Week 14

Working With Friends Groups:

This article discusses different ways to fundraise for libraries, using the case of the Friends of Fondren Libray at Rice University. This article had a lot of good ideas packed into a short space. One of them was the 10 point strategic plan put forward by the university leadership. As I read that, I was reminded of previous classes where there has been such an emphasis on pulling together a good plan. For lean economic times like now, making forward reaching plans seems to be a great idea for any institution. The creativity of the Friends in coming up with ideas for fundraising was pretty astounding. It should be kept in mind that some of these projects were only possible (probably) due to the amount of capital available to individuals in the group. I doubt that a public library could ever wrangle together enough money to visit England gain a new appreciation for rare books! That being said, other projects listed seemed to be quite feasible for libraries today. With the amount of government funding ever decreasing, fundraising ideas are ever more important.

Key Donor Cultivation:

This article discussed library fundraising, specifically that involving donors. Like the article above, he emphasized the development of a plan to ensure that the library is able to carry out its mission well into the future. I appreciated the author’s candid take on the whole subject. He acknowledged that, great as they may seem, library book sales do not bring in a lot of revenue. Alternative sources of funds, such as private or government grants, are a far better mechanism for getting what the library needs. Known library donors know that you want them to give you money. It is just a matter of going about asking them in the right way. Some of what he wrote was troubling, however. On page 204, the author says “If elections seem awkward, approach members privately, perhaps over lunch, and ask that they accept a leadership role” (Leonhardt 204). What does he mean by this? Should we forego elections if they make us queasy? That does not sit very well with me.

We Would If We Could, But It Is Not In The Budget

This article discusses the advantages of libraries partnering with other organizations such as local companies and community organizations. The author also provides a step by step procedure for partnering with them. In a world where public funds for public goods are ever decreasing, finding new sources of revenue are more important than ever. Like the two above, this article provides some palliatives for an increasingly cash strapped world. It was interesting reading through this article to see just what sort of organizations had partnered with libraries.