2025–2026 Annual Fund Drive

Your Libraries. Your Investment.

Twelve branches. One county. Every dollar you give stays here — funding the books, programs, and open doors that make this community work.

Click any branch to fund it directly · Stats reflect fiscal year 2024–25

847,200

Books circulated last year

Branches across the county

3,840

Program hours hosted

28,500

Children served

62%

Budget from public funds

38%

Funded by community giving

Question 01

Where does my $25 go?

Every dollar you give stays in the county — no administrative overhead skimmed off, no national organization taking a cut. A $25 gift goes straight to your chosen branch's materials budget, where the collection manager uses it to replace the worn, water-stained, or simply read-to-pieces books that children keep reaching for. Last year, community giving replaced over 4,200 titles across all twelve branches.

4,200

Worn titles replaced through donor gifts in 2024–25

Rows of colorful children's books on wooden library shelves with warm overhead lighting

📍 Northgate Branch

Question 02

Is this tax-deductible?

Yes — fully. The County Library Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and every gift is tax-deductible to the full extent allowed by law. After you give, you'll receive a receipt by email within minutes. It will have everything your accountant needs: the Foundation's EIN, the date, the amount, and a statement that no goods or services were exchanged. Keep it with your other charitable records.

501(c)(3)

Tax-exempt status — EIN 47-2831904

Wide shot of a bright, open public library reading room with tall windows and study tables

📍 Downtown Flagship

Question 03

Can I give to a specific branch?

Absolutely — and we encourage it. When you choose a branch, your gift is ring-fenced for that location. The downtown flagship and the County Line Branch both matter, but they have different needs: the flagship needs programming staff, and the County Line Branch needs a new roof on its book return shelter. Choosing your branch makes your gift visible and local in a way that general fund giving can't match.

Branches, each with its own materials and program budget

Small cozy branch library interior with reading chairs near a window on a sunny day

📍 County Line Branch

Question 04

Can I name a reading nook?

At the $1,000 annual level, yes. A named reading nook means a small plaque — modest, tasteful, the size of a library card — mounted near the seating area you fund. It can honor a teacher, a grandparent, or simply carry your family name. The nook stays funded for a full year: new cushions if they're worn, new books on the nearby shelf, and a small lamp if the branch needs one. We've had nooks named for dogs, for departed neighbors, for first-grade classrooms.

Named reading nooks currently funded across the system

Cozy library reading nook with soft cushioned seating, warm lamp light, and bookshelves

📍 Lakeview Branch

Question 05

What if I can't give money right now?

Then give an hour. Volunteer tutors, homework helpers, and digital navigators save the library an estimated $18 per hour in program costs. Last year, 340 volunteers contributed 6,200 hours — the equivalent of three full-time staff positions. If you're a retired teacher, a working professional with a Tuesday lunch free, or someone who just wants to sit with a child while they read, we have a role that fits. Scroll down and tell us you're interested.

6,200

Volunteer hours contributed in fiscal year 2024–25

Adult volunteer sitting across a table from a young child, reading a picture book together in a library

📍 West Park Branch

Question 06

How is the library funded overall?

Sixty-two percent of the library's operating budget comes from county property taxes — which means the other thirty-eight percent has to come from somewhere else. That somewhere else is community giving, grants, and the annual fund drive. Without donor support, the first things to go are Saturday hours, after-school programs, and the materials budget for new titles. The county keeps the lights on; donors keep the shelves full and the doors open on weekends.

38%

Of operating costs covered by community giving and grants

Library exterior with glass doors open, people entering and exiting on a Saturday morning

📍 Mill Creek Branch

Jump to a question

Give Your Time Instead

The library runs on people, not just money.

Every volunteer hour reduces what we need to fundraise. If your time is what you have to give, we'll put it to work.

Reading Tutor

One hour a week with a child who's learning to read. The impact lasts a lifetime.

1–2 hrs/week

Homework Helper

Sit at a table in the after-school room and help with whatever comes through the door.

2–3 hrs/week

Digital Navigator

Help patrons with job applications, government forms, and video calls to family.

2–4 hrs/week

Outreach Driver

Deliver books to homebound patrons and rural pickup points across the county.

Flexible

Volunteer Interest Form

No commitment yet — just let us know you're interested.