Last month, the Wood County District Public Library came up with a bright idea to combat current economic
woes.
Library trustees decided to initiate a "Buy-A-Book Campaign" to help make up part of the
current $50,000 reduction in spending on books, magazines and DVDs.
Slightly less than four weeks into the campaign, the local public is beginning to respond.
"The total raised so far in the Buy-a-Book Campaign is $2,925," confirmed Elaine Paulette,
library director.
"People seem to understand that in this economy, people need libraries more than ever,"
Paulette said. "And with the state budget downturn (the state is our primary source of funding),
these dollars are helping to offset the loss of funding to the library."
A single-page brochure, available at the library, explains the program. Suggested donations start at $25
for one book and increase all the way up to $2,500 for "a stack of books."
Donations of any amount, however, are welcome.
"Some people have specified if they want (their money) to go to children’s books or adults, or just
general," noted library employee A.J. Heilman.
Donations can also be made in honor of a living person or as memorials, with the person’s name to be
listed on a bookplate.
Bowling Green residents Bob and Millie Broka liked the idea, and did exactly that.
"We felt it was a good way to honor our son, who died in 1986," Millie Broka said of the
couple’s donation in his memory.
Besides, "we do a lot of volunteer work with the library" so they could readily see the need to
make up for the current shortfall in expenditures on new books.
"I’m a trustee with the genealogy society" entrusted with the duty of "being able to buy
genealogy books for the society, so I’m in there quite frequently," Broka added. She also
frequently does microfilm research, finding obituaries for other genealogy searchers.
"But we did this on our own, because they were having a campaign and we figured this was a good way
to help our library back."
The couple made the donation just last week, after reading about the program in The Sentinel-Tribune.
"I read about it in the paper and then downloaded the form off the library Web site," Broka
explained.
"With the economy the way it is, and the staff seems to be doing their part with their hours being
cut," Broka said donating the cost of a book or two seems like a good way for the public to step in
and try to help too.
Such gestures don’t go unnoticed by the staff.
"We really appreciate the generosity people have shown," Paulette said.