Santa Maria’s city librarian Mary Housel announced the formation of the Santa Maria Public Library Foundation, a new nonprofit organization, in a statement issued by the city of Santa Maria on Feb. 5. The launch follows public support of the nonprofit organization by the Library Board of Trustees and Friends of the Library board members representing Santa Maria, Orcutt, Los Alamos, and Guadalupe.
“The primary function of the foundation will be to secure financial and in-kind donations to develop an endowment,” Housel said in the statement. “The endowment will support library programs, services, collections, and capital projects benefiting libraries in all of the geographic areas served by the Santa Maria Public Library system.”
The formation of the foundation serves as the first big push in line with the proclamation made by the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors and the Santa Maria City Council, dubbing 2015 as the Year of the Library, which includes initiatives to bring new awareness to county residents about the importance of and services offered by the library system. More information is available at 925-0951, Ext. 322, or cityofsantamaria.org.
This article appears in Feb 12-19, 2015.
