I’ve joked on occasion that I single-handedly fund the Portland Public Library through my many late fees and my occasional lost or ruined books (there was that biography of Marie Antoinette I dropped in the mud. I thought I’d cleaned it off nicely; the librarian begged to differ).

I also pay for the library through my taxes. But my taxes, and yours too, are earmarked for salaries and building maintenance for the city’s library system. To pay for the books, the e-books and the movies you check out; the stimulating gallery shows you visit; the fascinating talks you attend (like the recent Literary Lunch with Richard Russo and Jennifer Finney Boylan) – all of these absolutely free – the library must raise money. According to Portland Library Director of Development Kristen Smith, it aims to raise $200,000 annually. 

Some of that money comes from corporations or in the form of grants, but the library also relies on individual donations from “our patrons, our neighbors, our community,” Smith said, adding that no amount is too small. “We have some people who are elderly who have been giving us $5 a year for 30 years,” she said.

“We open our doors six days a week, rain or shine, for anybody in the community who wants to expand their horizons,” she continued. “Our budget is so incredibly lean. We don’t have any fluff at all. Everything we do beyond keeping the doors open and the desks staffed – we rely on our patrons, our neighbors, our community.”

Last fiscal year, the Portland Public Library had 600,000 visitors, yet only 1,122 of us donated. There are any number of impressive local cultural organizations and worthy causes that are relying on your generosity this holiday season and, frankly, all the year-round. Don’t forget your local library.

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