By Meredith Stanton Vaselaar
Adrian Branch Librarian
I can’t think of anything more appropriate than to say, “you did it!” That’s right – to all of our donators, you accomplished something that, well, to be honest, a lot of people thought could not be done: you raised more than $80,000 for the Adrian Branch Library. On Wednesday, March 29, 2017, the L.A.C.F. sponsored Adrian Library fundraiser reached its goal of $80,000.
This is an amazing accomplishment and could not have been achieved without the generosity of people in the area, in the state, in the country, and in the world. In looking at the numbers of those who donated, this is how it breaks down thus far (excluding the online donations): 53% came from a combination of Adrian (45%) and Lismore (8%) donators; 26% came from the greater Nobles County Area; 3% came from Minnesota, excluding Nobles County; and 14% came from all across the United States.
4% of all donations were submitted online. There were 34 online donators. Online donations within the United States came from all over: Minnesota, South Dakota, Ohio, Texas, Maryland, Georgia, Massachusetts, Tennessee, New York, Virginia, Washington, Illinois, Alaska, and Pennsylvania. There were two international donations; one from Ontario, Canada, and one from New South Wales, Australia. With the exception of some of the Minnesota and South Dakota online donations, most of the donators had never heard of Adrian, and the Adrian Branch Library, until they ran across information online through Podcasts, Facebook, Webpages, News Reports, etc. A lot of these donators will probably never visit Minnesota, much less the Adrian Branch Library. This shows how generous even strangers have been in contributing to the Adrian Branch Library project.
The Lismore Area Community Foundation (L.A.C.F.) sponsored the Adrian Library Project, ensuring that all money raised would be used only by the Adrian Branch Library. This sponsorship was instrumental in helping to reach the fundraising goal.
The funds raised through this project – as of April 3, 2017, the donations had reached $80,366 – will be used to furnish the Library. A good portion of the donation dollars will go toward the Library shelving, which is estimated to cost approximately $45,000. Yes, that is a very large sum, but due to the number of wood shelves needed, the size of the building and the fact that all of the units had to be custom built, and adding in shipping, installation and labor, the cost was not unexpected. The new shelves will accommodate the library collection of approximately 10,000 items; the amount of items for which the building is designed.
The other furnishings will include tables, chairs, and desks. The patron table will include a charging station in the center, which will be a much-needed and requested addition to the Library. The money raised will cover these costs. Some donations continue to arrive at the Library and in the event that there are funds left over, those funds will be held in a separate, special fund to be used solely at the Adrian Branch Library for non-budget items, such as increased collection development, special services and programs.
Nobles County is covering the cost of capital improvements on the building, and no donated dollars will be used for this portion of the project. The renovation is being headed by general contractor, Clair Van Grouw, and when all possible, the work is being done through local (southwest Minnesota) contractors. A few contractors for more specialized work, are from the tri-state area.
The county commissioners have given so much support to the project that will renovate a space that will be used for decades to come. Through the cooperative effort of the county as well as those donating to the project, the space is going to be something that all can take pride in, as they have had a hand in making this entire endeavor possible.
The move from the temporary Library location to the newly renovated Library building on Maine Ave. is planned to take place in June 2017.
And, thanks to the kind generosity of all of our donors – from people who have emptied their change into the container on the Library desk (which added up to a few hundred dollars), to donations from individuals, corporations, and organizations – the fundraiser has reached its goal. It is through all the efforts of the more than 200 donators that this project has been successful.
A deeply heartfelt “thank you” to all of you. YOU ARE AMAZING!
