Author Archives: Jefferson Harbin

Million Pennies Campaign successfully completed: Where do we go from here?

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2013-PennyWe’re happy to announce that the Million Pennies Campaign has met its $10,000 goal! That’s right–your small donations added up to more than one million pennies to benefit the Library’s ongoing renovation! Here’s the Milligan College press release announcing the good news. Thank you for your generosity and support!

So now that we’ve met our goal, what’s next? You may recall that our goal was $10,000 because that’s the level of giving at which a donor can name a Library study room. Since we’ve achieved that total, that’s exactly what we’re going to let you do! The room we’ll name, by the way, is the semi-enclosed study space on the first floor that contains the whiteboard (pictured below).

IMG_0361Before the end of the year, Library staff will compile a list of people we’d like to honor–people who have been important to both the life of Library and of Milligan College. Then, we’ll allow you, the donors, to select your favorite. In January 2014, at the beginning of the Spring semester, we’ll announce the process by which you can cast your ballot. By early Spring, we’ll tally the votes, announce the winner, and celebrate our room dedication with a public event!

Though we’ve met our goal, the renovation of the Library is not yet complete and will require additional funding. Thus, the Million Pennies Campaign will continue, but in a less-public manner. We’ll remove the donation box from the Circulation Desk, but Library staff will still accept direct coin, cash, and check donations. We’ll continue collecting gently-used textbooks, books, and media through the Million Pennies Book Drive, the sales from which benefit both Million Pennies and the National Center for Family Literacy. Any further contributions we receive will continue to benefit Million Pennies and larger Library renovation efforts until the Library is complete. Who knows, maybe we’ll raise enough to name a second study room before all is said and done!

Thanks once again for your incredible generosity. We appreciate all our donors for taking action to honor the Library and make it a better place for all its users.

#BannedBooksWeek display highlights freedom to read

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We’re celebrating American Library Association’s Banned Books Week (September 22-28, 2013) by inviting you to read books that have been deemed “pornographic,” “racist,” “obscene,” and even “un-American.”

The display shelves on the 1st floor of your Library are now home to 28 books wrapped in brown paper, with title and author information hidden. On each wrapper, you’ll find the various charges that have been leveled against that particular book (e.g., “graphic imagery” or “drug use”). What do they have in common? All of these books have been challenged or banned in US libraries or school systems in the past few years. As a point of contrast to these allegations, on the spines of the wrapped books, Library staff have written the praise each has received. You may be surprised to see how many of these controversial books or their authors have won Pulitzers, Nobels, or other prestigious awards, or have been #1 bestsellers!

The books are wrapped in paper to highlight the “dangerous” content some feel they contain, and these wrappers will stay on the books until they’re checked out. We encourage you to take a chance and check out something that will both entertain and challenge you as you come to your own conclusions.

Why celebrate banned books? Libraries serve to connect users to information–not to restrict users’ access to it. As Library professionals, we cannot deny users the right to receive the information they desire because a third party may find it morally objectionable. We uphold the First Amendment’s guarantee of freedom of speech, and the corollary right to freely receive information. Some people want to restrict your right to read whatever you want, but librarians are there to stand up for your to be informed and entertained.

You can learn more about Banned Books Week at http://www.bannedbooksweek.org, and by following the #BannedBooksWeek hashtag on Twitter. Check out how libraries around the world are taking a stand for your right to read by highlighting their controversial books.

A quarter gets us there!

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ImageWe’re very close to meeting the $10,000 goal of the Million Pennies Campaign! So close, in fact, that if every Milligan Library user contributed 25 cents, we could end the Campaign today!

Our campaign donations now total $9,185.04, thanks to the $68.77 donated in August 2013. Last month’s totals reflect an average contribution of around 2 cents per Library user. So contribute a quarter (or more!) and let’s build some momentum as we move closer to our $10,000 goal!

Bring your loose change (or cash or checks!) and drop it into the plastic cube at the Circulation Desk. When we reach our $10,000 goal, we’ll allow you, the contributors, to name a study room whatever you like in the newly renovated Library!** (If you’re not familiar with the Campaign, check out original post on the library blog.) We’ll do a count of new contributions around the first of each month this semester and announce the results here, as well as on Twitter, Facebook, and MilliganToday.

