March 8-12 was Florida Virtual Library Advocacy Week, a time to focus on advocating for strong state funding for our public libraries. Libraries play a critical role in helping communities weather and recover from challenging times.
As the state legislature begins budget discussions for the next year and considers reduced library funding, our Community Advocacy Team has been working to learn what this means for our Sarasota County libraries and to make sure our legislators know how essential this funding is. State funding provides our libraries with the resources to buy books and materials for the collection.
If you want to help, please contact your elected officials below to tell them why you value public libraries and why it’s crucial that their funding remains intact.
Libraries and Historical Resources Director Renee DiPilato spoke with John Annis at the Barancik Foundation about how our libraries have been transforming to meet ever-changing community needs. Click on the video above to watch and learn more about what’s happening in our libraries right now.
Economic Recovery
Libraries play a dynamic role in their communities as trusted locations to receive accurate information and support. Here are just a few functions they serve in helping our economy recover:
Provide electronic resources and internet access for small business and entrepreneurs;
Serve as local business incubators;
Assist with reemployment and job-seeking opportunities;
Offer basic computer skills training; and
Lend assistance with access to state benefit programs.
Mark Your Calendars!
Sarasota County’s Centennial kicks off March 23, and our Libraries and Historical Resources have put together 100 programs for 100 days of celebration! Check out their calendar of Centennial Events for some wonderful ways to learn more about this beautiful place we call home.
Give a cash gift: Your gift will be put to use immediately to help support our libraries and advocate for strong public funding. Click here to make an online donation.
Amazon Smile: If you’re shopping from home this week, please consider adding us as an Amazon Smiles partner. It costs nothing to you and is an ongoing help to the Library Foundation. Click here to learn more.
Join the many people who have made a charitable bequest in their legal will: You can support the Library Foundation forever without paying a cent today using our free will-writing tool. It’s an easy way to protect the people and causes you care about the most, while helping to ensure that public libraries remain an indispensable community resource. Click here to learn more.
What Are You Reading?
We asked board member Fletcher Rush what he’s been reading lately.
Fletcher, his wife Laura and their son Liam.
My son and I love reading together. We have really enjoyed reading “Cars and Truck and Things That Go” since it has so many vehicles to learn and has an evasive character, Goldbug, who appears on every page.
We also enjoy the “Little Blue Truck” series by Alice Schertle. They offer seasonally appropriate titles with a good message. My son has memorized the words to some of the pages, he really loves trucks!
For families looking for non-vehicular entertainment, I would recommend “P is for Potty” by Lena Cooper. It is a great book to get the kiddos comfortable with potty training and the relevant vocabulary.
Great communities
deserve great libraries.
Your tax-deductible gift helps ensure the future of our libraries as an indispensable community resource. Click on the button below to make a credit card donation, or click here to learn about more ways to give.
As the Library Foundation for Sarasota County, our mission is to secure the future of our libraries as an indispensable community service.
The Library Foundation for Sarasota County is a qualified tax exempt charity under §501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and is registered with the Florida Department of Agriculture Consumer Services under §496.405, Registration No. CH35489
