Library Giving Day

It’s almost here! The Third Annual Library Giving Day is just around the corner, on April 7th. We learned about Library Giving day from our board member, Deb Spratt, who is the library director at the Lawrence Library in Pepperell, Massachusetts. We learned even more about it in conversation with Christina McPhillips at Carl Bloom Associates - more on that later in this post.

Library Giving Day is a great opportunity for individuals and communities to show their support for public libraries. We totally support the endeavor and wanted to highlight a few things we’ve seen and heard about when it comes to library fundraising. Funding is always a critical issue but it took on a new urgency during the uncertainty of the pandemic. In recent weeks we have  heard about a really great campaign at the Howard County Public Library System in Maryland, but also a cautionary tale about the Stey-Nevant Branch Library in Farrell, Pennsylvania - which was at imminent risk of closure.

Let’s start with something positive though, shall we?

In February, we Zoomed with Mickey Gomez, the president of the board of directors of the Friends of the Howard County Library System in Maryland. Mickey is a long-time social media marketing friend of Adam’s and she has also been helpful to Library Land as we consider how to engage with donors. When we talked, Mickey and the rest of the Friends - and the library and its foundation - foundation were in the final stages of planning their annual “Evening in the Stacks” fundraiser, which has been going strong for more than 20 years. 

In the past, this was a fun opportunity for members of the community to come to the library and its branches, enjoy refreshments (Mickey was once an award-winning “celebrity bartender” at previous events), and support the library. In 2021, the event went digital with a virtual tour of Italy. While the event may have been online, much of it was live - including a real-time truffle hunt streamed from an Italian forest. In addition to the hunt, there was live music, cooking classes, virtual author talks and book signings, games, and more. Embracing the current reality helped make this event special. 

Mickey also talked about her efforts to activate her social media channels to help support the library. By doing this, she was able to expand the scope of her efforts in a way that might not always occur to people. Personal networks - even those outside a library’s service area - shouldn’t be ignored! Despite the challenges, this year’s event was on track to raise more funds than in almost previous year. Hats off! 

At the other end of the spectrum is the Stey-Nevant Branch Library in Farrell, Pennsylvania. We knew nothing about this library until a Library Land reader reached out to let us know her local library was about to close due to lack of funding. This is a painful reality in many communities and it breaks our hearts. There were efforts underway to sway the city council and a GoFundMe campaign was been created, but things looked grim.

Just as I prepared to publish this post, however, I received word the library has received a reprieve. As reported in the Sharon Herald, the community rallied and the city council came up with funding for the rest of this year. A happy outcome, to be sure, but one that could have just as easily ended in disaster. What an encouraging development!

When we learned about Library Giving Day and Adam began researching the event and the organization behind it.  He contacted Christina McPhillips, vice president of business development at Carl Bloom Associates, a direct marketing and fundraising shop in White Plains, New York. We had such an amazing conversation with her that we decided to meet up again to record an episode of Library Land Conversations with her. In this video, she discusses Library Giving Day, fundraising strategies for libraries, and the International Public Library Fundraising Conference happening in June. It is so wonderful to come across another organization that loves (and supports) libraries the way we do here at Library Land!

Readers, if you are able, please find a way to support your local public library. They are essential parts of our communities; and while some are well-funded, there are so many others that teeter on the brink. They’re too important to all of us for even one to slip away. 

Find and support your local library. If they aren’t part of Library Giving Day, give to them anyway!