LibraryView
By Susan Lilly
Valuing our Community Treasure
The Library’s 2017 Summer Reading program has concluded, kids have returned to school, and the Stanislaus Library Foundation is gearing up for a busy fall season of fundraising and spreading awareness of the library and its programs.
With 13 branches located throughout the county, our library system provides vital services, including:
· Reading programs for children, and safe places for teens to read and study;
· Senior services, like computer training, access to large print books, and delivery to the homebound;
· Access to job applications, employment services, and job training resources, as well as business and economic information for businesses;
· Literacy training for adults and families;
· Access to nearly 700,000 books and publications, DVDs and CDs and an expansive collection of online databases with access to more than 100,000 downloadable audiobooks, movies, TV shows, music albums, eBooks, and magazines; and,
· Free access to computers and Wi-Fi.
The Stanislaus Library Foundation (SLF) supports the entire library system by providing funding for programs, e-books, and special events. The Summer Reading Program is one of the most popular, with more than 13,000 participants each year. SLF accepts donations from community members in order to maintain its support.
A new Pop-up Library at the county’s Juvenile Justice Center was launched recently. Funded by community donations, incarcerated youth may borrow books, so they can use their time productively. The outreach librarian also conducts book clubs with the teens, which they attend eagerly. Books are giving these young people opportunities to think about the world in different ways and perhaps envision a brighter future.
The Foundation’s annual Authors Garden Gala is September 23, 2017. The theme, Young Minds + Libraries = Our Future, reflects awareness that millennials use libraries at an increasing rate. A young local author, Juliana Presto, will be featured. For gala tickets, contact Maree Hawkins, 209-529-1517.
The Library Foundation is also working to spread awareness of Measure S, the renewal of the one-eighth of a penny dedicated sales tax that provides almost 90% of the library’s funding. Here are the facts:
· The 2017 library ballot measure is not a new tax. It merely renews the current one-eighth of a penny sales tax approved overwhelmingly by Stanislaus County voters in years past.
· By law, library sales tax revenues can be used only for library services. They can’t be taken by the state or diverted for other uses. Passage of the measure requires two-thirds of the voters to Say Yes to S.
For more information about Measure S, visit savestanislauslibraries.org.
For more information about the Stanislaus Library Foundation, visit stanislauslibraryfoundation.org.
Stanislaus County Library – Valuing our Community Treasure
Jane Manley, Co-Chair, Stanislaus County Library Foundation
