Your Library Connection
 

Granted…We love our Library!

The staff and library board at the Independence Public Library love our library!  We know that this feeling is widespread through the great support of the new building and your gifts of money and time.  What a great demonstration of support for February’s Love your Library Month!  An illustration of how the staff and board love our library is shown in our pursuit of trying new things and also in working towards a budget that allows us to give opportunities to the community.   The mission of the Independence Public Library is “To provide, for all area residents, effective access to information and ideas to discover the past, educate the present, and prepare for the future.” 

Many people, and especially those working on city or county budgets, have asked me a legitimate question…”Do you pursue grants?”  The answer is yes…as you may know we received $685,000 in grant funds for our new library facility from three sources – Community Attraction and Tourism (Vision Iowa), the McElroy Trust, and the Carver Trust.  We have also received grants from the Buchanan County Community Foundation, Building Directions for Families, Wal-Mart, and the Iowa Arts Council.  And there are many that we have applied to and haven’t received.  We have been blessed with individual and business gifts and sponsorships that have allowed programs like our summer reading program, computer classes, and Riverside Cinema.

Grants are wonderful and have provided us with the ability to do many things we would not otherwise have been able to offer to the public.  There are also limitations to them, like their unpredictability, how they are typically geared for short term projects, the frequent emphasis on the new and innovative, and how much time the applications can take.  The granting trusts and organizations also recognize the short term implications, as a typical question is whether there is stable and ongoing funding for the group filling out the application. 

When the discussion turns to depending on grants, donations, and fundraisers for a portion of library operating funds I begin to disagree.  To me, grants are like a seasonal part-time job or a bonus in a family budget situation.  Budgeting for a family typically depends primarily on one or two steady jobs for the main source/s of income.  Without a regular source of income the family is in jeopardy of not having the basics…the food, clothing, and shelter that they need to survive.  A public library should also be able to depend on an on-going, stable source of income for their budget.  Due to our bottom line budget and the necessity to pay for things like heating and cooling, many budget areas such as materials, office equipment, professional development, and computer equipment have been significantly reduced in the last several years.  The library strives to reach a point in the future where we can be progressive and begin to thrive for the good of the community.  To do this, grants, donations, and sponsorships would be used for needs above and beyond basic operational costs, like heating and cooling, staffing, having up-to-date materials and information to meet demands, replacing computers on a 5-year plan, and other basic needs. 

The library budget proposal for the next fiscal year is available on the library website.  The proposal is one step in getting the library closer to an adequate budget (right now the goal is average for a town our size in Iowa, but we hope to move on to loftier goals).  As one board member puts it, “I’ve never been involved with something before where the goal is to be average.”  If you would like to take a look, go to www.indylibrary.org and look for budget under New.  Our long-term plan is also listed under New, and, though it is an ever-changing document, shows the direction in which the board would like to go in the next several years.  Please contact me if you have any questions about the budget or the plan at lblaker@indytel.com or 334-2470.  I will be going on maternity leave shortly, but will get back to you as soon as possible, or you are welcome to talk with Amy McGraw, assistant director, or Craig Ankerstjerne, library board member and budget committee chair. 

Home  Pictures  Donations  Services   Calendar of  Events  Web and Reference Resources   Kids' Resources  New Books and Materials   Online Catalog   Community Resources  Library Connections  Friends of the Library