Flat broke? We will also take your unwanted but gently used books, textbooks, DVDs, Blu-Rays, and audiobooks for our Million Pennies Book Drive, which also benefits the Campaign. There’s a donation box in the library lobby. Thanks again, and please ask a member of library staff if you have any questions!
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** A note from Gary F. Daught, Director of Library Services: It is exciting to think that we are so close to our goal. Obviously, the Library renovation project will require significantly more than $10,000 to complete, and it is still awaiting major funding even after the initial phase of Milligan College’s Forward Ever capital campaign was successfully concluded in June 2011. The Million Pennies Campaign was launched concurrent with Forward Ever to engage our users–particularly students–in this project in a way that was meaningful, accessible, and concrete. It is a small but tangible way for everyone to show their support for the Milligan College Library. I want to ‘second’ Jeff Harbin in thanking everyone who has contributed their pennies to date. Let’s see if we can reach our goal before the end of the semester!

All we need from you is 31 cents!

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31centsA donation of 31 cents from every Milligan Library user will get us to our goal of a Million Pennies, or $10,000, toward Library renovation! Our campaign donations now total $9,116.27, thanks to the $147.77 donated in July 2013. Thanks for your generosity!

How can you help? Bring your loose change (or cash or checks!) and drop it into the plastic cube at the Circulation Desk. When we reach our $10,000 goal, we’ll allow you, the contributors, to name a study room whatever you like in the newly renovated Library!** Every penny helps! (If you’re not familiar with the Campaign, check out original post on the library blog.) We’ll do a count of new contributions around the first of each month this semester and announce the results here, as well as on Twitter, Facebook, and MilliganToday.

Flat broke? We will also take your unwanted but gently used books, textbooks, DVDs, Blu-Rays, and audiobooks for our Million Pennies Book Drive, which also benefits the Campaign. There’s a donation box in the library lobby. Thanks again, and please ask a member of library staff if you have any questions!
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** A note from Gary F. Daught, Director of Library Services: It is exciting to think that we are so close to our goal. Obviously, the Library renovation project will require significantly more than $10,000 to complete, and it is still awaiting major funding even after the initial phase of Milligan College’s Forward Ever capital campaign was successfully concluded in June 2011. The Million Pennies Campaign was launched concurrent with Forward Ever to engage our users–particularly students–in this project in a way that was meaningful, accessible, and concrete. It is a small but tangible way for everyone to show their support for the Milligan College Library. I want to ‘second’ Jeff Harbin in thanking everyone who has contributed their pennies to date. Let’s see if we can reach our goal before the end of the semester!

What can 36 cents get you?

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FrenchCokeNot much, really. It can’t buy you a postage stamp. Or a song on iTunes. Or a Kindle Single. Or a Ferrari Testarossa. It used to be enough to buy a French Coke, but probably not anymore. 36 cents can’t even get you a theoretical 37-cent coin that would solve all our coinage inefficiencies. But your 36 cents will definitely get us closer to a fully renovated Library!

Our campaign donations now total $8,968.50, thanks to the $146.40 donated in June 2013 by our donors. The only name in the donation cube was Anna Lester, a 6th-grade Bible Bowler from Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Ky. Thanks, Anna!

How can you help? Bring your loose change (or cash or checks!) and drop it into the plastic cube at the Circulation Desk. When we reach our $10,000 goal, we’ll allow you, the contributors, to name a study room whatever you like in the newly renovated Library!** Every penny helps! (If you’re not familiar with the Campaign, check out original post on the library blog.) This summer, we’ll do a count of new contributions around the first of each month and announce the results here, as well as on Twitter, Facebook, and MilliganToday.

If you’re doing some belated Spring cleaning, we will also take your unwanted but gently used books, textbooks, DVDs, Blu-Rays, and audiobooks for our Million Pennies Book Drive, which also benefits the Campaign–in June alone, we made $133.90 from the sale of Library discards and donations alone. There are donation boxes in the library lobby and the hallway of the FOB. Thanks again, and please ask a member of library staff if you have any questions!
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** A note from Gary F. Daught, Director of Library Services: It is exciting to think that we are so close to our goal. Obviously, the Library renovation project will require significantly more than $10,000 to complete, and it is still awaiting major funding even after the initial phase of Milligan College’s Forward Ever capital campaign was successfully concluded in June 2011. The Million Pennies Campaign was launched concurrent with Forward Ever to engage our users–particularly students–in this project in a way that was meaningful, accessible, and concrete. It is a small but tangible way for everyone to show their support for the Milligan College Library. I want to ‘second’ Jeff Harbin in thanking everyone who has contributed their pennies to date. Let’s see if we can reach our goal before the end of the summer!