If you haven’t paid us a visit in awhile, please stop by to peruse our great collections of books, periodicals, music , and more; to meet our smart, caring, responsive staff; and simply to enjoy our wealth of distinctive 19^th century spaces (with plenty of comfy chairs and nooks and crannies included!).

And if you haven’t already given—or can afford an additional gift—please consider a contribution to our Annual Appeal so that we can all watch our little green thermometer rise and, more important, know that The Lenox Library will continue to serve and enrich the community and welcome locals and visitors alike as it has since 1856. From all of us, thank you!

The winter season is rapidly approaching, and with it comes Lenox’s holiday festivities.  This year, The Lenox Library is hosting the 7^th Annual Gingerbread House Competition and Silent Auction on December 11, 1-3, as part of the Lenox Caroling Festival Weekend.  Proceeds from the silent auction of the gingerbread houses will assist this non-profit organization in its efforts to bring books, information, and family events to downtown Lenox.  (The library impacts visits to Lenox: over 13,000 people attended their summer events this past season alone.)

 We would love to have families, groups, and individuals participate by creating a gingerbread house and entering it in the event. This year’s theme is “Storybook Houses.”  Let your creativity soar!  Make your house traditional, modern, or exotic.  Houses will be voted on by our distinguished judges, and special awards will be voted on by your peers in categories such as “Best in Show,” “Most Unique,” “Best Theme,” and “Best Kids Creation.”  Then the houses will be auctioned off silently, with proceeds to benefit the Library.

The holiday season is a time of sharing.  This festive event is a way to be creative, feed your competitive side, and support your community.  There will be prizes, refreshments, and a kid’s corner for creating on the spot.  Please come for an afternoon of holiday fun and spirited competition or show your support by taking part in the silent auction.

If you wish to participate, please fill out the attached form and return it to the library as soon as possible, but no later than November 16.  If you have any questions about the event or the library, please feel free to call Sharon at the library, 637-2630, x115.

Gingerbread Poster1

The 2011 Annual Appeal exceeded $90,000 thanks to your donations and contributions. Our Annual Appeal is the foundation of our annual fundraising effort. Every dollar raised goes towards providing library services to the community. Stay tuned for more details on our 2012 Annual Appeal kick-off.

There are many ways the community supports the Lenox Library besides the Annual Appeal. We received over $19,000 in memorial and honor donations this year. Honor and memorial gifts are a meaningful way to acknowledge those that are important to us while also supporting the library.

We also received several grants including community grants from the Legacy Banks Foundation and Berkshire Bank to fund our children’s summer programming.

In 2011, the library raised over $45,000 through special events such as the Golf Challenge, our annual book sale and our first Annual Scrabble Rouser. Thank you to all the sponsors and businesses who donated goods and services and to all our volunteers for their donation of time.

Your continued generosity and support is what keeps the Lenox Library a vibrant space, dedicated to providing equal access of information to the community. Your continued support at the level you feel is appropriate is very much appreciated. 

Thank you,

Rebecka McDougall

Development Director

We welcome your gently-used books in good condition for adults and children, hard cover or paperback, including college textbooks, plus CD’s and DVD’s.  We are always looking for those special, collectible books as well.  Surprise us with your gift of a finely-bound or autographed tome.  (Please no LP’s, cassette or VHS tapes, magazines, or encyclopedias.) 

To donate books or other materials to the Lenox Library for this important fundraising event, please bring them to the Lenox Commons (55 Pittsfield Road, Route 7) to the large building at the back, last door on the right, on Thursday mornings between 10 and noon. If necessary a pick-up can be arranged by calling (413) 637-2630 x113 or (413) 637-3987.

All proceeds from this event, which is staffed entirely by volunteers, benefit The Lenox Library’s many services and programs offered to the public year-round free of charge.

This year’s book sale will take place on August 26-28 at The Lenox Library, 18 Main Street, and will feature over 30,000 books at bargain prices in all categories.  Hope to see you there!

How are we able to offer this kind of value to the community? The Lenox Library receives only partial funding from the town. We rely on donor contributions, sponsorships and grants to raise the remaining funds that pay for library services.

When you participate in our Annual Appeal, you are making a smart investment!  Your gift translates into many additional dollars of service to the community. 

Make a great investment decision and donate to The Lenox Library today!
Donation form    

Curious about how much you would pay out-of-pocket for your library services? Visit the MLA’s Library Use Calculator and see!

• Enter in the left hand column the number of times per month you or your family uses each service.
• Estimated retail value of each service (if purchased) will be calculated on the right.
• Total value of your library use is shown at the bottom of the worksheet.
• Tip: Tab between entries and do not use commas.

For our part, we are working smarter and harder to maintain the high level of service you have come to expect from us.   Just look at our Calendar of Eventsfor February!  In the Wells Gallery we have an exhibit on the 54th Civil War Regiment, a collaboration with the National Archives; we hosted Dr. Carole Owens as part of the Distinguished Lecture series; and on February 23rd, Denise Brunkus will read Chocolatina and demonstrate the art of illustrating for children.

We ask that you contribute what you can with the knowledge that your 100% tax-deductible contribution will help us to continue to provide the very best  library services to the community.  Donate today by either printing out our Donation form or online.

We reached $50,000! Now, let’s get to $125,000!

