Altamont Library Notes for Wednesday, February 10, 2021
At the end of last year, we here at the Altamont Free Library were getting nervous. Because of COVID restrictions, we hadn’t been able to hold several of the fundraisers that we normally rely on to supplement our budget, and we didn’t know how we were going to make up that revenue to make our budget balance.
In a normal year, our annual book sale and chicken barbecue bring in several thousand dollars that we rely on. Even worse, we knew that we weren’t going to be able to hold our annual gala, our biggest fundraiser of the year that we normally hold this very week, and which normally accounts for as much as 10% of all of our income for the year.
So, I did something that I hadn’t done since I became the director here, I wrote an appeal letter to our community, asking for donations. We didn’t know what to expect, but we hoped that we would at least replace the money we didn’t collect from fundraisers earlier in 2020..
As it turns out, I made a silly mistake: I underestimated the generosity of the Altamont community. As of today, we have taken in over $29,000 — more than we’ve earned through fundraising in all of 2019!
With these incredibly generous donations, we ended an awful year in good financial shape.
We can now look forward to returning to a fuller schedule when public-health conditions allow, to expand our catalogue of ebooks and digital audiobook offerings, to continue to ensure that our library is as clean and sanitary as possible, and much more besides.
With your generous support, we look forward to better, more normal times ahead in 2021.
There are few libraries anywhere that are as lucky as we are to have such strong support from our community. On behalf of the board of trustees and staff, we offer all our donors our deep and heartfelt gratitude. Thank you all!
Presidents Day
Please note that Altamont Free Library will be closed on Monday, Feb. 15, in observance of Presidents Day.
“The Overstory”
Do you love to read? Do you love talking about the things you’ve read? If so, consider joining our First Monday Book Club!
We meet, as the name implies, on the first Monday of every month at noon. Our next meeting will be Monday, March 1, at noon when we’ll meet via Zoom to discuss “The Overstory” by Richard Powers. “The Overstory,” which won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for fiction, is very simply a novel about trees.
More specifically, the novel follows numerous characters and their relationships with trees throughout each one’s life. It’s a fascinating book, and we’ve got several copies on hold if you’re interested. You can also find the digital audiobook available for free on the Hoopla app.
If you’d like to join us, or to reserve your copy of The Overstory, call us at 518-861-7239 or send us an email at .
New York Times access
If you’re reading this, then we already know that you’re a smart cookie and you subscribe to The Altamont Enterprise. Good for you! But here’s something new for the new year: Now you can use your Altamont Free Library card to access The New York Times online for free!
Normally, once you’ve read a few articles in The New York Times every month, you are restricted from accessing any more until the next month, which can be frustrating. Now, you can simply go to AltamontFreeLibrary.com/Times and get a code that will allow you to access every Times article for 72 hours.
Once your 72 hours are up, just come back to our website, get a new code, and you’re good for another 72 hours. You’ll need to set up a free New York Times online account, which is super easy, and you’ll be set to read the online Times on as many computers or smart devices as you like! If you need any help getting set up, please give us a call at 518-861-7239 and we’ll walk you through it.
These days, it’s more important than ever to get your news from reliable journalistic sources like The Enterprise and The Times, so start reading today!