In this month’s newsletter: We celebrate the value of libraries in these trying times; We announce that individual tickets to our gala are now on sale; We highlight a local author couple who have put our foundation in their will; We encourage you to consider a future legacy gift; We anticipate the kickoff of Summer of Discovery; We catch you up on all the library news you may have missed
See below for a message from our Executive Director and view the full May newsletter here!
Dear Library Enthusiast,
These are trying times for public institutions. Everywhere you look, federal programs are being closed, federal grants are being rescinded, and culture wars are ripping at the fabric of our democratic society.
The threat to public libraries is also real. The Institute for Museum and Library Services has been decimated, shutting off hundreds of millions of dollars in grants to public libraries across the country. The Librarian of Congress has been fired without cause. Challenges are spiking to books and library programs that celebrate or are written from racial minority and LGBTQ perspectives.
And yet, despite all that, the Boulder Library Foundation and the Boulder Public Library are growing. Patron satisfaction is extremely high, at 93%. The same sky-high percentage of users say they consider our public libraries to be a place for trusted information.
So why is the Boulder Public Library District growing, and why is customer satisfaction so high, at a time when our nation’s public institutions, including libraries, are under attack?
We have ourselves and our exceptional library staff to thank. The Boulder Public Library District is 100% locally funded and governed. It does not depend on federal funding. Your taxes and your charitable contributions are causing your cherished public library to not just survive, but thrive, in these challenging times.
A new playground and outdoor maker space at the new NoBo Library are on the cusp of opening, thanks to local donations and a grant from the Colorado Health Foundation. A new Gunbarrel Library is on schedule to open around September.
Each year, dozens of new US. Citizens are naturalized in the Boulder Main Library’s Canyon Theater. Just last week, Maeve Conran, the Irish voice of KGNU Community Radio, received her citizenship there. She’s pictured above with Boulder Public Library Director David Farnan.
Last Month, Valarie Kaur, author of this year’s One Book One Boulder selection, “See No Stranger: A Memoir and Manifesto of Revolutionary Love,” gave an inspirational free talk to more than 600 patrons, on the stage the Boulder Library Foundation granted the library last year.
If you want to feel inspired by the promise of our public libraries, watch the new PBS documentary, “Free For All: How public libraries shaped a nation and remain a beloved sanctuary for Americans today.”
At the Boulder Library Foundation, we are working hard to grow with our library, to help it bring new and exciting programs and services to our community. With your support, we can build and grow the Boulder Public Library during an otherwise trying time for our nation’s public institutions and libraries.
With gratitude, hope and confidence in our library’s future,
Chris Barge
Executive Director
