'Rock for Books' Hits The Stage This Weekend at The Loving Touch

The "Rock for Books" Ferndale Public Library benefit concert will be held this weekend at The Loving Touch. 

The event kicks off at 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 3, and will feature four bands, a spoken-word artist and a magician; a $5 donation is suggested at the door.

Save the books, movies, music

Proceeds will benefit the library's collection development fund, which is slated to be significantly reduced in the 2014 budget, according to Ferndale Public Library Circulation Specialist Jeff Milo (see below for more details).

"All donations will be used to buy new books, CDs and DVDs for the Ferndale Public Library," according to library Director Jessica Keyser.

"For us, throwing a concert just seemed like the best way to assure we keep bringing in new books, movies and music releases for our patrons to borrow," Milo wrote recently on Ferndale Patch.

Why a benefit concert?

"We're looking at a pretty steep decline in revenue the next few years due to a variety of reasons including a loss of personal property tax, which is something our Legislature did in the last session and property values continue to decline in the city," Keyser explained in May. 

The library is projected to have lost approximately $285,000 in revenue between 2009 and 2014, she said.

"We are expecting to receive $1,030,800 next year," Keyser said. "Our revenue in 2009 was $1,316,763.71, and it has steadily declined every year since.

"We have a dedicated millage just for the library, which accounts for about 90 percent of our revenue. None of our funding comes from the city's budget," she said. "The millage comes directly from property taxes. So, when home values decline, our revenues go with them. The other ten percent is comprised of state aid, penal fines, grants and fundraising, overdue fines and any fees we charge for services."

Keyser said that even as revenue has shrunk, usage and demand for library services has grown.

"We're looking for ways to save money and bring in revenue any way we can because we don't want to cut hours or services," she said.

Insider tip: Wright, a librarian by day and rocker by night, plays guitar in indie-rock band Due North.