library is here for you when you need it, and recently you’ve been making good use of it. Our Summer Reading Program for the children had the most registrants ever this year, 102.
We had more children than ever complete their reading logs and return them. We had the largest attendance for a library program ever (sixty-five) when The Wildlife Center of Virginia brought their snakes and box turtle for “Scales and Tails.” In the month of July we posted the highest number of items checked out ever (3405). In our 2007-2008 fiscal year, which ended June 30th, we had our highest number of items ever checked out in a year (28,429). That’s twelve items checked out for every person in Highland County.
So that the library may continue to serve you at the level you’ve come to expect, I ask that you please consider investing in your library with your donation. The library is one place where you can enjoy an immediate return on investment and you’ll be helping the larger community.
To quote an American Library Association saying which is posted in our library, “Libraries will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no libraries.”
Sincerely,
Tomi Herold
Library Director
If you'd like to make a donation our address is listed at the top of the right side information bar.
For those of you who didn't receive a letter, here's what we said:
Greetings,
Since this is Chris Scott’s second year as library board president, and he had already written one of these letters, he asked me if I’d like to write it this year. I jumped at the chance.
This year the library has faced challenges as budget cuts have hit us again and again.
We understand that the cuts are happening because of a larger problem with loss of revenue across the state. Difficult economic times are hitting everyone and we realize there is less discretionary income to go around. Gas and food come first. However, hard times are when libraries really prove their worth.
When economic times are tough people seek ways to cut expenses. Books and web sites that preach frugality and debt reduction nearly always publish lists of ways to economize. On almost every one of these lists you’ll find, “Use your public library.” Libraries can save the expense of buying books, renting DVDs, and paying for internet service. In your library you can search for a better job, find books to help you improve your current job skills, or plan to start your own business. Libraries offer programs for an educational and/or entertaining evening out. Libraries are a fun and exciting destination for families with children.
This library is here for you when you need it, and recently you’ve been making good use of it. Our Summer Reading Program for the children had the most registrants ever this year, 102.
We had more children than ever complete their reading logs and return them. We had the largest attendance for a library program ever (sixty-five) when The Wildlife Center of Virginia brought their snakes and box turtle for “Scales and Tails.” In the month of July we posted the highest number of items checked out ever (3405). In our 2007-2008 fiscal year, which ended June 30th, we had our highest number of items ever checked out in a year (28,429). That’s twelve items checked out for every person in Highland County.
So that the library may continue to serve you at the level you’ve come to expect, I ask that you please consider investing in your library with your donation. The library is one place where you can enjoy an immediate return on investment and you’ll be helping the larger community.
To quote an American Library Association saying which is posted in our library, “Libraries will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no libraries.”
Sincerely,
Tomi Herold
Library Director
If you'd like to make a donation our address is listed at the top of the right side information bar.
Accepting book donations now!
Actually we accept them all year long. That's what our storage building is for! The book sale is coming up in less than a month so if you've been saving your books to bring at book sale time, the time is now!
Monday, September 15, 2008
Book Sale Volunteers Needed
The Annual Used Book Sale is coming up October 10-12, 2008. We need volunteers. It takes hundreds of man hours to put on this sale so we're asking for your help. What can you do?
1. Sorting before the sale. Help arrange books by subject. It's a loose system intended only to help people find the books that interest them.
2. Moving books. We need help moving the books from our storage building to the meeting room and tents. You'll have to be able to lift boxes up to 50 lbs.
3. Selling books during the sale weekend. It's a great opportunity to meet and assist fellow book lovers.
4. Taking down the sale. Helping move the leftover books off site, taking down the tents and cleaning up the aftermath.
If you can be of any help please contact us. The sign-up schedule is on the front desk in the library right now! 468-2373.
1. Sorting before the sale. Help arrange books by subject. It's a loose system intended only to help people find the books that interest them.
2. Moving books. We need help moving the books from our storage building to the meeting room and tents. You'll have to be able to lift boxes up to 50 lbs.
3. Selling books during the sale weekend. It's a great opportunity to meet and assist fellow book lovers.
4. Taking down the sale. Helping move the leftover books off site, taking down the tents and cleaning up the aftermath.
If you can be of any help please contact us. The sign-up schedule is on the front desk in the library right now! 468-2373.
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