Donations at Work

Donations to the library make a tremendous positive difference in the community. Donations help us expand our collections and help us connect more people to the outstanding services and resources that the library provides.
Here are just a few examples of your donated dollars at work.

Collection Enhancement

• Library Materials
  Our library collections serve all ages – children, teens, adults, seniors. In addition to fiction and non-fiction books, we offer for loan magazines, audiobooks, DVDs and Blu-rays, music CDs and video games.

  While our collections are supported through municipal funding, your donations help us further expand our already outstanding collection. Our collections serve the entire community – so by giving to the Library, you are giving to the community as a whole.

  “I had my library card number memorized since I was ten years old. As a little kid, the library was almost my favourite place in the world, second only to the ice cream parlour. Now, as a student, the library is still a source of endless entertainment, useful information, wonderful people, and ridiculously comfortable chairs. The library is my happy place, and I can only assume it is the same for many others. Thank you for being so awesome.”
  ~Patron Story   

• Talking Books Collection
  North Vancouver District Public Library’s Talking Books collection serves those who cannot read books because of a visual, physical or perceptual disability.

  By lending Talking Books, which are unabridged audiobooks, and the equipment to play these books, North Vancouver District Public Library is able to reach out to those who might otherwise not be able to benefit from the resources that the library offers. Your donations go towards the purchase of more Talking Books and equipment, expanding our collection and services to people with print disabilities.

  “I don’t know what my husband would do without the Talking Books. He was an avid reader. He can’t get out much now, or walk very far. He is really housebound. However, he is very comfortable, and never bored, with the Talking Books. It’s the greatest service.”
  ~ Regular donor to NVDPL's Talking Books Collection
   

Adult and Family Literacy

• Parent-Child Mother Goose
  Parent-Child Mother Goose is a national program for parents and their babies that helps parents bond with their children through rhymes, songs and lullabies. The program builds a long-term relationship between families and the public library, and helps parents build a community of support. The Parent-Child Mother Goose program is made possible at North Vancouver District Public Library thanks to funds supplied through donations.

  “Parent-Child Mother Goose is an amazing program – very important for young families. These programs connect families to their community. It starts here and grows with the children”
  ~ Parent participant, Parent-Child Mother Goose

• Book Buddies
  Book Buddies is a literacy mentoring program that matches children who need or want to improve their reading skills with an older student who will read to them, listen to them read, and help them use the library. This valuable program helps support family literacy, promotes a sense of community and encourages a lifelong love of reading. Book Buddies is made possible at North Vancouver District Public Library thanks to donations from people like you.

  “Stephanie really needs encouragement to read. This program was great. She looked forward to going each week and always wanted to take many books home after each session. She had a great time. Jennifer was wonderful with her. We would love to be involved in this program again as funding permits.”
  ~ Parent of Book Buddies participant.

• Immigrant Parents as Literacy Supporters (IPALS)
  IPALS is a family literacy program that gives parents and caregivers new strategies to encourage learning in their preschool and kindergarten-aged children. Designed specifically for new Canadians, this program helps introduce immigrant families to literacy support in a Canadian context. This valuable program, made possible by donations to the Library, helps newcomers get settled and succeed in a new country, introducing them to the support and many resources that the library has to offer.

  “I’m 11 years old. I came from China; I came to Canada in the summer of 2008. When I first started to walk on this unknown land, I felt that I loved everything. And especially my library card, on of the first things we did in Canada was getting my library card. From there on, the library became a very important part of my life.”
  ~Patron Story

This list demonstrates just a few areas where your donations make a difference to your library and your community. Of course, the library’s needs vary greatly from year to year. This is why an unrestricted gift, not directed towards any particular program, can be the most valuable gift you can give. Unrestricted gifts allow the Library Board and staff the flexibility of meeting the greatest current needs. That said, your gift of any size, directed to any program, is truly valued.