PTA donates $2,000 to school library

Students at Thomas Jefferson Elementary got an early Christmas present this year — hundreds of new books for the school’s library, thanks to the Parent Teacher Association.

After renewing the software license for the library’s checkout system, the school was left with only a few hundred dollars to purchase new books for the school year, but a $2,000 donation from the school’s PTA will put more than 100 new books in the hands of young readers.

Ann Leonard, president of the school’s PTA and vice president of the Newton Community School District board, said when teachers approached the PTA about helping provide new books for the students, the organization was glad to help. The PTA at Thomas Jefferson already funds many of the mobile book carts outside each classroom, and with funds remaining for the year, Leonard said it made sense to work with the library to provide new books for students.

“We have a tight relationship with the staff at Thomas Jefferson,” Leonard said. “When teachers asked for new library books we had a pretty significant fund balance and we wanted to give back.”

The PTA’s initial donation was for $2,000 but Leonard said she’s hoping they can host a fundraiser with an eye toward increasing their overall contribution to $6,000. The library books, which carry a special binding that’s guaranteed for life typically cost between $12-15 each, librarian Pam Ferguson said. The company that supplies the books will replace books if the becomes damaged during use, an important quality for a library book, she said.

“They’re library bound quality, they have to stand the test of time,” Ferguson said.

The initial $2,000 donation was enough to order 139 new books for the library’s collection. Most of the library’s annual budget this year went to renewing Alexandria, a software program that allows the library to track all of the books in their collection, leaving $305 in the budget to purchase new books this school year. According to a state library survey that Ferguson cited, the average school library budget is closer to $3,500 a year, with some schools, like Pella, budgeting more than $6,000 a year for the school library. That number also includes money generated from book fairs.

“There’s no bad-mouthing anybody, because nobody did anything wrong, it’s just the state of what we have,” Ferguson said. “The PTA is really stepping up to the plate.”

There are more than 11,000 books in the library at Thomas Jefferson, but Ferguson said it’s important for the library to make sure it has the newest titles for young readers. Every year Ferguson compiles a “wish list” of new books she’d like to order for the school. When the new books arrived the librarians put the books out on display tables in the library and gave students a chance to preview the books before they were checked out for the first time.

“The kids need these books, the PTA was really gung-ho,” Ferguson said. “We have beautiful facilities here, we just need to keep up to date on titles for the kids. Teachers understand how important it is to have literature to choose from.”

Leonard said the PTA would like to fund the whole $6,000 and said the organization is looking into ways to raise the money. Making sure students at Thomas Jefferson have access to plenty of books is a priority for the organization, Leonard said.

“I’m not sure we can fully fund the $6,000 but we’re looking at holding a fundraiser, that’s what we’re here for,” Leonard said.

Contact David Dolmage at 641-792-3121 ext. 6532 or ddolmage@newtondailynews.com