New Books On the Way

The San Bernardino City Library Foundation announced it will purchase $20,000 of library books for the San Bernardino Public Library (SBPL) and continue its sponsorship of the Overdrive eBooks and Audiobooks subscription for this calendar year. In addition to paying the annual subscription cost for Overdrive, the foundation will purchase almost $2,000 of new eBooks and Audiobooks monthly to refresh the collection. “On behalf of the SBPL Board of Trustees and the city, I would like to thank the foundation very much for its contributions to the library” said Library Director Ed Erjavek. “Our library cardholders will benefit greatly with the services they receive from these donations.” The Overdrive collection can be accessed by SBPL cardholders by going directly to the library website at www.sbpl.org and selecting “E for Me” or directly at http://sbpl.lib.overdrive.com . In addition to approximately $75,000 in annual projects the foundation has also agreed to fund a technology upgrade for the library system of $306,000 for the purchase of new servers and computers. SBPL also benefits greatly by contributions from the Friends of the San Bernardino Public Library, which is a separate non-profit. They recently voted to purchase new World Book Encyclopedias for the libraries. “The friends are also invaluable in helping supplement the library budget,” said Erjavek. “It is great these non-profit volunteers raise funds to supplement our city budget. The friends are also providing $20,000 for library books and spent more than $54,000 for library projects in 2015. The San Bernardino City Library Foundation is a non-profit, tax-exempt corporation and is an independent fund-raising entity. The support generated is not intended to replace, but to enhance public funding. Donations to the foundation are tax deductible. Annual membership is $25. If you are interested in becoming a contributor, please call the Administrative Office at the Norman F. Feldheym Central Library for information at (909) 381-8211. The Friends of the San Bernardino Public Library is a support group which aids library service through fund-raising activities such as periodic book sales for the purchase of equipment and funding of programs. Annual membership is $5. Information is available in the Administrative Office at the Norman F. Feldheym Central Library or by calling (909) 381-8251.