Friends of the Modesto Library Summer 2010 Newsletter
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Grassroots Efforts Needed to Sustain Our Library Inside this issue: President’s Note 2 Library Stuff & Book Review 3 The Little Shop 4 Volunteer Profile 4 Little Shop Merchandise 5 Community Hero—Dittos! 6 Scholastic Book Sale Recap 6 Used Book Sale Recap 6 Membership Form 7 Modesto Library 1500 I Street Modesto CA 95354 (209) 558-7800 Monday - Thursday 10 am—9 pm Friday Closed Saturday 10 am—5 pm Sunday Closed The continued soft economy is taking its toll on library service: the 1/8 of a percent Stanislaus County sales tax dedicated to the library system—which pro- vides about 85% of the total li- brary system budget--can no longer support the level of ser- vice we have been enjoying. Be- cause of the economy, the li- brary continues to lose approxi- mately $60,000 per month in revenue. To balance the budget the Mo- desto Library is closed an extra day a week – Fridays – starting June 26 , 2010. New hours forModesto will be Monday through Thursday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m, and Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Other branches will r e- align their days of service to also be closed Fridays, although their total hours will be the same, except for Key es. Full list of branch hours is available on the library’s website at http:// www.stanislauslibrary.org/pdf/ new_hours.pdf. Cuts to staff and to the materials budget for books, magazines/ newspapers, and databases are also being made. The bookbudget for the entire system is $200,000 for FY 2010-2011, a precipitous drop from previous years’ budgets. So those reserve lists for best sellers may be a bit longer, folks. The Friends are helping as much as we can—this year, we’re giving the library $6000 to apply to the materials budget—but that comes far short of meeting the budget shortfall in comparison with just two years ago. You can help by performing these essential actions: Join the Friends of the Modesto Library. If you’re already a member, make an extra donation. You can do this through ourwebsite: modestolibrary- friends.org using the PayPal “Donate” button. Tell your family, friends, and neighbors about how the library is an essential community re- source. That it is more than just books—it offers services not available elsewhere—and that the library system is funded by a 1/8 cent sales tax which will be up for renewal in 2012. The Yes for Libraries 2012 cam- paign to renew the tax is now up and running at yesforlibrari- es2012.com and welcomes yoursupport. Your donations and volunteer assistance are needed. (Continues on Page 2) Friends of the Modesto Library Newsletter Friends Bulletin
Friends of the Modesto Library Summer 2010 Newsletter