We are 3 months into our Annual Appeal and we have raised just over $50,000 thanks to our donors and supporters. By supporting The Lenox Library’s annual appeal you are ensuring that everyone in the community has equal access to information and library services. Thank you for your continued support and here’s to getting to $125,000!

If you have not yet donated, please consider a year end gift to the Lenox Library.  The money raised through our Annual Appeal helps us remain a vibrant and essential part of the community, funding services and programs.  To date we have raised just over $34k.  Thank you to those who have contributed.

Happy Holidays and Best Wishes for 2011!

Rebecka McDougall, Development Director

Highlights from 2010:

• Family Concert with Folksinger & Storyteller Tim Van Egmond
• Eugene Drucker, violinist
• Third Annual Legos Build-a-thon
• Seth Rogovoy, author of Bob Dylan: Prophet, Mystic, Poet
• Pumpernickel Puppets production of Peter Rabbit
• Summer concert series featuring Terry a la Berry and Friends
• GoGreen Summer Reading Program
• Alex the Jester
• Jeremy Yudkin’s Tanglewood pre-concert lecture series
• Author visit with Barbara Shook Hazen
• Animal World Experience
• First Annual ScrabbleRouser
• Mark Volpe, General Manager of the Boston Symphony Orchestra
• Film Fright Fest: The Nightmare Before Christmas
• Nutshell Playhouse’s production of Dance with a Clown
• Roy Blount, Jr., humorist, author, radio personality

January 13, 2011

We reached $50,000! Now, let’s get to $125,000! We are 3 months into our Annual Appeal and we have raised just over $50,000 thanks to our donors and supporters. By supporting The Lenox Library’s annual appeal you are ensuring that everyone in the community has equal access to information and library services. Thank you for your continued support and here’s to getting to $125,000!

November 16th Update:

We are three weeks into our Appeal and we have over $25,000! Thank you to all of those who have contributed. We still need to raise $100,000 by June 30 to meet our goal. The money raised by the Annual Appeal goes towards maintaining, supporting and enhancing your town library. Help us keep the Lenox Library a vibrant part of the community by donating today.

November 3rd Update:

We are just two weeks into our Appeal and we have raised $21,984. That’s just over 17% of our goal for this fiscal year. We still have a ways to go but with the communities support we should make our goal of $125,000 by June 30. Thank you to those who have already contributed to the Lenox Library’s Annual Appeal.

It’s Fall and that means it’s time to kick off the Lenox Library Association’s Annual Appeal. The funds raised through the Annual Appeal are used to maintain and support the services of the Lenox Library. By contributing to the Annual Appeal, your generosity will help guarantee that everyone in the community can continue to enjoy the Library.

How can you donate? There are several ways. To donate by check or credit card, please print and fill in the Annual Appeal form and mail it along with your contribution to:

Lenox Library Association
Development Office
18 Main Street
Lenox, MA 01240

You can also donate online through our secure PayPal Site.

Thank you for your support and we look forward to seeing you at the Library!

p.s. Every gift counts!
For additional information regarding the Lenox Library Association’s fundraising efforts, or to get involved, please call Rebecka McDougall, Development Director at 413-637-2630 ext. 121 or e-mail rmcdougall@lenoxlig.org.

Check back to track of our progress.

Where were you and what were you doing just prior to coming to the Lenox Library?

For the past 12 years I was with Jack Morton Worldwide, an experiential marketing agency.  I started as a producer in their digital department and eventually moved into a management role.  After moving to the Berkshires I remained with Jack Morton for 2 years, commuting part-time to Boston but eventually left to work locally.

How did you get started in Development work?

Development is a great use of my background in a non-profit setting.  Development is about building loyalty to a cause, an idea or an organization and then turning that loyalty into an action that will help sustain the organization.  Here at the Library, we provide access to great services.  You can take out a book, download audio books and attend an event, all at no charge.  Our services build patron loyalty.  Now, it’s my job to translate that loyalty into actionable results.

What made you want to work at the Lenox Library?

This position seemed like the perfect combination of my prior experiences and my future goals.  I went back to school last Fall and started my Masters of Library Science at Simmons College.  I also knew I wanted to transition into the Third sector.  Through talking and meeting with many non-profits in the area, I realized that what mattered most to me was finding a position in my community that would utilize my skills while also challenging me to grow professionally.  This position offers both.

In your opinion what are the greatest challenges in Development today and specifically at the Lenox Library?

Non-profits are facing the challenges of a struggling economy.  There is also an abundance of new nonprofits, increasing the competition for fewer resources. Another challenge for many non-profits is tightly focused government funding.  This puts more emphasis on the individual donor.

Here at the Lenox Library, I think our greatest challenge is communication.  There is confusion regarding the Library’s funding.  As an educational non-profit organization, the Lenox Library Association is responsible for raising approximately 60% of its budget through individual contributions and fundraising events.  Every dollar we raise helps guarantee that everyone in the community can continue to enjoy the Lenox Library.  We are focusing on doing a better job of communicating our fundraising efforts.

What is it that you like about your job?

That I get to work at the Lenox Library!  Even before we relocated to the Berkshires, I had been to children’s events at the Library.  The Library has been a constant for my family.  We check out books, we attend the summer concerts and we have met friends and neighbors here.  That I can make a difference, ensuring that the Library is able to continue being central to the community is very rewarding.

If you have any questions, please contact Rebecka at rmcdougall@lenoxlib.org or at 413-637-2630 ext. 21.