Where is the one place that all people in our community can come for inspiration, information and entertainment for life? The answer is YOUR LIBRARY! We are the place where kids can come for fun and learning or get help on their homework instead of roaming the streets or going home to an empty house. We are the educational partners who provide supplemental classroom materials to teachers for their study units and resources for their students (computers, internet access, and books). We are the economic stimulus partners of the community. We help entrepreneurs build their businesses and job seekers gain skills and find jobs. We are the place where people can explore new things, be green and economical. The library is the ultimate facility that provides free books, DVDs, internet access, classes and entertainment. Come and try before you buy! We are the social gathering place where families connect and friendships are made. The mom who meets new friends when she brings her children to a story time or educational program. The widow who finds comfort surrounded by life. The parent who helps their child with research for a school project or common hobby.

The High Plains Library District, like many other libraries, is faced with rapidly increasing demands as its service district population grows coupled with increased costs to operate as a direct result of the current economic factors. The High Plains Library District Foundation works to fund your library’s special projects, programs, and future capital needs – all of which help enhance the communities we serve.

Some specific special projects we are currently seeking funds for are:

• $100,000 for six library substations in unserved/underserved communities
• $  20,000 for a mobile computer lab
• $  25,000 for one early childhood literacy computer station per branch and member library
• $  50,000 for collection development

Some examples of ongoing programs we continually seek funding for include:

• Summer Reading Program ($20,000)
• Common Book (community reading program) ($15,000)
• Bookmobile & Outreach ($25,000)

The Foundation, founded in October of 2000, is a separate legal entity, 501(c)(3) with a Board of Directors, but it is considered a supporting organization for the District. All funds raised by the Foundation will be used to support the mission of the District.

A Big Thank You to our Dedicated Foundation Board of Directors who give generously to the foundation efforts:

Please enter the number of times you use the following library services each month

Where did these numbers come from?
Typical taxpayer contributions are determined from the library"s 2006 local income per capita. For libraries in Colorado, this can be found at http://www.lrs.org/pub_stats.php. We borrowed value of library service figures from Maine State Library"s Library Use Value Calculator. For more information, see their explanation.