Friends groups are excellent, continuing resources for librarians looking at fund‐raising options. According to a recent ALA survey of public libraries (Non‐Tax Sources of Revenue…
Abstract
Friends groups are excellent, continuing resources for librarians looking at fund‐raising options. According to a recent ALA survey of public libraries (Non‐Tax Sources of Revenue for Public Libraries, ALA Survey Report, Mary Jo Lynch, project director, 1988) friends groups accounted for 33.8% of all receipts from fund raising and financial development, making them the second largest category of financial support, after individuals, who led the list with 51.7%. According to a 1986 survey by Friends of Libraries USA (FOL‐USA), nearly 600,000 citizens raised a total of $27.2 million in 1985 in support of their libraries. These impressive statistics underline the significant role friends groups play in the financial support of public libraries. (The role of academic libraries friends groups and other types of friends groups will be discussed in a future column.)
Does public financial support of libraries in the form of tax dollars suffer when private fund‐raising efforts are successful—or does the opposite occur? Does private money mean…
Abstract
Does public financial support of libraries in the form of tax dollars suffer when private fund‐raising efforts are successful—or does the opposite occur? Does private money mean that tax dollars will erode? Does private support provide an escape route for public authorities when a municipality must decide on the library's budget? Heresy, perhaps, to raise these questions, but what is the real impact of libraries' private sector fund raising? Is it worth the effort?