NEWS FROM THE BRANCH
SACRAMENTO PUBLIC LIBRARY BRANCHES REMAIN CLOSED
Sacramento County has announced that it is extending current stay at home orders until May 22, and Sacramento Public Library will remain closed, at least until that expires. Of course, the main determinant is when the Governor lifts his Executive Order, and that timeframe is currently unknown. We will send out an update to all Friends of the North Highlands-Antelope Library as soon as we get the word of a date for reopening.
Our April meeting was postponed, and all pop up book sales will be suspended until further notice. We will investigate whether a meeting by ZOOM might be feasible. While our book sales are suspended, the Friends of the North Highlands-Antelope Library continue to sell books on Amazon, thanks to the efforts of Jerry and Nancy Matlin.
JOY OF NATURE TEA POSTPONED
Our 5th Annual Tea, the Joy of Nature in our Own Backyard, is one more victim of the coronavirus pandemic. We have tentatively agreed with our author Barbara Klide to postpone until the fall, but that will depend upon how social distancing rules will be established for public spaces, such as our branch’s community room.
Patrons who already purchased their tickets will be able to apply them to the rescheduled event, or ask for a refund.
BIG DAY OF GIVING SET FOR MAY 7
Friends of Sacramento Public Library will once again be participating in the region’s Big Day of Giving, set for Thursday, May 7. This is the one big fundraiser of the year for the system Friends, and all donations will be applied to Sacramento Public Library’s Book First program. Book First provides a free book to first graders in underserved communities, and schools in North Highlands-Antelope have been big recipients of this program. This year, we planned to distribute books to 19 different schools in North Highlands and Antelope, serving over a thousand students in our community.
We hope that all our Friends will continue to support Book First by a making small donation between now and May 7, at our Big Day of Giving url: https://www.bigdayofgiving.org/saclibraryfriends. For further information about Book First and what you can do, https://www.saclibrary.org/About/News/2020/Give-for-Sacramento-Kids.
The current budget of $45,000 requested by SPL and approved by the FSPL Board will allow us to continue serving the same number of students and schools during the 2020-21 school year. Additional funds raised will provide special library field trips and events for first graders, to introduce them to all the books, media, and programs at the library that can enrich the entire family’s life.
Even a small donation will make a big impact. The minimum donation for Big Day of Giving is $15, but look how much you can do for students for:
$25 = Books for 8 students
$75 = Books for 1 classroom
$150 = Books for 1 school
$250 = Bus for 1 class visit to the library
2019 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE FRIENDS OF NORTH HIGHLANDS-ANTELOPE LIBRARY
- NHI Friends reported a total of 1,436 volunteer hours for the library in 2019. There were 39 volunteers who participated in Friends Activities and Meetings, and 17 volunteers that helped with Donation Processing and Sales.
- Friends raised $11,302 in 2019, which exceeded the budget by over $3,000. Most of the money raised was from the sale of gently used books and materials, but $1100 was attributed to the May fundraiser, Tea and Tinseltown. The precise income includes
- Amazon sales $1,054;
- Book sales generated $5,373;
- We raised $3,589 from sale of books in the foyer;
- Donations constituted $335;
- Membership dues produced $365;
- Tea and Tinseltown added $1,116;
- Interest was $14.
- A total of $6,850 was donated to the library for the year, the breakdown of those funds:
- $3,000 for Lucky Day materials
- Used to purchase approximately 94 adult books, 45 teen books, 55 children’s books, and 35 DVDs.
- $3,850 for Programs (presenters, supplies, and food)
- The most popular one time programs and presenters that received Friends funding had an attendance of about 243 adults and 506 youth. These programs include: Art Beast, Dr. Seuss Party, Teen Food Wars, Life Size Candyland; Trap a Leprechaun; Wild Things; Science Wizard; Free Comic Book Day; Magic Show; Summer Reading Party, Uncle Jer’s Bees; Nature’s Critters; Haunted Library; and seasonal craft programs.
- Ongoing programs that benefitted from Friends funding (for snacks and supplies) had about 1,893 total participants over the course of the year. These programs included:
- Book Clubs, Social Gaming, and English Conversation Group for adults.
- WonderLab for school age kids and their families; Storytime rhythm instruments for babies, toddlers, and pre-school kids.
- Teen Advisory Board, various Teen Space activities, Anime/Manga Club, Game Night, and After Hours Parties for teens.
