Hello and happy Friday!

Another fiscal year has ended, and I wanted to share our profound gratitude for making it one of most successful to date, exceeding our annual goal by 40%! You’ve not only helped us grow our Library in new and innovative ways, but you’ve also empowered us to better serve and engage with our community. In fact the Library received a 98.4% customer satisfaction rating, saw a 36% increase in circulation and increased literacy program attendance by almost 28%. These are astounding numbers.

We all benefit from your generosity and your efforts to keep our Library vibrant and strong.

As we look forward to the fall (and cooler weather, fingers crossed) we hope to reconnect and reenergize with you at one of our upcoming events. Join us on the Around the World in 21 Branches tour (details below about our Pineville stop.) Secure your seat for this year’s Verse & Vino on Thursday, November 7. We’ll be making a big author line-up announcement soon. It’s sure to be another “do-not-miss-this” event!

A new fiscal year also means new Library Foundation board members. Help me welcome Jess Dienna, Sharon Portwood, and George Spencer to the Library community. (See our full board listing here.) They bring their immense experience and diverse expertise to our team. Thank you for joining us.

As delighted as I am about our new members, it’s always bittersweet. With every hello comes a good-bye. Thank you, LeRoy Davis. Thank you, Barb Ellis. Thank you, Peter Keane. Thank you, Gina Lawrence. Thank you, Cristina Wilson. In honor of their service, we have added a special book to the collection. Click their names to see their addition to the shelves.

With gratitude,

Jenni Gaisbauer, CFRE
Executive Director

P.S. Attention Main Street Books lovers. We are partnering with the Davidson independent bookstore on two upcoming author events: September 17 with Around the World author Meagan Church and her novel The Girls We Sent Awayand October 3 with Marian Schembari and her memoir A Little Less Broken: How An Autism Diagnosis Finally Made Me Whole. Save the dates!