Friends of the Frances T. Bourne Jacaranda Public Library c/o The Frances T. Bourne Jacaranda Public Library 4143 Woodmere Park Blvd., Venice, FL  34293 (941) 486-2723 Friends Newsletter Vol. 15, No. 3 (PDF) Who we are The Friends of the Jacaranda Public Library, Inc. was formed in 1992. The sole purpose of the organization is to provide support to and enhance the quality of library services to the public at the Frances T. Bourne Jacaranda Public Library. Each member library in the Sarasota County Library System has a Friends group and they all function similarly. The organization is a non-profit organization with 501 (c)(3) status. The Friends are operated exclusively as a publicly supported organization and they are financially supported by membership dues and other fund-raising activities under the direction of members. Fund-raising campaigns are underway at all Sarasota County libraries to provide additional materials and equipment for each library that is not provided by the regular budget. Since the founding in 1992, the organization has grown to become one of the largest Friends groups in the country. Total membership in 1996: 569. Total households included: 395. Why the Friends? The need for the Friends group becomes obvious when several factors are taken into consideration. The first of these; the fact that there is not specific tax in Sarasota County to support libraries. Voters have not approved any tax to date to support libraries, therefore it is necessary to raise monies locally just to support some basic operations. Another reason for the Friends' fund-raising activities is that certain items are not foreseen in the library budget and must be obtained in other ways. This contingency spending is quite essential to the normal operations of the library. Grants The Friends of the Jacaranda Public Library, with assistance from the staff, applies for grants annually. The Friends wish to thank the following organizations for their generous support and contributions: The Plantation Foundation The Selby Foundation The Wilson Wood Foundation Vinyl-Tech/PGT, Inc. The Kathleen K. Catlin Advised Fund of the Community Foundation Services provided by the Friends The list of services, equipment and materials that are provided by the Friends is too lengthy to publish here, but a partial list must include: additional copies of books; expanded inventory of video/audio tapes; programming for adults and children; purchase of certain newspapers and magazines; purchase of public-access computers with a variety of software applications. How can you help?... Join the Friends! Just stop by the Frances T. Bourne Jacaranda Public Library and apply in person at the Friends desk. Benefits of Membership include: We will mail you our newsletter, "Between Friends" which will enable you to stay in touch with current happenings at the Library. The membership fee is tax-deductible. The most important benefit is, membership dues support our library. Great libraries are only possible through community support-like yours!