I’ve always said that I have the best job in the world. Every day, I interact with patrons who rely on the library’s consistent service. Our challenge for 2009 and beyond is to deliver on our commitment to the community. However, the library is not immune to the bad economy, and I know tough choices still lie ahead.

The library is bracing for a projected $1.2 million budget shortfall even as our community’s most vulnerable people are relying on us more than ever. Folks who no longer have jobs come to the library for help, and we offer them essential services such as resume writing and computer training. And thousands of people each year use the library as a great place to read and relax.

I have enjoyed participating in the Heartland Visioning conversations, and something everyone praises is our community’s great library. Individual donors like you make the difference between our library being good and being great. Today, we offer you the opportunity to know you

helped ease some of our hardest decisions or preserve a service that may have had to be discontinued. Donors decisively impact the quality

of library services, programs and collections. In the following pages, you’ll see compelling examples of your gifts at work.

Thank you for your continued support. I remain profoundly grateful for donors who understand the value of our library and its legacy of great service.

Sincerely,

Gina Millsap Executive Director Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library

...individual donors like you make the difference between our library being good and our library being great.

Gina Millsap, Executive Director, reads to children in the Story Zone.

Your gift speaks volumesA Publication of The Library Foundation

THE LIBRARY FOUNDATION2009 BOARD OF TRUSTEESCHAIR

LISA STUBBS

VICE CHAIR

STEVE PAGE

TREASURER

CAROLYN A. ADAMS

MEMBERS

MARY ALLEN

J. PATRICK BRAZIL

JEFF CHANAY

MICHELLE CUEVAS-STUBBLEFIELD

GLENDA DUBOISE

LARRY PETERS

DR. PATTY PRESSMAN

CRAIG VOSBURGH, M.D.

JEFF WIETHARN

2009Annual Report to DonorsTHE LIBRARY FOUNDATION

A place for a child to learn A father, whose son has benefited greatly from our Oveson-Campbell Homework Center, confided to staff that his teenage son had been languishing at school. But once he began working with our homework coaches, his Cs and Ds improved to As and Bs. As a gesture of gratitude, the young man offered his own money to help purchase supplies for the center. Private philanthropy launched our homework center, and donations remain a critical ingredient in its long-term success.

Health information @ your library Offering one-stop shopping for health information, here you can check your blood pressure, surf health topics online, take home a health book

bag or choose from more than 5,000 health books. The Health Information Neighborhood is truly a collaborative effort by donors, including St. Francis Health Center, Stormont-Vail HealthCare, Topeka Community Foundation and the Swogger Foundation.

Window reunion The leadership and generosity of Dr. Walt Menninger and his late wife Connie enabled The Library Foundation and the Sabatini Art Gallery to reunite six stained-glass windows from Topeka’s original public library (1883-1961). Dr. Menninger continues to support restoration of the windows, which hang in the New Books, Movies & Music area.

D O N O R S ’ S U P P O R T F O R T H E L I B R A R Y

$2.3 MillionThe Library Foundation’s total distribution to the library from 2000-2008

$202,4142008 distribution that supports the collections, programs, services, technology and physical facilities of our library

Some examples ofIMPACT IN NUMBERSI n 2 0 0 8 , d o n o r s u p p o r t e n a b l e d u s t o :

Launch the Health Information Neighborhood, increasing circulation of health-related materials by 30 percent

Reach a record number of 2,241 student contacts in the Oveson-Campbell Homework Center

Purchase nearly 4,120 books for children and adults

Host the 7th Annual Art Exhibit for Children: Hybrid Visions in the Sabatini Art Gallery

Serve 14 counties in Northeast Kansas with Talking Books services

Provide more than 50 different hearing devices and 350 types of magnifiers to try in Red Carpet Services

We are your placeA place for a child to play A vibrant children’s mural painted by Artist Cathy Hébert, plus a new boat and car loaded with books, created a new Story Zone for

preschoolers in 2008. A salt water aquarium displaying a variety of fish and coral highlights the new Jett and Tim Elmer Family Zone area.

