Contact:  Joanne Hinkel

              Boise Public Library

              208-384-4372

              jhinkel@cityofboise.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE –  

Friends Donate $237,000 for Branch Library Materials

(Boise – 08/23/07)  The Friends of Boise Public Library will present a check for $237,000 to Mayor David Bieter and Library Board representatives at next week’s City Council meeting.  The donation will fund books, movies, music and other materials for two new neighborhood libraries, scheduled to open later this year in the Collister and Hillcrest shopping centers.      

“We have a core group of Friends who have been very dedicated to helping branch libraries become a reality,” said Friends president Carol Bounds, who will present the check.  “The Library came to the Friends several years ago and asked us to raise money specifically for branch library materials.  It’s wonderful to finally see that money being put to use!”

“This check from the Friends of the Library represents so much more than a monetary investment,” said Mayor Bieter.  “It is an investment in the intellectual infrastructure of our great community.  Whether it's entrepreneurs needing access to information, young people wanting exposure to literature, the internet and information in general or community and senior groups having a place to gather - a vibrant, accessible library system benefits us all - now and in the future.”

The Friends group raises funds primarily through two annual booksales and a used-book store in the downtown library, processing approximately 200,000 donated books each year for the purpose.  In 2004, the Friends donated $100,000 towards the purchase of property for a future branch library in Southeast Boise.  Besides the $237,000 donation for branch library materials, the group has an additional $240,000 in reserve for future library needs. 

Besides the Collister and Hillcrest libraries, two larger neighborhood libraries will open in 2009 and 2010 – one in West Boise at Cole and Ustick and one in Southeast Boise’s Bown Crossing.  All four neighborhood branches are planned as full-service libraries, with public computers, Internet access, programs, reading spaces, meeting rooms and reference services.

For more information on the neighborhood library plan, or for information on joining the Friends group, visit the library’s website at www.boisepubliclibrary.org.  The next Friends booksale is scheduled for October 26, 27 and 28 in the downtown library auditorium.

The City Council meeting will be held at noon on Tuesday, August 28, in the Les Bois Room on the third floor of City Hall at 150 North Capitol Blvd.  To see an agenda, visit the City website at http://www.cityofboise.org/.

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