Sponsorships Volunteerism and Energy Savings Aid City Library

Press release submitted by Ann Scott, Outreach Director for New Port Richey Public Library

Theis located at 5939 Main Street. NPR Library staff is the heartbeat in the heart of downtown New Port Richey, serving over 1,700 participants daily.

Though the annual growth rate for NPR Library use is 23.24%, NPR staff thrives with less staff and in less space than the average Florida library...and with only 5% of the city’s budget. A portion of that 5 percent comes from state aid, grants and other funding. This means that New Port Richey residents finance all library services, programs and events for roughly $50/year or $2/transaction.

The librarians and staff at New Port Richey Public Library support growth by helping community members connect to print and electronic resources, experience informative and inspiring programs, access their own creativity, gain valuable skills and share their knowledge with the community.

Your library relies heavily on volunteers, sponsorships and energy saving techniques to make the most of your contribution.  For example, the librarians instituted an Energy Efficiency Lighting Project last year and have now received a rebate from Progress Energy for over $800 while reducing the library’s energy bill.  This project is just part of a continuing effort to promote energy efficiency and to support both environmental and economic sustainability.

NPR Library depends on over 100 volunteers who provide services like teaching others how to read and write, instructing computer classes and more.  Longtime volunteer Bob Pattee, hosts a Socrates Café on the 2nd Monday of each month at 1:30PM.  Participants share thoughts on a variety of philosophical topics.

And when NPR librarians were recently asked to cut more funding, they made the difficult choice to slash the periodicals budget.  They instead reached out to community members to sponsor magazines and journals.  So far, the response has been positive. And, library staff appreciates Melissa and Monica Villy for their donation of Country Living; Mr. Justin Billings for sponsoring Ladies Home Journal; Altered Minds’ Mixed Media Art Group for their donation of $100.00; and Dillon Maier for a $50 contribution.

 Library staff heartily thanks the law firm of Blaesing and Diaz for their generous sponsorship of several titles: American Angler, Conde Nast Traveler, Elle Decor,, Latina, Lucky, Successful Farming, Surfing, Taste of Home, and Teen Vogue.  

NPR Library staff is working hard to stretch your dollar even further by finding creative ways to continue bringing you quality service in the lean years. This news gets even better when you consider the latest report from the Haas Center for Business Research and Economic Development at the University of West Florida.   Their Return on Investment study shows that for every tax dollar received, your public library returns $8.32 in value.  Key findings also reveal:

Florida Libraries Support a Strong Economy

•    Jobs Created — A job is created for every $3,491 of public support to Florida libraries.

•    Income or Wages Increase — Income (wages) increases by $22.97 for every dollar of public support to libraries.
•    Gross Regional Product Increases — The value of all goods and services produced in the state of Florida increases by $10.57 for every  dollar of public support to libraries.

Libraries Provide Essential Services

•    Public libraries help people learn new things no matter their age.
•    Public libraries improve a community by helping people learn new skills so they can get better jobs.
•    Public libraries attract good businesses to the area.

The good people of New Port Richey deserve a great library, and your NPR Library staff is committed to helping New Port Richey thrive.  You can also contribute to your community’s enrichment – Consider volunteering your time and skills or sponsoring a periodical subscription, a program or a class.  Find out more by contacting NPR Library’s Outreach Director, Ann Scott at 727-853-1265.  Visit us online at www.nprlibrary.org