Chuffed: it’s how I feel when I think of the wonderfully symbiotic relationship between the library — supporting and connecting our community — and the community — enjoying and supporting the library. Chuffed-ness (the experience of being very pleased) is really going around these days.
I feel chuffed to know that the library is appreciated for being the inclusive, egalitarian, educational, inspirational, and community-connecting service that it is. At the library, we are the happy recipients of the gifts you give us every day: your curious minds, your good questions, your smiles and expressions of appreciation. We’re chuffed that you like us!
I feel chuffed to know that folks support the library in many ways, helping us to be the best we can be. Each year in our annual report we thank our donors, sponsors, and volunteers — the list is long, and definitely chuff-inducing — or you give us the thumbs-up by supporting our fundraisers.
You support us every time you buy one of our Nelson’s Chocofellar chocolate bars sporting titles that are fun riffs off great literature (Call of the Wild Coconut, or A Bar of One’s Own, for example); purchase a copy of our cookbook, Pairings: A Compendium of Beloved Recipes and Books from the Chefs of Nelson, or a bookmark, greeting card, or cloth bag; or support the Friends of the Nelson Library through their seasonal book sales.
Each December, you support the Book Under Every Tree initiative, a project we share with Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy in which we reach out into the community to gather new (and looks-like-new) books to distribute to readers of all ages through the Nelson Community Food Centre. Drop your donations at the Library or in the brightly wrapped boxes around town, and make sure there really is a book under every tree.
You support us by sponsoring a magazine subscription during our annual drive in March, where you get to choose from our wish-list and have your name or business displayed on the cover.
You support us by making a cash donation through our Give and Grow initiative; sometimes you choose to sponsor collections, literacy, technology, or other directed giving, or you tick the “wherever it’s most needed” box. Sometimes you make your donation in memory of a loved one who loved the library.
A few years ago longtime Nelson city employee and library-lover Don Flood, who passed away in 2014, bequeathed $10,000 to the library through the Osprey Community Foundation to create the Nelson Library Fund; that fund has since grown to $25,000, with the interest generated annually benefiting the library in real, concrete ways — which in turn is felt by you. Bequests to the library are a great way to say thanks; it’s nice to know that after we’re gone, we can keep on giving.
Cash donations for magazine sponsorships, through Give and Grow, and to the Osprey Foundation’s Nelson Library Fund are all eligible for a tax receipt, along with our gratitude. Yes, we are chuffed.
These are all the ways in which you support us; to you, we give a fun place for kids and families, a safe place for teens, a comfortable place for seniors, and a welcoming place for all.
We offer free programs for all ages to inspire and entertain, and educational opportunities including literary or instructional evening programs, get-friendly-with-your-device workshops, Gale Courses online to learn just about anything, and databases to help you learn Spanish, repair your car, or find your ancestors. You can download books to read and listen to, get magazines and movies online, and so much more. These, plus a vast collection of items you can take home: books, films, music, and more.
You could say that the Library and its supporters are a mutual appreciation society — and I can say that I’m chuffed to be a part of it.
Anne DeGrace is the adult services coordinator at the Nelson Public Library. Check This Out runs every other week.