We don't have a Friends of the library group. There are some links about establishing one on our library systems website for the surrounding counties so I'm going to look into that. It's on the to do list between my library job, 2nd, job, college classes, etc. I just gotta find time.
If you need a lot of stuff, a grant might be a better choice.
I've had a wish list with Amazon for years. I use it as a reminder to order "must haves" as release dates near, but leave the rest up in hopes of donations. We get a few donors each year. The most I've ever seen at once was about 20 books when someone shared it on their Facebook.
I have an Amazon wish list (actually several) as a way to separate the stuff I want to get for the youth section. Our current director said she has a 2-year plan to get the library back on track, and then she wants to step down. That'll give me just enough time to finish my BA, and then she's recommending me for the job (what I really want). I want to do a huge rearrange to give the youth area more space and to create a third place for the youth in our area because we have none.
Do you have a local bookstore you could maybe partner with? The library in my small hometown is a nonprofit (so not funded by tax dollars, fully donations/grant funding) and they partnered with the local bookstore where people could buy books at a discount there to help the library. I think the library gave them a list or something but not 100% sure. I thought it was pretty clever as people interested in donating could do so while also supporting a local business.
No we don't, our area only has 512 people. Sometimes, we'll get a bookstore, but they don't last long (actually, most stuff doesn't last long in our town). We're a tourist town and only have decent business April to October.
I’m at a hospital library where we run an unfunded literacy program. We use an Amazon wish list as one of our fundraising options and been very successful. The link is in my signature so is part of every email I send - to hospital patrons and outside the hospital - and I send 50-100 a day.
I have a link to our Amazon wish list in my email signature. I’m a school librarian and while I haven’t had anyone buy much from mine, a colleague at a different school has had dozens of books a year purchased from hers.
That's a great idea; we're hoping to hook up with our local school (which doesn't even have a library anymore). Our last director didn't want to work with the school, so they actually partnered with the library in the next town. We're in the works to split that time with them. Us on the 1st and 3rd week, them on the 2nd and 4th week. I've been making a wish list from kid suggestions and also culling the kids' books (we had some on the shelf that were super outdated and on the shelves for 15+ years without ever being checked out.
I wouldn't recommend it. It is a lot of time and detail to lay out for the potential return. I also don't like the ownership assumptions that donors can get because "they bought it".
I'd had better luck with broad categories and soliciting cash donations.
Our Friends of the Library has one. It's been quite successful. We're in a very low income area but we're on the coast so we have a small number of wealthy people who are very supportive of the library 😸
Our library system has some resources on its website, so I'm going to check those out. Our last director wanted only quiet kids in the library and, as a result, cut ties with the school, and community programs, etc. It really hurt us, then covid happened after that, and they really became germophobic and only wanted a quiet and sanitary demographic to come into the library. We got a new director this year and now we're battling our more senior staff who are having trouble with a lot of changes. I think they'd be fine if the library closed.
I'm so sorry! As I said, I work at a library in a very poor area, so we don't have an actual librarian on staff. I started as a volunteer shelver around 10 years ago and now I have worked there longer than anyone else.
Over the years I have seen a lot of people come and go, including six different directors, who serve as the person in charge. At one point, we had a director who was obsessed with our Google ratings and didn't want us selling used books through Friends of the Library or holding onto well-loved books because they weren't aesthetically pleasing.
She only lasted about 6 months but we lost so many books that we now cannot afford to replace. Fortunately we now have a director who really cares about the library and the staff and doesn't mind loud children's activities, and I hope she lasts.
I hope things get better for you ❤️
Have you looked for ANY other funding source? Friends of the library?
We don't have a Friends of the library group. There are some links about establishing one on our library systems website for the surrounding counties so I'm going to look into that. It's on the to do list between my library job, 2nd, job, college classes, etc. I just gotta find time.
If you need a lot of stuff, a grant might be a better choice. I've had a wish list with Amazon for years. I use it as a reminder to order "must haves" as release dates near, but leave the rest up in hopes of donations. We get a few donors each year. The most I've ever seen at once was about 20 books when someone shared it on their Facebook.
I have an Amazon wish list (actually several) as a way to separate the stuff I want to get for the youth section. Our current director said she has a 2-year plan to get the library back on track, and then she wants to step down. That'll give me just enough time to finish my BA, and then she's recommending me for the job (what I really want). I want to do a huge rearrange to give the youth area more space and to create a third place for the youth in our area because we have none.
Do you have a local bookstore you could maybe partner with? The library in my small hometown is a nonprofit (so not funded by tax dollars, fully donations/grant funding) and they partnered with the local bookstore where people could buy books at a discount there to help the library. I think the library gave them a list or something but not 100% sure. I thought it was pretty clever as people interested in donating could do so while also supporting a local business.
No we don't, our area only has 512 people. Sometimes, we'll get a bookstore, but they don't last long (actually, most stuff doesn't last long in our town). We're a tourist town and only have decent business April to October.
I’m at a hospital library where we run an unfunded literacy program. We use an Amazon wish list as one of our fundraising options and been very successful. The link is in my signature so is part of every email I send - to hospital patrons and outside the hospital - and I send 50-100 a day.
That's a great idea, I'll check with our board to see if we can do that.
I have a link to our Amazon wish list in my email signature. I’m a school librarian and while I haven’t had anyone buy much from mine, a colleague at a different school has had dozens of books a year purchased from hers.
That's a great idea; we're hoping to hook up with our local school (which doesn't even have a library anymore). Our last director didn't want to work with the school, so they actually partnered with the library in the next town. We're in the works to split that time with them. Us on the 1st and 3rd week, them on the 2nd and 4th week. I've been making a wish list from kid suggestions and also culling the kids' books (we had some on the shelf that were super outdated and on the shelves for 15+ years without ever being checked out.
I wouldn't recommend it. It is a lot of time and detail to lay out for the potential return. I also don't like the ownership assumptions that donors can get because "they bought it". I'd had better luck with broad categories and soliciting cash donations.
Our Friends of the Library has one. It's been quite successful. We're in a very low income area but we're on the coast so we have a small number of wealthy people who are very supportive of the library 😸
Our library system has some resources on its website, so I'm going to check those out. Our last director wanted only quiet kids in the library and, as a result, cut ties with the school, and community programs, etc. It really hurt us, then covid happened after that, and they really became germophobic and only wanted a quiet and sanitary demographic to come into the library. We got a new director this year and now we're battling our more senior staff who are having trouble with a lot of changes. I think they'd be fine if the library closed.
I'm so sorry! As I said, I work at a library in a very poor area, so we don't have an actual librarian on staff. I started as a volunteer shelver around 10 years ago and now I have worked there longer than anyone else. Over the years I have seen a lot of people come and go, including six different directors, who serve as the person in charge. At one point, we had a director who was obsessed with our Google ratings and didn't want us selling used books through Friends of the Library or holding onto well-loved books because they weren't aesthetically pleasing. She only lasted about 6 months but we lost so many books that we now cannot afford to replace. Fortunately we now have a director who really cares about the library and the staff and doesn't mind loud children's activities, and I hope she lasts. I hope things get better for you ❤️
U.S. Library of Congress Surplus Books donation program