Greenwich Library, CT: Fund Special Projects with a Special Process
RSSBarbara Ormerod-Glynn, Acting Director -- Library Journal, 02/15/2009
Annual Initiatives: each year, after the annual operating budget is submitted to the town, the Board of Trustees’ Planning Committee begins soliciting ideas for initiatives to fund with monies raised privately in the Annual Appeal and key fundraisers. The Planning Committee is comprised of a representative cross-section of library staff, board members, Friends and community members. Ideas for products and services not typically funded by the town are presented, discussed, priced, ranked, and finally recommended—over a vetting period of about six months—to the Board of Trustees for funding.
In recent years, the award winning Health Information Center was incubated with these funds. As its value to the community became clear, financial support was transferred to the town budget. Similarly, the 18-seat Technology Training Center was funded as a public/private partnership with the town through this planning process. Other services supported include additional software and equipment to support the visually impaired; redesign of space for the local history collection; digital signage to better promote 1,245 programs annually; and the purchase of a state-of-the-art projector for the 368-seat auditorium.
Because the process is outside of the usual budgeting cycle, it offers a unique opportunity for key constituents to identify and test out unique ideas for library products and services that complement those funded by the town.—Barbara Ormerod-Glynn, Acting Director
