November 23, 2024

Dear Friend –

Can I count on you to support ELANCO Library during this season of giving? 

This year, ELANCO Library is pleased to celebrate Giving Tuesday, joining millions around the world participating in the global generosity movement! Please visit https://elancolibrary.org/donate/ on Tuesday, December 3 to donate online. If you prefer not to donate online, you can also…Give at the library on December 3: Speak with a staff member at the desk and donate cash or by check. Give by mail: Send your check, payable to ELANCO Library and dated December 3, to: Eastern Lancaster County Library, 11 Chestnut Drive, New Holland, PA 17557.

 

Ten Reasons to Support ELANCO Library on GivingTuesday

  1. We urgently need your help: The funding we receive from local and state government is insufficient to cover our very frugal and basic operating costs, requiring us to raise approximately 70% of our expenses every year.
  2. We contribute to the economic vitality and sustainability of our local community: In 2023 alone, library cardholders saved well over three million dollars ($3,408,794) by checking out 146,963 items from the library instead of purchasing them for themselves.

  1. We have a proven track record of excellence: We received and maintain Gold Star status within PA Forward®, the Pennsylvania Library Association’s 21st Century Literacies Initiative, in recognition of our high-quality programs and collections which foster the development of Basic Literacy, Information Literacy, Civic & Social Literacy, Financial Literacy, and Health Literacy. Data shows that acquisition of and growth in these Five Literacies is correlated with academic and financial success, more engaged and informed citizens, and increased quality of life for individuals and in communities.
  1. We invest in the future of children: This year, we expanded and renovated our Children’s Library, because children’s literacy matters so much to us and to our community. (Click this link https://youtu.be/0RawkXko32Q?si=acR36IbOWX8C-6zs for a video of the improved space and visit https://elancolibrary.org/a-new-chapter/ for more information about the project.) Why does a community Children’s Library matter? To quote from the library’s Annual Appeal Letter, “It fosters a love of reading and provides children with access to essential educational resources, a safe and inspiring environment, and opportunities for creative and intellectual growth. Your contribution can make a lasting impact, helping to cultivate informed, imaginative, and successful future generations.”

  1. We provide access to essential technology: In 2023 alone, 3,509 library visitors used the library’s public computers for a total of 2,360 hours, and 6,753 unique devices connected to the library’s free WiFi network. Reliable and consistent home access to computers and internet is not universal, yet it is critical to complete many necessary tasks.  Many rely on using the library’s public computers for internet access; to utilize word processing, presentation, and spreadsheet software; and to complete essential tasks such as applying for jobs, filing insurance claims, using email, submitting tax returns, completing government paperwork, and so on.
  2. We help students to retain their school-year gains in reading and math over the summer: 1,374 children participated in ELANCO Library’s 2024 Summer Reading Program. Children aged 5 to 19 read for a total of 17,245 hours (the equivalent of 726 days!), and 14,968 books were read aloud to children aged birth to 4 during the program! This matters! Students can lose approximately 27% of their school-year gains in math and 20% of their gains in reading. Children who participate in summer reading programs during the summer are less susceptible to summer learning loss. The impact is lasting! According to the Johns Hopkins School of Education, “two thirds of the ninth grade reading achievement gap can be explained by unequal access to summer learning opportunities during the elementary school years.” For learners in low-income households, summer activities have an even greater influence. (The photographs show happy readers who won grand prizes during the 2024 Summer Reading Program).
  3.   We focus on removing barriers to access library services, books, and other learning materials: Recognizing that transportation and time constrain many, we conducted 52 outreach events, conveniently bringing library programs, materials, and services directly to you, at schools and other community venues in January through October 2024. We distributed more than 1,823 free books to residents of the municipalities we serve in January through October 2024. While the formidable challenge of having to raise more than two-thirds of our annual operating budget prevents us from following the national and local trend of eliminating overdue fines and fees at this time, we made it a priority to raise funds to pay off library fines for 10 children so far in 2024, restoring their access to needed reading & learning materials. (As an aside, another community service the library provided in summer 2024 was to serve as a cooling center for anyone who wanted respite from the heat during our operating hours.)
  4. We are responsive to YOUR needs, interests, and requests: When deciding what programs and services to offer and what books to lend, we listen to and value your feedback! For example, we created a a new Early Learning Room in our Children’s Library in response to community input asking for more space for parents and preschoolers. As another example, we recently launched a speaker series to support homeschooling families after learning of the desire of our library patrons to connect with experts in homeschooling. When selecting books and other materials to lend, we analyze our circulation data, and we welcome and value book recommendations from library cardholders. We are delighted to receive frequent positive comments from library users about our lending collections for children and for adults!
  5. We are expanding library services (and we’d love to do even more!), but our financial resources are not increasing proportionally: Use of ELANCO Library has exploded dramatically over the last several years, with record-high circulation, library visitor count, and program attendance in Summer 2024! To be able to sustain this, we need funds to pay for new materials to lend, staff salaries, and necessities such as heating/air conditioning, telephone, building maintenance, office & janitorial supplies, etc.
  6. YOU make all this possible! We could not do any of this without your financial support. Your donations are vital to keeping the library up and running!

Please donate generously to ELANCO Library ELANCO Library on Giving Tuesday on December 3 at https://elancolibrary.org/donate/.

Thank you for your continued support of ELANCO Library.  We remain most grateful.

Sincerely,

Anna D’Agostino
Director
Eastern Lancaster County Library
11 Chestnut Dr.
New Holland, PA 17557
717-354-0525