A new, larger book drop was installed at the library thanks to a $6,215 donation from the Friends of the Callaway County Public Library. It’s a larger unit and has new identifying graphics on it. The Friends raise money throughout the year through book sales, the proceeds of which go to the library. In the past, funds from the Fulton Friends helped purchase new shelving and computer tables.
“The Friends do so many wonderful things for the library. They’re a dedicated group of volunteers who work hard to raise money through their regular book sales. We wouldn’t have the library we have today without them,” said Greg Reeves, manager of the Callaway County Public Library. The Friends’ next big sale is July 29 for Friends members and July 30 for the general public. (Anyone can pay to become a member at the door on the 29th and enjoy the early part of the sale.) The Friends also host smaller sales in the library lobby throughout the year.
The books and other items the Friends sell are donated by community members or are items discarded from the library’s collection.
In addition to receiving funds from the Friends group, the Callaway County Public Library has received boosts to its budget from two other outside sources this year. Last April, William Woods University’s communications senior seminar hosted a bingo event raising money for the library with a goal of bridging the digital divide in Callaway County. The library will use the $866 raised to improve our Wi-Fi connection, a free service to all library visitors.
In 2016, the Daniel Boone Regional Library also received a $15,000 Library Services and Technology Act Grant, administered by the Missouri State Library, a division of the Secretary of State’s office. This grant enables us to mail books over the summer to students attending school in Auxvasse, Hatton, Holts Summit, Kingdom City, Mokane, New Bloomfield and Williamsburg through our Books by Snail program. Other grants from that same source helped fund the new Library-to-Go lockers in Holts Summit and to purchase $9,835 in new items for the Callaway County Public Library.
“Getting these additional dollars is quite a bonus for us,” said Reeves. “We do what we can with our budget, but there is always more that we want to do to improve our services; donations and grants help us do that.”