Take a Chance and Help Our Libraries Win Big!
Nancy McCluskey-Moore
Friends of SaddleBrooke Libraries (FSL) is kicking off their “Bucks 4 Books” raffle to support the SaddleBrooke Community Libraries. FSL provides the funds to purchase books, DVDs, and audiobooks for our libraries. Fifty-percent of the funds raised through the raffle (after expenses) will be used to buy new materials for our libraries and the remaining 50% will be awarded to our lucky raffle winners.
Between March 15 and 11 p.m. on Dec. 26, SaddleBrooke residents and any Arizona resident or visitor will be able to purchase raffle tickets. Ticket holders will have the chance to win money in four bi-monthly cash drawings, in our monthly drawings for tickets to the January 2022 “Bucks 4 Books” Celebration, and in the remaining 50% Grand Prize Drawing for three lucky ticket holders. The remaining raffle pool will be divided: 50% to the Grand Prize winner, 30% to the Second Place winner, and 20% to the Third Place winner. All winners will be recognized at the “Bucks 4 Books” Celebration in January.
The website for our raffle uses software created by a third-party vendor, Raffle Creator. Raffle Creator’s software is used to electronically select the winners of the raffle, as in a state lottery. No FSL board member, volunteer, or FSL member plays any part in the selection of the winning tickets.
Tickets will be available for purchase online at www.sbfsl.org or with cash or check at in-person events (to be announced). When you purchase your tickets online, you must be physically in Arizona, according to state regulations. (This will be confirmed during your online purchase.) Ticket holders do not need to be present to win. Ticket prices will be one for $10, three for $25, eight for $50 and 20 for $100. Each raffle ticket purchased will be entered in all drawings, including the Grand Prize Drawing on Dec. 27.
Additional information and online ticket sales will be available on March 15 at www.sbfsl.org.
FSL: Looking Back and Moving Forward
Rolly Prager
It’s been a year of challenge, adjustment, and re-evaluation for Friends of SaddleBrooke Libraries (FSL). We started 2020 with exciting plans. We were looking forward to celebrating the 30-year anniversary of the SaddleBrooke libraries. Another year of interesting lectures along with two much anticipated author luncheons were on the schedule. Road trips to west Texas and northern Arizona were moving forward. All were canceled due to COVID-19.
So much excitement followed by crushing disappointment. FSL faced a two-pronged challenge: to maintain engagement with the SaddleBrooke community and make up some of the revenue lost from cancellation of fundraising activities. Making up lost revenue was particularly important, since FSL provides the funds for all library materials. Our worries were somewhat mitigated as many SaddleBrooke residents stepped up with generous one-time donations. New and renewed memberships included additional funds.
FSL has an essential partnership with the Library Management Team. Requests for funding come from the Management Team. In view of restricted library use, the request for funds was reduced and FSL was able to fully grant all requests.
Looking forward, the FSL Board has developed strategic plans for the next five years. We’ve learned a lot from the past year and recognize the need to strengthen and grow our ability to best serve the SaddleBrooke community and libraries. Look for information regarding these new plans as we begin implementation over the next few months.
We look forward to being able to resume our many in person events when it is safe to do so. For additional information regarding FSL membership and activities, check out our website at www.sbfsl.org.
Your Libraries: A Unique Resource for the Community
Janet Fabio
Whether you are new to SaddleBrooke or have been here a long time, there are many reasons to use your three SaddleBrooke Community Libraries. The celebration of the libraries’ 30th anniversary was cut short last year because of the pandemic, but that does not diminish the 30 years that the libraries have had to tailor services and library collections to the evolving interests of SaddleBrooke residents.
Do you have friends who say they don’t use our libraries because they have hundreds of books on their eBook device, or subscribe to a streaming service for movies, or use the public library? Did you know that all of the resources in our SaddleBrooke libraries are free? There are no rental fees, no subscription services, no purchase costs. Best of all, our libraries have been open with restrictions since late April to provide service to SaddleBrooke residents during the pandemic. Access to the libraries was slowly expanded during this challenging time and currently you can access in some way all of the collections in our SaddleBrooke Community Libraries.
While many residents love the flow of new books onto the library shelves, another reason to use our libraries is the unique collections we offer. While all of the libraries carry fiction, nonfiction and large print books, each library is a little different.
Unique collections at the DesertView Library include a DVD collection that offers thousands of movies, TV series, and a new collection of concert DVDs. This library also offers children’s books and videos, and a genealogy collection. Recently the entire collection of more than 1,200 audiobooks was combined and is now available at the DesertView Library.
One of the most unique resources at the DesertView Library is the Southwest collection. You can’t find all of these materials in an eBook format! The wide range of topics gathered in one place includes books on gardening in our climate, guidebooks to local attractions and outdoor activities such as hiking in Tucson and more broadly in Arizona and the Southwest. Or learn more about local history, geology, native fauna, and much more.
Unique collections at the SaddleBrooke One Library include books by local authors, Pulitzer Prize winning fiction titles, and cozy mysteries. This library is the only one of the three that offers Western and Romance paperbacks, along with an extensive collection of Mystery and fiction paperbacks.
The Cholla Library in the MountainView Clubhouse is an honor system library accessible by in-person browsing only. These books are not listed in the library catalog, but they don’t have due dates!
We know you’ll be amazed at the range of resources all available for free to SaddleBrooke residents, including snowbirds and renters. Visit the library website for more detail on services at www.sblibraries.com. If you have not registered to use the libraries, it’s fast and easy using the ‘Contact Us’ link on the website.
All of these resources are only available because of financial support from the Friends of SaddleBrooke Libraries. It’s easy to contribute at their website at www.sbfsl.org.