Every year the MM Public Library hires at least 4 summer students to help run the children’s programming at both the Pakenham and Almonte branches. In 2022, there were 189 free programs offered that were attended by 1474n children ranging from 4 to 14 years old. Summer programs bring children and their families to the library, they are fun and have educational, social, and outdoors components. Children get to make new friends and learn about their community, getting their first library card after attending summer camp. These programs run all day every day throughout July and August and are funded by granting streams from both Federal and Provincial Governments.
Every year the students must be hired at the beginning of June to prepare for the July 2 start, and every year the grant announcements come towards the end of June. The library allocates as much of its budget as it can to hiring students, and paying them throughout June, on the understanding that the likelihood of getting all 4 grants is slim. This was what the library did again this year.
Unfortunately, this year our award-winning library, that provides programs for 3 different age groups each day for 2 months, received no grants at all. “This is the first time in over 10 years of applying for grants that I have not received any funding to help hire summer students.” states Christine Row, MMPL CEO/Chief Librarian. “I have heard that many libraries are in the same situation.” Row continues, “Fortunately, the MMPL Friends are
saving our summer programming. I have no idea how other libraries are going to continue with summer programming plans.”
With no provincial or federal funding for summer students coming, MMPL would have covered just over half the student salaries from its budget, and so program cuts looked inevitable. The students were already hired, and the programs were within about 10 days of starting. At the last minute there was a real possibility that families who had registered their kids for library programs may have been left stranded with no other options for their
children.
The library came to the Friends to see if we could help the library provide all the programming scheduled. Thanks to the $7,379.50 raised from our online auction of local services, plus the funds we hold in reserve for just such an occasion, we could donate a one-time $10,000 grant to the MM Public Library to ensure that all its summer programming goes ahead. This is our biggest donation ever and, when we looked at the programs offered, it sure felt good to know children in the community are in for a huge treat over the summer. It brings the total we have donated to the library in 2024 to $19,000 nearly double our previous annual totals.
Fortunately, the story has a happy ending this year (although the reality of the funding shortages continue). We absolutely could not have done it without the 100 services donated to the auction by local businesses, organizations, and individuals, and the bidders who paid for those services. We need to give additional shout outs to 32auctions for providing an auction platform community groups can afford, and the Friends’s auction
committee who pulled together fabulously and with enthusiasm to make sure the auction was the very best it could be.
Finally, we had a reserve fund available to top up our contribution thanks to the Live! @ the Library concerts; the Play Reading earlier in the year; and the Book Sale in October 2023.It makes us so proud to be able to support our library, especially in such a time of need.
