Library Friends Brochure

The Friends of the Wardsboro Library have created a brochure that explains their history, their mission, and what they are doing to help the library. Also included is a list of their annual fundraisers.

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YA Spelling Bee

Brownell Library held a spelling bee with two teen teams, a staff team, and a trustee team. Kat Redniss, the Young Adult Librarian, printed out word lists from Scripps Howard and gave them to the teams a couple months in advance.

The teams created their own names and slogans, made t-shirts, and trashed talked each other playfully. Teams were able to get sponsors on their own. Sponsors, including local businesses, personal friends, and families, could donate any amount of money.

At the event, the Library held a bake sale with treats baked by staff and trustees, had a bowl out for donations, and held a raffle. People bought raffle tickets and then put their ticket into the container of the team they thought would win. The raffle winner was drawn from the bee winner’s container. The winner got a portion of the money and the library got the rest. (The winner gave most of the money back to the library.) Kat reports, “This was a blast, fun competition, literacy-oriented, and productive! Brownell Library raised over $1100.”

Need resources? Check out the Scripps Howard website for specific directions to hold one of their patented fundraising bees; or try the Merriam Webster website for Scripps Howard word lists. The Scripps Howard website includes ideas to build excitement such as dressing in black and yellow (bees) or showing the documentary “Spellbound.”

Wardsboro Friends’ Gilfeather Turnip Festival

The Friends of the Wardsboro Library celebrated their seventh turnip festival October 24, 2009. Turnip fare, a turnip contest, turnip seeds, and local participation are the key to this event.

The event involves most of Main Street, including the Wardsboro Town Hall, the Methodist Church Vestry and the Wardsboro Public Library’s Red Barn. The Gilfeather® turnip was first propagated in Wardsboro in the early 1900s by local farmer, John Gilfeather.

Live music, entertainment, activities for children, tag sale tables, craft item raffle and a turnip contest. The Turnip Café in the Red Barn serves Gilfeather® turnip soup and turnip tastings (nominal fee) of recipes created and prepared by Wardsboro “chefs.” Shop at the craft fair, the farmers’ market, and the Turnip Boutique for turnip-theme gifts, souvenir t-shirts, the turnip movie on VHS cassette and DVD, The Gilfeather® Turnip Cookbook, Vol. 2, turnips and seeds, apples, cider, organic veggies, breads, honey, Vermont products, specialty foods and local arts and crafts.

Proceeds benefit the Friends of the Wardsboro Library; details at www.friendsofwardsborolibrary.org; email: info@friendsofwardsborolibrary.org; (802) 896-3416.

Start a Wiki

Susan Smolinski, director of the public library in Richford, started a great idea. She collected samples of public library fundraising letters and long range plans and posted them on a wiki honored with the library name, Arvin A. Brown. Link to them or copy them to your site.

Fundraising

Long range plans

Vermont librarians could also use a library policies link. Until one is built, try the WebJunction page,

Policies and Procedures

Local Service Silent Auction

We are trying an idea that seems to be popular. We have set up a “Silent Auction” corner, and are featuring one item a month for patrons to bid on. They just write their name on a pad, place a bid and wait. Come back another day, check bids, see if you want to bid again higher than last bidder. No extra work for our staff, no collecting money, just written bids until we close the bidding.

Our first item was terrific, a balloon ride, donated by a local man. In fact we have items ranging from art pieces, to cooking lessons with a well known chef, to farm fresh eggs from a CSA for 20 weeks! So many local business people have been generous, we have donations taking us into mid 2010.

At last look, the balloon ride was bid up to $150.00.

Mary Bassett, Chair of Trustees
Deborah Rawson Memorial Library, Jericho/Underhill

Bookends Gala

The Mark Skinner Library in Manchester hosted a Bookends raffle and gala to raise money for their adult collection.

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Cookie Walk

Baxter Memorial Library in Sharon held a Cookie Walk fundraiser.

Bulbs for Books Fundraiser

Fletcher Memorial Library in Ludlow held a Bulbs for Books fundraiser to raise money to update their U.S. state series.

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