Patrons Drive
Dear Friend,
It’s been 40 years since the Meadville Public Library first asked its patrons to donate money to help purchase books.
In 1967, Meadville Public Library’s Board of Directors confronted an enormous challenge: 7,000 books in a collection of 27,000 were outdated and the remainder of the collection could not support the information needs of our community. The decision was made to ask the community directly for support to purchase new books for the library.
Since that time, our patrons have become the library’s staunchest supporters. Over the past forty years the Patrons Drive has raised nearly $700,000, all of which has been used to purchase new materials. As a result of the generosity of our patrons, the Meadville Public Library now houses an up-to-date collection of more than 80,000 items, all in very active use.
Still, the library faces ongoing challenges in maintaining its collection to meet patrons’ needs. Books that cost $4.00 in 1967 now cost $40.00. And while books continue to be the foundation of our thriving library, videos and DVDs as well as recorded books have been added over the years due to patron demand. We rely on donations from patrons like you to keep all of these collections updated and maintained.
Please give to the 40th Annual Patrons Drive. Thank you for your generosity in the past…and now.
Sincerely,
Robert B. Snyder
Board President
P.S. All contributions will continue to be used to purchase new materials that meet the needs of our community
