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Rebecca and Brooklyn Still, 2, read a book in the Orcutt Library. Friends of the Orcutt Library, located at 1157 E. Clark Ave., are focusing their fundraising efforts on gathering money to purchase books that would be useful to older patrons. // Bryan Walton/Staff
Seniors who use the Orcutt Library may soon see a better selection of materials aimed at their tastes, thanks to donations made to the Friends of the Orcutt Library.
This year the nonprofit group is focusing its fundraising effort on gathering money to purchase large-print books, both fiction and non-fiction, audio books and books on subjects such as travel, crafting and estate planning — all in order to make the small branch library more useful for its older patrons.
Each year, the Friends of the Library tries to raise $10,000 to cover the equipment and facility needs of the library, said Jan Cutler, president of the group.
“In addition to that, in order to meet other needs of the library, we focus once a year on a particular type of material; this year is senior materials,” she said, noting that last year the group focused on children’s nonfiction.
To raise the money, the group sells used books from a corner of the library, and holds a larger book sale in front of the library, at 1157 E. Clark Ave. suite K, on the first Saturday of every month from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Additionally, the group goes after community grants, and so far has received three this year totaling $3,900.
From Altrusa Club of the Central Coast Foundation, the group received $2,400 that will be used to purchase audio books and large-print books, Cutler said.
Because large-print books are more expensive — running about $30 per title — Cutler said the group decided to seek out more grant funding in order to make the money go further.
To that end, the Noontime Rotary Club of Santa Maria gave the friends $1,000, she said.
An additional grant from State Farm A Good Neighbor for $500 is slated to help purchase new DVDs.
“We have an aging video tape collection,” Cutler said.
The donations cover much of the library’s materials budget, she said, noting that last year the friends paid for half of the facility’s materials expenses.
“That’s why we exist,” she said.
The Friends of the Orcutt Library was founded in 1991 to enhance the services offered to the Orcutt community. The library is a branch of the Santa Maria Library and operates out of a 2,800-square-foot store front in the Oak Knolls Shopping Center.
Staff at the library are employed by the city of Santa Maria, said City Librarian Jack Buchanan, but the majority of the Orcutt Library funding come from Santa Barbara County.
Malia Spencer can be reached at 739-2219 or
mspencer@santamariatimes.com.
July 14, 2008
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