Fork Over the Dough for the Monona Public Library...please

Hey, listen up.....yeah you, put down your cell phone, and focus. The Monona public library needs your help. We have a matching grant opportunity, but we need to raise the match.

What will Monona residents do with this opportunity? Let's not leave grant money 'on the table.'

Any amount is appreciated.

From the Friends of the Monona Public Library:

Pledge Today & We Pledge a Quality Collection Forever! Become a Booked for Life Donor!

“The Monona Library does brisk business in tough times, but these tough times also create funding challenges, which highlight the critical need for the Booked for Life Endowment project.” - Library Director Demita Gerber

The Madison Community Foundation has given the library a challenge grant, matching every two dollars pledged with an additional dollar. The grant will provide up to $50,000 if the library can raise $100,000. The library is raising the money through its Booked for Life campaign. All funds raised will go into an endowment, the interest from which can be used each year to purchase books, magazines, movies, and other materials.

As municipalities face budget shortages, libraries are frequently one of the first services that face cuts…and in libraries, the new materials budget is usually the first thing to get cut. There may be less money in future years to buy new books, create new programs, and adequately staff the library. That will mean fewer materials and programs, lengthier waits for items on hold, and longer lines at the checkout desks. The additional endowment funds will help the Library continue to provide the high-quality, in-demand materials that Monona residents have come to rely on.

“It’s important for everyone to know that the success of the Booked for Life Campaign will fundamentally affect the Monona Library’s ability to keep quality books and materials on its shelves for years to come.”—Assistant Library Director Erick Plumb

Any amount is most welcome and all donations are tax deductible. There are a variety of ways to contribute. Become a Booked for Life sponsor by pledging a $500 donation which will endow an annual book purchase at the library in perpetuity. Consider teaming up with friends, neighbors, family and colleagues to make the $500 contribution. Several area book clubs have donated this way. Another way to contribute is through our “Booked for Life, Booked for a Day” opportunity.

Check out the details in the article in this issue. There are also boxes for donating smaller amounts at the circulation desk. Or just send your check made out to the Madison Community Foundation to the library at 1000 Nichols Road. Be sure to indicate it’s for the Monona Book Endowment Fund on the memo line.

If you pledge, you have until January 2011 to fulfill the pledge. However, we need your written pledge by the end of 2009. Credit cards, personal check, and cash are all welcome payment methods. Contact Library Director Demita Gerber at (608) 216-7458, to learn how to make a pledge or email booked@mononalibrary.org.

See the FAQ about Booked for Life at www.mononalibrary.org/bookedforlife for more information!