When the question is asked "How do you support this great library?" most people would answer by saying they pay taxes to support the Library. While some of our tax dollars go to support our Library it only explains part of what makes the Library so great. Have your children participated in one of the Library's A+ programs (Summer Reading program, Spelling Bee, Rube Goldberg, etc.)? Have you borrowed a Nook reader from the Library? Enjoyed the Enchanted Gardens at the new Miller Library? Have participated in the Choose Civility program? Attended a "Evening in the Stacks"event? Attended one of the "Meet the Author" events? If you have answered yes to any of these questions then you have benefited from the work of the "Friends of the Howard County Library."
The next time you go into the Library and check out books add up the cost of those books if you had to have purchased those books. Then project that cost over a year's time of borrowing. I know for me that would quickly add up to hundreds of dollars. What I would like for you to consider is to join the Friends of the Library at a level that is 10% of the money you have saved. Think of it as "tithing" to the Library. You can do this in a way that is automatic and you will hardly even notice it. The Friends have a system that allows you to have an automatic charge to your credit card each month. Painless way to support this great institution. On the donation page under amount use the "other amount" category to put in your monthly charge amount and under the additional information section enter monthly.
P.S.
"The next time you go into the Library and check out books add up the cost of those books if you had to have purchased those books. Then project that cost over a year's time of borrowing. I know for me that would quickly add up to hundreds of dollars."
ReplyDeleteNow add up the other 50% of the county who does not set foot in the library but whose tax dollars pay for it anyway. You'll see that, just as with most government redistributions, there are winners and losers.
Think about this: at a time when bookstores across the nation are closing, Howard County just spent $29 million on a single new library.
Join the 21st century and get an iPad or Kindle.
Anonymous...50% of the county does not set foot in the library? I highly doubt that based on how busy all of the libraries branches always seem to be. What is your data source for your claim?
ReplyDeleteUnlike the school systems where people pay tax money and may not personally get anything for it in return (if they have no children), everyone can benefit from the taxes they pay into the library system in many different ways, not just borrowing books. In fact, the HoCo library system is in the 21st century unbeknownst to you. Those with library cards can borrow Kindle books and audio books online via the library website. Maybe if you took the time to step foot in a library you'd learn that.