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  2. Letter from Alice Jacobs

Dear Neighbors,

This letter is to introduce your community library to those of you who haven’t visited us yet, and to our faithful patrons who come in on a weekly basis.

We began in 2009 after the City of Newton closed all ten branch libraries due to financial constraints. The WLC is the place for the active reading public, for many community organizations to meet, and for many cultural and social programs for children and adults. We have become the polling place for local, state and national elections. We are a vital part of the fabric of Waban and Newton. If you have not had a chance to visit us, please stop by ; all are welcome. We invite you to volunteer with us as well.

We started with over thirty volunteers and we are still staffed entirely by volunteers, and funded entirely by donations from people and organizations. We receive no funding from the City of Newton from whom we lease our building. Our annual operating costs are approximately $20,000.

A typical week at the Waban Library Center will find these free events:

  • Story Time Wednesdays and Friday mornings
  • Once a month Family Game Day for the whole family
  • Volunteers enjoying working together while adding the latest in top fiction and non-fiction
  • Top notch authors and local personalities, such as Alex Beam, Allegra Goodman and others
  • Concerts and workshops for adults and children
  • Summer piano concerts on the Patio and patrons reading under the trees
  • WIS, Cub and Boy Scouts, Waban Book Club, Girl Scouts, Newton Family Singers, WAC

People ask us, “How do you stay open with no public funding?” The answer is two-fold: we rely on the commitment of our devoted volunteers, our only personnel, and we receive donations from people and organizations.

For more than ten years we have proven that a community library plays a vital role in Waban. To help us keep the lights on at the library, please consider a year-end tax deductible contribution to our library so that we can continue to serve the community now and for years to come.

Libraries matter!

Sincerely,

Alice Jacobs
Volunteer Director

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