Bradford Area
Public Library
Bradford Area Public Library
67 West Washington Street
Bradford, PA   16701-1234
814-362-6527
Fax: 814-362-4168 

Leave A Legacy : A Message from the

 Resource Development Committee
As a lover of books and libraries, if you are interested in preserving our library, a bequest to the Bradford Area Public Library Irrevocable Trust Fund could assure that the library continues its role in providing resources to enrich lives, foster literacy, inspire intellectual curiosity, and stimulate imagination. 

 

The Bradford Area Public Library is planning for the future. Regardless of what technology lies ahead, the library will continue to be a major source of information for the public. The library will help ensure that users can access the information they need without regard to age, education, ethnicity, language, income, physical limitations or geographic barriers, as the digital world continues to evolve. The library's mission has expanded to managing public computers and serving growing numbers of patrons. 

 

Library users today look to knowledgeable professionals to help them not only accurately research books, databases, and periodicals, but also navigate government bureaucracy, apply for benefits, access social services, and more, all online.  With library usage on the increase in ways no one expected, let me explain why a bequest to the Bradford Area Public Library is so important. 

 

Quite simply put, the Bradford Area Public Library's primary funding streams ( government sources) are shrinking more and more each year. The only way for the library to maintain the budget it needs to operate is by increasing the library's endowment fund. 

 

Here are a few facts to illustrate:   

 

  •     State revenue continues to decline. While state funding represents 27 percent of the library's annual revenue, it has decreased 20 percent in the past two years, and the 2011 the state budget line is expected to be reduced another 6 percent. 
  •       Local government funding, which accounts for 16 percent of the total budget, has been flat for 15 years.
  •      The Bradford Area School District's share represents 19 percent of the budget; a small increase last year was the first in more than a decade.  
  •      Even with government funding in place, the library's flexibility to manage its operations is restricted to some extent by government regulations. For example, the library is required to spend 12 percent of its yearly budget on materials.  But materials expenditures do not include the hardware and software needed to meet customer demand for Internet resources,a demand that has increased exponentially.  These necessary expenditures become, in effect, unfunded mandates. 
  •     The library has reduced expenses, cutting its budget almost 15 percent from $338,392 to $288,621 in 2010 to address shrinking government support, however, these reductions have come at the expense of cutting services.
  •      Unfortunately reducing library hours and programs comes at a time when economic conditions have resulted in an increased demand for free user services such as libraries, especially for public access technology service which are at 90%+ percent capacity.  
  •     The number of cardholders has increased from 5,535 to 6,359 (15 percent) in the past year , During this same period funding has dropped and the budget slashed.  We are currently averaging 42 new cardholders each month.
  •      Computer usage has grown 88% during this period. In a rural community like Bradford the library may be the only place where some people can access the Internet. They may not have a computer or broadband at the home, and they need these computers at the library to do things like fill out job applications online, to do job searches, to fill out government e-forms, etc.  

 

    One positive item in this list of facts is the existence of the library's endowment fund, which currently provides over 18 percent of the budget income. This endowment fund exists due to the generosity of donors, particularly donors like Virginia L. Miles, Dorothy Reed and Agnes Thomas, who made bequests to the library. Our goal is to continue the legacy these women and others have made by ultimately increasing our endowment fund from $1 million to $6 million. With income from a $6 million endowment the library will be able to operate on a reliable and consistent basis regardless of the level of unreliable government funding.     

 

    Bequests to benefit the Bradford Area Public Library should be designated as follows: Bradford Area Public Library (Irrevocable) Endowment Fund  c/o Bradford Area Public Library 67 W. Washington St., Bradford, PA  16701.

 

For questions or more information, please contact Library Director,

Linda Newman, at 814-362-6527  or e-mail her at lmnatbapl@hotmail.com.  Bequests of any amount will be appreciated. Thank you sharing this information with interested parties.   

 

              Madeline Miles,

                            Library Trustee