Now more than ever, the library needs friends.
And money.
Starting today, the Friends of the Somerset Public Library will hold its yearly book sale, the library's primary fundraiser that brought in $3,000 last year. Today’s sale is only for members of the Friends of the Somerset Public Library, but Friday, Saturday and Sunday’s sale will be open to the public.
“The Friends of the Library’s support of us is more important than ever,” said Somerset Public Library Director Bonnie Mendes. “With a 5 percent cut in our municipal budget and a 27 percent cut in money we receive from the state, things are tight.”
The library submitted a $559,700 budget for fiscal 2011, which must be approved by Town Meeting voters. The 2010 budget was nearly $20,000 higher.
The decrease in funding led to a decrease in hours of operation, something Mendes said was the only way to avoid layoffs.
The library will open an [...]

Original post by Marc Munroe Dion