According to Friends Of The Dallas Public Library Executive Director Mary Wilonsky,
In its 70th anniversary year, Friends of the Dallas Public Library can point to great achievements in improving our city’s libraries, enhancing programming, advocating for public support and helping guarantee that the library system remains an indispensable civic resource in the 21st Century.
Dallas has 29 libraries and its 30th is under construction, a much-needed facility in the Vickery Meadow neighborhood. Our libraries are so much more than warehouses for books.
They are great equalizers, bridging the digital divide, providing online access to education, employment, and government services and so much more. They bring diverse groups together with cultural events and community programs.
In an increasingly fractious, raucous society, libraries are islands of civil discourse, trust and integrity, qualities that we need to uplift and instill more than ever.
Despite the success the Friends of the Dallas Public Library have had in the past in support of the Dallas Public Libraries, its mission is more important than ever.
The current health and economic crises is affecting all public institutions, imperiling the library’s future and its ability to continue serving the 1.3 million people of Dallas. Meanwhile, the Library’s physical and online resources remain crucial for adults and children whose lives have been disrupted by the coronavirus.
Friends of the Dallas Public Library was founded in 1950 by 23 prominent Dallas citizens, including Stanley Marcus and Rabbi Levi Olan, determined to expand and improve the library system and hold city leaders accountable for providing libraries worthy of our city.
The first concrete achievement came in 1951, when Friends President Erin Bain Jones presented the city with a new bookmobile. Since then, the list of achievements is long: commissioning a survey to assess the need for new branches, acquiring literary treasures for the Library’s Fine and Rare Book Collection, raising money for a new Central Library and subsequent renovation projects, helping pass critical bond issues and lobbying City Council to protect the Library during contentious budgeting deliberations.
Today, Friends funding supports a wide-range of Library programs, including the Dallas Book Festival, English Language Learning, the SMART Summer reading program, GED instruction and testing, bringing authors and artists to Dallas, underwriting library staff training, and gifting every baby born at Parkland Hospital with a book to spark a lifetime of reading.
Many of the Friends’ projects receive the support of companies and foundations, and we are proud to be a trusted partner of many organizations, as well as the City of Dallas. But we also need more unrestricted funds so we can respond quickly to unexpected situations and channel resources where they are needed most.
That is exactly the situation now as we work to help the Library system weather the current crisis with an enhanced advocacy campaign to protect our libraries in upcoming budget negotiations. The Library has already been asked to cut its budget significantly and many staff were furloughed. Contributions made through North Texas Giving Day are unrestricted funds, enabling the Friends to assist and support the Library in these difficult times.
Dallas is blessed to have a great library system, with a talented, creative and resourceful staff. The Friends of the Dallas Public Library want to make sure it continues to flourish.
* Photo credit: Danny Hurley Photography **Graphic and photo provided by Friends of the Dallas Public Library
In 11 years, Communities Foundation of Texas’ North Texas Giving Day has pumped more than $290 million into the North Texas community. In 2019, more than $50 million was raised through more than 169,000 gifts benefiting over 2,988 area nonprofits.
On Thursday, September 17, support Friends Of The Dallas Public Library by linking here and spreading the word. #NTxGivingDay
