Our Sarasota County Libraries and Historical Resources are funded through the county general budget, which also includes Fire, Police, and Emergency Medical Services.
Needless to say, it is difficult to allocate monies equitably among these important services. The Library budget covers personnel, operations, collections, digital resources, etc. Still, it does not specify monies for all of the programs and services which the libraries provide to the local communities. This is where the Friends groups play a vital role.
The Friends of the Library groups are established to help support all those vital programs such as Storytime, creation station supplies, teen after-school programs, adult crafts, cultural activities, and so much more. We strive to maintain Shannon Staub Library as an invaluable resource for all residents of North Port and surrounding communities.
The Shannon Staub Library offers a wide variety of FOSSPL-funded programs and services for tots, tweens, teens, and adults. Here are some of them:
- Toddler and Baby Time
- Meet the Author
- Adult Coloring
- Anime and Lego clubs
- Zumba lessons
- Creation Station supplies
- I Saw It on Tik Tok
- Young Readers & Writers
- Face Painting
- Grab & Go Crafts
- Knitting Corner
- Summer Reading Program
- Teen Bad Movie Challenge
- Story Time
- Fairy Houses
- Comic Book Day
- DIY BOBA Tea
- Flag Football
- Hallow-Teen
- Observe the Moon
- Prom Night for homeschooled teens
- Sewing Classes (we bought the sewing machines)
- Bird Watching (we bought the binoculars)
- Dungeons and Dragons (we pay for the Dragon Master & online app)
- Have you met Mr. Grinch? (we bought his costume)
- Furniture in the Children’s Reading Garden? (we bought that, too!)
- And a host of other fun & educational programs
How Can You Help?
Become a Member
Benefits Include:
- $1 off $5 purchases of donated items in our FriendShop
- Early admission to FriendShop BOGO and Fill-a-Bag-for-$5 sales
- During Fill-a-Bag-for-$5 sales, YOU’LL fill a bag for $4!
- First notice of special events and ticketing
- Occasional access to items not on display in our FriendShop
- And other rewards yet to be revealed…
-
Benefactor$500.00 -
Business$100.00
-
Nonprofit$50.00
-
Family$30.00
-
Friends$25.00
Donate
We depend on you for donations to our used book store, FriendShop.
- We accept used books, CDs, DVDs, puzzles, and magazines.
You can also make monetary contributions:
• You can make a one-time donation
• You can make a monthly donation
• You can make a Tribute Gift
• You might consider Planned Giving
Host a Facebook Fundraiser
Create a Facebook fundraiser for Friends of Shannon Staub Library. It can be for your birthday, a memorial gift, or to sponsor an upcoming event.
Volunteer
We depend on a team of gracious volunteers to keep our FriendShop organized, to put up appealing displays, and to handle sales. Besides FriendShop volunteers, we also need:
• Kiosk cashiers/greeters
• Financial planning advisors
• Social media pros
• Special event coordinators
• Planned-giving advisors
• Creative writers
• Techies
• Sponsors
• A volunteer coordinator
• A Publicist
• An attorney
• An accountant
• Website maintenance pros
• Grant writers
• Executive Board of Directors members
• Snow/sunbirds who want to make new friends
• Folks who want to give back to our community in a meaningful way
Enjoy a Program
Attend our sponsored programs. There are many children’s, Teen and Adult programs happening every month. To find out more check out the county library website for Shannon Staub Library’s monthly events.
Lobby in Your Neighborhood
Tell your friends about our Friends group and the work we do. Spread the word about events, fundraisers, and our fantastic FriendShop. Let your community know how much the library means to you. And be sure to tell them where we are.
Join Our Board
We have a multi-talented, diverse Board of Directors who help with our mission to work in support of the Shannon Staub Library. Board meetings are held monthly. If you are interested, please fill out our online Board of Directors Application form below, or print and mail it to P.O. Box 7403, North Port, FL 34290, or drop it off at the FriendShop.
