Like any other department in a prudently-run town, the West Tisbury Free Public Library receives support from the town budget for basic operations: the facility and utilities, maintenance, staff, and supplies. But given the resources to work with, a good public library has great power to shape and elevate an entire community. The New York Public Library is only one example of a great American library built on this model of an active public-private partnership.
To some of us, lifelong education is not an “extra” but a necessity. The West Tisbury Library Foundation is an independent 501(c)3 nonprofit that raises private funds to supplement and expand the West Tisbury Library’s free public offerings. We work with library director Alexandra Pratt and her staff to identify and fund library features and services that go beyond the basics to provide a superior level of children’s programs, visiting speakers and performers, more books and enhanced information technology (computer, wifi, and internet capabilities).
We are a vehicle through which private donors like you can help the West Tisbury Library reach far more people, and meet diverse needs. Along the way, we take good care of the lasting gifts our library has received from private donors: the habitat gardens, the Community Room, and so much more. The Foundation is also building a lasting endowment that will keep our library improving long into the future.
The West Tisbury Library Foundation is run by an all-volunteer board. We have no paid staff, and keep administrative expenses at a minimum in order that every dollar can go as directly as possible to where it does the greatest good, leveraging and amplifying the benefits of town-based funding. For this reason, our library is one of the best possible investments for your charitable giving. We hope you will continue to play a key role in supporting it.
A Public-Private Partnership
Like any other department in a prudently-run town, the West Tisbury Free Public Library receives support from the town budget for basic operations: the facility and utilities, maintenance, staff, and supplies. But given the resources to work with, a good public library has great power to shape and elevate an entire community. The New York Public Library is only one example of a great American library built on this model of an active public-private partnership.
To some of us, lifelong education is not an “extra” but a necessity. The West Tisbury Library Foundation is an independent 501(c)3 nonprofit that raises private funds to supplement and expand the West Tisbury Library’s free public offerings. We work with library director Alexandra Pratt and her staff to identify and fund library features and services that go beyond the basics to provide a superior level of children’s programs, visiting speakers and performers, more books and enhanced information technology (computer, wifi, and internet capabilities).
We are a vehicle through which private donors like you can help the West Tisbury Library reach far more people, and meet diverse needs. Along the way, we take good care of the lasting gifts our library has received from private donors: the habitat gardens, the Community Room, and so much more. The Foundation is also building a lasting endowment that will keep our library improving long into the future.
The West Tisbury Library Foundation is run by an all-volunteer board. We have no paid staff, and keep administrative expenses at a minimum in order that every dollar can go as directly as possible to where it does the greatest good, leveraging and amplifying the benefits of town-based funding. For this reason, our library is one of the best possible investments for your charitable giving. We hope you will continue to play a key role in supporting it.
Thank you,
Dan Waters, Chair