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About Us
What is the Racine Public Library Foundation?
The Foundation is a tax exempt, private, nonprofit 501(c)3 corporation which oversees funds, donated by organizations and citizens, that supplement the library’s tax funding and provide for the future growth and development of the library.
Our Mission
The mission of the Racine Public Library Foundation is to support the future well-being of the Racine Public Library. The Foundation has a long-term vision of creating an endowment that will generate sufficient income to support library projects and services. The purpose of the Racine Public Library Foundation is to make citizens aware of how to donate funds and make bequests. The Foundation also may apply for grants.
Foundation Management
The Foundation is managed by a Board of Directors which consists of the President of the Library Board of Trustees, the Library Director, a member of the Friends of the Library Board, a member of the Library Board of Trustees, and a director at large appointed by the Foundation Board.
Donations: Why and How?
What will my donation to the foundation do?
Your gift to the library, through the Foundation, means the difference between a good library and a great library.
It will improve and expand library services and facilities and lay the foundation for future library expansion. The library serves all who live in the city of Racine, Caledonia, Mount Pleasant, North Bay, Sturtevant, and Wind Point.
Make a gift if you want to ensure the library’s future, remember a loved one or family friend, say “thank you” to your library, or invest in the future well-being of your community.
Remember, the Racine Public Library opens minds, enriches lives, and brings the community together.
Leave a Legacy: a Foundation donation today is an investments in our library for tomorrow.
Why make a bequest or gift to the foundation instead of directly to the library?
The Library Board of Trustees has approved the Foundation as a faster, easier way to raise and use funds for the library.
What kind of gift can I give the library through the Racine Public Library Foundation?
You may contribute cash, securities, or real or tangible personal property. You can remember the Foundation in your will or living trust by providing a dollar amount or percentage of your estate as a bequest. You also can name the Foundation as a beneficiary in your retirement plan, IRA, life insurance policy, or brokerage account.
What is SHARE?
The SHARE Consortium (or, simply, “SHARE”) is an automation and resource-sharing partnership. Membership may include public libraries, individual K-12 schools, school districts, and other types of agencies. There are a number of benefits of participating in such a partnership:
- Cost Reduction By pooling resources, everybody wins. Libraries are able to provide more/better services for less, county and municipal governments receive a strong return on investment (ROI), and citizen taxpayers receive world-class library service for pennies on the dollar.
- Resource Sharing By participating in an automation consortium, individual library collections are linked together into one massive, comprehensive collection. This means that citizens can use any library they choose and have access to (literally) millions of items beyond what the local library purchases.
History of SHARE
The SHARE Consortium began in 2005 as a collaboration between Lakeshores Library System and Mid-Wisconsin Federated Library System (Dodge, Jefferson, Washington Counties). Mid-Wisconsin Federated Library System withdrew from SHARE in 2013. Roughly one year later, the libraries of Kenosha County Federated Library System joined SHARE. In 2017, Arrowhead Library System (Rock County) joined SHARE. In 2023, Lakeshores Library System and Arrowhead Library System merged to form Prairie Lakes Library System.
SHARE Member Libraries
One library card from any of these libraries is accepted at all these locations. Pickup and return materials at any combination. This covers every public library in four counties: Kenosha, Racine, Rock, and Walwarth.
Use our online catalog to find and reserve materials. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, ask a librarian about free Interlibrary Loans.
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