I was reading Anne Marie Pace's LJ when I came across this post. Yes, that photo is of a library. Does your library look anything like that? I bet not.
With a poverty rate of 27% and Virginia's highest illiteracy rate, this library needs an extreme makeover. This tiny, struggling library is in the city where one of the most famous ponies, Misty, came to life through Marguerite Henry's series. I've been passionate about horses and reading since I was little and I feel an even tighter connection to this cause since Aladdin published the Misty series and they are also publishing my forthcoming horse series.
I've been thinking about Anne Marie's post for a few days and am trying to think of something we all can do to help.
If you'd like to donate to the library, they are accepting donations to rebuild and expand. I plan to contact them to ask if they accept book donations, too. I'm racking my brain to see if there's a way to help next year if I'm able to take a trip to VA.
If you want to visit the library's Website, visit http://chincoteagueislandlibrary.org/.
4 comments:
Thanks for this post about the Chincoteague Library! You can help. The Library is trying to raise $500,000 to triple its size.
A fun way to help and get something back is to purchase the recording “Music To Read By.” It’s 24 tracks performed by 12 Island musicians and runs about 70 minutes. The music ranges from Mozart to blue grass, Celtic to blues, new age to folk tunes.
The proceeds of the sales go to the Library’s expansion fund. The musicians donated their performances. The engineering and mastering were donated. All of the selections are public domain so no publisher gets a cut. We raised the money to manufacture the CD. So, a purchase of Music To Read By puts money into the building fund and music into your ears!
Sample tracks and, we hope, buy and download Music To Read By on DigStation at:
http://www.digstation.com/AlbumDetails.aspx?albumid=ALB000006517
The download price is $0.99 per track or $9.99 for the entire CD.
Or send $20 to Chincoteague Island Library for a CD ($15 for the CD and $5 for shipping and handling). The address is:
Chincoteague Island Library
4077 Main Street
Chincoteague Island, VA 23336-2407
Music To Read By is available at many shops in town for $15.
BTW the library operates through the good will of about 26 volunteers and two part time employees. It is not part of the County Library system but is affiliated with it. The Library operates out of the former barber shop – all 750 square feet! The Library is used heavily and in desparate need of additional space.
I hope you’ll give Music To Read By a listen and help us to expand the Chincoteague Island Library.
Bill Troxler
Producer and Performer
Music To Read By
gwt4986-cr@yahoo.com
Thank you for stopping by, Bill! What a fantastic idea! In case you visit this post again, do you know if the library accepts book donations or will in the future?
A great cause, Jessica!
Jessica,
Thanks for the mention of our little Island Library. Our building is so small, we are not equipped to handle any book donations at this time. Hopefully, in the near future, when we build our addition, we will be in a position to accept donations of new books. Please check out our website at chincteagueislandlibrary.org for more ways to help us expand.
We are very interested in your series, and we hope you will keep us posted on publication. We would love to have copies in our library.
I'll keep you posted on our fundraising progress. Thanks for the kind words and interest in our library.
Linda Ryan, President
Board of Directors
Chincoteague Island Library
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