Tales from a Loud Librarian

I have spent the last 30 years working in public schools in Louisiana. I have to say, except when I taught in a classroom that was federally funded, that I never had the funding that I needed to run my program. When I became a librarian in 1991, I knew immediately that the budget from the district and the state would not be enough to maintain and improve the collection. There were some block grants and some school money that helped in the early years, but I knew from the first time that I stepped into a library that I would have to hold fundraisers if I wanted to provide my students with a vibrant program. You can't run a library on nothing though I wish that you could.  When I arrived at PFTSTA eight years ago, the district gave me a budget to match our student body of 175 students. I was starting a library from scratch at a new school. I needed funding. The principal, at the time, had received grant monies to outfit the school, and luckily, she was generous with the libr...

Library Fundraiser from November 9th through November 27th Cover of  the catalog Help support library programs at PFTSTA like Teen READ Week and Teen TECH Week as well as help get the newest and hottest young adult literature on the shelves of the library by ordering with us.  This is the third year that the PFTSTA Library is working with Great American Opportunities for the Order Now, Pay Later style of fundraiser. Students can ask parents, relatives, friends and parents' co-workers to order from the spring Family Values catalog. The orders will be placed at the end of November, and then the items while arrive at school around the end of January, in time for Valentine's Day. By participating in this sale, the library gets a bigger profit than a traditional sale. We have been able to raise about $600 each year with this type of fundraiser. Now we understand that you may set aside money to spend for holiday gifts, and you don't want to wait until Janua...