Outreach services for all ages Our bookmobiles serve 17 stops across 556 square miles of Shawnee County. Outreach Storytellers promote a love of reading at 83 daycare centers. Red Carpet and Talking Books services bring library resources to 55 assisted living facilities and 86 homebound patrons. One homebound patron said our services form “a lifeline to books and learning I’ve come to treasure.” She, and hundreds of other patrons, rely on charitable donors like you to help underwrite these valued services.

Topeka Room: a quiet haven for research A gift from Dr. Phillip and Betty Baker created a revitalized genealogy center named in their honor. Patrons research local history with the treasure

trove of information contained in the Topeka Room and the Baker Genealogy Center, which offers information ranging from census records to cemetery indexes. To ensure full access to the collection, librarians provide professional service 78 hours a week, all hours that the library is open.

We pay attention. Our stewardship is based on close attention to your feedback. We react swiftly to emerging trends and economic challenges. We take proactive measures to make sure the library continues to be a safe and nurturing place for children and families.

We grow with you. Generations of families have counted on our services and collections, and they grow with every library use. You return the favor; your donations enhance arts and culture as well as services and collections.

We enlighten you. Committed to life-long learning, the library offers free opportunities to continue your education on your own or with our help. One patron recently said,

“I learn something new every day because of the library.”We provide an enduring value to the community. These days people need the library more than ever. From job search help to leisure activities, you have many reasons for your unwavering belief in the value our library adds to our community.

You are proud of us. You share the library’s story with friends and neighbors and bring visitors here. You support the library with tax dollars and donations because it’s good for the community.

THE LIBRARY FOUNDATION

S TA F FG I N A J . M I L L S A PL i b r a r y E x e c u t i v e D i r e c t o r7 8 5 - 5 8 0 - 4 4 8 0

J A M E S M C H E N R Y, P H . D. , C F R ED i r e c t o r o f D e v e l o p m e n t /E x e c u t i v e S e c r e t a r y7 8 5 - 5 8 0 - 4 4 8 3

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A N N E T T E T H O R N B U R G HA n n u a l G i v i n g S p e c i a l i s t7 8 5 - 5 8 0 - 4 4 7 2

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M A I L I N G A D D R E S ST h e L i b r a r y F o u n d a t i o n1 5 1 5 S W Te n t h A v e .To p e k a , K S 6 6 6 0 4 - 1 3 7 4 f a x 7 8 5 - 5 8 0 - 4 4 9 7

I N T E R N E TE - m a i l f o u n d a t i o n @ t s c p l . o r gWe b s i t eh t t p : / / f o u n d a t i o n . t s c p l . o r gTa x I D # 4 8 - 0 9 5 6 4 4 1

To make a gift online, go to the foundation’s website and click on Network for Good. The Library Foundation receives prompt notification of your gift decision.

Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) donations are also available. Call the

office or download forms from the foundation website.

Wilder Society Information call Kathy Groesbeck at

785 580-4493.

Support the future of the library. Join The Edward and Mary Wilder Society by

including the library in your will or estate plan.

Our library has always been a place of boundless opportunity, and we intend to keep it so. We all have a role to play in perpetuating that marvelous tradition.

In the days ahead, we know we’ll be doing more things in partnership with businesses, community members and organizations. Special friends like you will play a crucial role by investing in our collections, programs and services. We will need your guidance, your generosity and your goodwill as we strive to ensure that all of our customers receive the highest standard of service we are capable of delivering. That is a goal worth embracing, and our success in pursuing it will define the kind of library we leave to our children and grandchildren.

We encourage you to contact The Library Foundation staff members with any questions or recommendations you might wish to share. Please use the enclosed envelope to send your donation today. And thank you for being our loyal partner and advocate.

KEEPING THE SMILES COMING

Preschoolers learn skills to better prepare them for school at the library’s Sing, Move & Learn program.

•THE LIBRARY FOUNDATION•

THE

EDWA

RD & MARY WILDER SOCIETY