System Wishlist

• Help the "do-it-yourselfers" (Ebsco Repairs database) for a year for under $4,000 or $10,000 for three repair databases

  
  Ebsco's databases allow folks to download current information to do-it-yourself when tackling repairs on the car or around the house. We currently offer the auto repair portion, but will need to discontinue it because of budget cuts. The full repair database covers other areas, such as home repairs.

• Purchase a collection of books to support students with their school reading programs $200 or any amount

  
  The many elementary schools we work with have reading incentive programs such as Accelerated Reader or Reading Counts. We cannot keep up with the demand for new books that are part of these programs. A donation in any amount, for any of our locations, would assist us in supporting the schools and helping the children read more. $200 allows us to purchase sets of books by popular authors in a very durable format.

• Comics Help Reading, $100 for comic subscriptions per branch

  
  Research has shown that comic books are a great help to increasing reading by young adults. We could use sponsors for comic book sets at five of our branches: Calipatria, Heber, Holtville, Niland, and Seeley. There is great interest on the part of our young patrons.

• Work towards eradicating adult and family illiteracy (service and donations requested)

  
  Ever since 1984, when then County Librarian Bernita Fulmer brought together a group of people to create a literacy program (which eventually became Literacy Volunteers of America/Imperial Valley), the County Library has been part of the California Library Literacy Services network. We continue to offer confidential assistance with reading and writing at no cost to participants. There is a demand for tutors, whom we train and provide with resources. Release time for employees might encourage participation in this volunteer opportunity. Software resources for the learners are always valuable. Donations support our offering of family literacy classes for the learners and ESL resources are always needed as well.

• Support Science studies (various amounts)

  
  Students are constantly seeking books with science experiments. The cost for these books varies, but generally runs $25 or less. Multiple copies are needed at all of our branches.

• Advance Higher Education for our Residents $500

  
  The County Library will be working cooperatively with Imperial Valley College to support, via computer and broadband connectivity, those residents from outlying areas who wish to take advantage of IVC's distance learning opportunities. $50 a week would allow us to open on Saturday mornings in either Westmorland or Niland to provide the students with access to computers and the Internet, with a broadband connection.

• Purchase a Media Rack, which will be dedicated to you or your organization $1,000

  
  Two of our branches need additional storage space for media (books on tape, DVDs, etc.) Your contribution would be recognized with a plaque placed on the unit. It would help us make, or keep, our branches attractive spots. Another branch is seeking new armchairs or table seating and would accept anything from $100 up to purchase a chair or chairs.

• Subscriptions

  
  Our branches can use donations for subscriptions to our local publications or for the San Diego Union and various magazines. Your subscription can be targeted for a particular branch and particular amount from $25 for a magazine (depending on the publication) to $220 for the San Diego Union for a year's subscription.

• Sponsor a book giveaway event

  
  From time to time the Library celebrates special events, such as International Literacy Day, Teen Read Week, National Family Literacy Day and some of the holidays, with special story hours and book giveaways. $250 would cover the cost for crafts, snacks and book giveaways related to these thematic occasions.

• Assist someone to learn English

  
  We have a great demand for materials that assist with learning English as a second language. Sets of Ingles sin Barreras run about $1,000 and sets of Rosetta Stone Software run $400.