Help Us Reach Our Fundraising Goal of $250,000!
The Friends of the Albert L. Scott Library need your help as we strive to reach our fundraising goal of $250,000 to help provide first-class amenities for the city’s new library! We are already more than half way to accomplishing this task.
The Friends of the Albert L. Scott Library established a Library Building Fund from a $3,000 memorial donation for Mrs. Albert L. Scott in 2019. Since this initiative’s inception the Friends have raised $176,000 which includes a $100,000 contribution from the Library Board.
Annual Fundraising Events include:
· Shamrock Family Fun Run (Saturday before St. Patrick’s Day)
· Spring Book Sale (4th weekend of April)
· Fall Book Sale / Piney Woods Festival (1st weekend in October)
· Silent Auction (1st weekend in December)
On average the Friends raise $10,000 from these events annually. At current fundraising levels and with an estimated opening of the new library in 2027, the Friends will be $45,000 short of our goal. Reaching this goal will be challenging, but if every citizen of Alabaster contributed two dollars the goal would be met immediately.
Planned Projects Sponsored by the Friends for the new Library
The Friends intend to fund design and service enhancements that focus on kid and teen activities, arts and culture, technology, and creative arts.
Kid & Teen Activities ($80,000)
•Kids activity center
•Gaming system for teen room
•Opening day collections for easy and teen fiction
Art & Culture ($50,000)
•Murals in the lobby and children’s dept.
•Percussion Play outdoor instruments
•Community Garden – herbal/pollinator garden, bird sanctuary, chalk wall
Creative Arts ($60,000)
•AV podcasting recording studio
•Memory Lab for digitizing photos and converting media
•Sewing machines
•New graphic design and coding software
Technology ($60,000)
•Outfitting computer lab, providing self-serve laptop station for library use, new print management systems, and additional card catalog tablets
•Updated and additional Microsoft office product licenses
Please help us make all our proposed designs a reality at our new library. You may support us by becoming a member of the Friends, participating in our annual fundraising events, or contribute directly to the Friends of the Albert L. Scott Library. You can make a contribution at the Library or through our PayPal Giving Fund campaign (Support the Library tab on the library website).
Friends of the Albert L. Scott Library, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation under IRS rules. On the ground, we are a small group of people who find some time in our schedules to raise money and community support for the library. No one is paid, or even reimbursed from funds raised. Every dollar goes to the library. Donations, including membership dues, are tax deductible.
Your contributions will help us fill our new library with innovative elements that will enhance and elevate service to our community, beyond the city’s funding to construct and furnish the new library building.
Round Out Summer Reading with a Bang in July
The summer reading challenge is extended through the whole month of July. Don’t miss out on fun programs scheduled all month long. Reading finale week is July 22-26; there will be three finales each with its own age-appropriate door prizes. Everyone will have until noon on July 31 to complete their reading for our grand-prize drawings.
Programming Adventures to Attend (check LibCal for full program listing):
Wilderness Survival 101 – Saturday, July 13 at 1 p.m.
Patrick Rollins from Randall’s Adventure & Training will demonstrate basic survival skills including starting fires, building shelters, and purifying water.
Dolores Hydock—Every Picture Tells a Story: Storytelling of Norman Rockwell—Sun., July 21 at 2 p.m.
Norman Rockwell didn’t just paint pictures; each of his paintings told a story. Join us as Dolores Hydock shares a behind-the-scenes look at how Rockwell created his one-image stories in some of his best-loved covers for The Saturday Evening Post. Sponsored by the Alabama Humanities Alliance.
Self-Care Journaling—Monday, July 22 at 6 p.m.
Journaling is a powerful practice that combines self-reflection and self-care, offering individuals a structured and accessible way to explore thoughts and emotions. During this one-hour interactive workshop, you’ll learn about the different realms of self-care; how to implement self-care strategies in your daily life; and how journaling can become a valuable companion to you on the journey to improved mental well-being and a more fulfilling life. Materials will be provided, but you are more than welcome to bring your own journal.
Adventures in Paleontology— Kids on Thursday, July 11 at 10:30 a.m. & Teens on Thursday, July 18 at 4 p.m.
Discover extinct creatures and the science of paleontology through hands-on activities and books with the staff from the Alabama Museum of Natural History.
Fake Cakes & Cool Cars—Teens on Wednesday, July 3 at 3 p.m.
Make the fake cake or cool car of your dreams. Supplies to decorate and frost a faux dessert will be provided. Not into cakes? There will also be parts to paint and assemble a wooden model car.
New school year, new you. Get the assistance you need to succeed.
Start this school year off with a new study partner. Connect online with a live tutor offered everyday from 10am-11pm. Homework Alabama offers help for K12, college, and beyond. Get help with core subjects, test prep, and study skills. This free service is available at https://aplsws2.apls.state.al.us/homework/
Whether you’re looking to improve your core skills, prepare for college admissions tests, obtain your high school equivalency or join the workforce, LearningExpress Library has everything you need. LearningExpress Library contains a collection of practice tests, quizzes, tutorials, microlessons, e-books, articles and flashcards to help you achieve your goals.
Using LearningExpress Library, you can:
• Prepare for the ACT, SAT and AP college admissions exams
• Build skills in math, reading, writing, social studies, science and technology
• Explore potential careers (including military service), build workplace skills, and prepare for the WorkKeys Assessments, the ASVAB and career licensure exams
• Prepare for ACCUPLACER college placement tests and CLEP exams
• Study for graduate school admissions exams (DAT, GMAT, GRE, LSAT, MCAT and PCAT)
• Study for the GED (Resources also available in Spanish)
• Prepare for the U.S. citizenship exam (Resources also available in Spanish)
To begin using LearningExpress Library, log in via the library website: cityofalabaster.com/610/Library