Twelve years after I
joined the board for a "brief" stint, here I am still a part of this wonderful
organization. The library has really blossomed in the years since my first term
as president in 1997. What was a very nice library then, is now so exceptional
it's one of the libraries that Berkshire Publishing Group chose from libraries
all over the United States and Canada for their Heart of the Community: The
Libraries We Love, published in 2006. If you haven’t seen our spread right
alongside libraries in places such as Houston, Boston, and Regina, Saskatchewan,
Canada come on in and take a look. We’d be proud to show it off.
One of
the reasons, I believe CPPL was chosen is that we are extremely active. We
offer more programs than many libraries in larger towns. That’s thanks to the
generous donations of money and time from so many of you. We appreciate so much
all that you do. In fact, we simply would NOT exist if it weren’t for all your
help.
We’re a unique library in that we are not city or county owned,
and therefore, receive less than 20% of our operating funds from them. We’ve
been very fortunate to receive grants from foundations which fund special
projects such as our renovations, computer equipment, and new shelving. We must,
however, depend on you for most of the funding for our outstanding staff, our
utilities and maintenance. This is a library that you built, and I hope you’re
as proud to be a part of it as I am. Let’s continue to bloom!
