How to Support a Local Library

The first free public library in the United States was founded in Salisbury, Connecticut, in 1803. Today you'd be hard pressed to find a county or city in the United States without a public library. Unless you examine your county property tax records every year, you probably aren't aware of your monetary contributions to public libraries. However, your support of local public libraries doesn't have to end with your property tax dollars. Learn about the many ways to support your local library, and by so doing, to contribute to the education of your community.

Instructions

How to Support Your Local Library

1. Patronize it. Libraries keep fastidious records regarding the number of checkouts each year. Whenever you check out an item from the library, you're showing your support for it. The library makes purchasing and budget decisions based on what gets checked out, so use your library card.

2. Volunteer. There are many ways to volunteer at libraries. You can teach English classes to non-native speakers, read books to pre-schoolers during story time, apply plastic book covers to paperbacks or teach computer courses to children or adults. Or, you might give tours to Girl and Boy Scout troops, help with indoor and outdoor maintenance, catalog books, help run the library used book store, and more. The librarians will be thrilled if you tell them that you'd like to volunteer and ask what you can do to help.

3. Donate. Donations of money and materials are valuable contributions to any community library. Donated monies are used to improve existing facilities, purchase new resources and provide programs. Donated books and other materials can become part of the circulation or they can be sold during book sales or at the library's shop to raise additional funds.

4. Introduce children to the library. As a parent, aunt, uncle, grandparent, teacher, neighbor, or friend, adults have tremendous influence in the lives of children. If you take children to the library, you introduce them to a world of knowledge they may otherwise never know. Library story times and children's programs can richly bless kids' lives, and they, in turn, will teach another generation about the benefits of local libraries.

5. Provide feedback. Librarians work hard to provide a library that meets the needs of its patrons and they appreciate constructive feedback. If you'd like to see more educational programs, let them know. If you think they're doing a wonderful job of providing an inviting atmosphere, drop them a thank you card. Public libraries belong to the people in the community. That's you. Put a little effort into making it yours.