What is the Windsor Public Library Foundation?

The Windsor Public Library Foundation was established to support the Library financially, by means of raising money to provide services above and beyond those that could be offered with sole funding from the City of Windsor. Formed in 1998 in partnership with the Greater Windsor Community Foundation, the Windsor Public Library Foundation is 100% volunteer-driven, which means every dollar of your donation will be used to supply the library with the latest resources, materials, technology, and programs.

Why should I make donations to tax supported institutions?

The Windsor Public Library is a department of the Community Services sector of the City of Windsor, which is responsible for providing funding exclusively for staff, facilities and operating expenses.

Since the Library is continually trying to expand its services to the community, the Foundation is looking to the private sector to support those programs and materials not included in the City's budget. These include initiatives such as the Paediatric R.E.A.D. Program, Children's Learning Centres, new resource materials and even new computers.
This is why your financial support is so important.

What geographic area does the library serve?

The Windsor Public Library is known to be Canada's most award-winning library. With its Central Library and 8 branch locations, the Library serves an immediate population of 208,402 citizens. The population of Windsor and its surrounding area, including Tecumseh, LaSalle, and parts of Lakeshore, Amherstburg, and Essex, totals 307,877. Many of these individuals from the fore mentioned neighboring communities also use our Library facilities. As such, we are continually trying to expand our service area. Currently, the construction of our tenth library, Fontainebleau, is in the works.

Would the Foundation contribute funds to all libraries in the system?

The Windsor Public Library Foundation operates on a "greatest need" basis. We have a limited amount of funds and thus make the best decision as to where the service would be of most use in the short term. It is our hope that in the long term, we can eventually provide the same high quality resources to all branches in our community. Although the Children's Learning Centre was originally only available at Central Library, we are now in the process of expanding these services to Budimir, Riverside, Forest Glade and Bridgeview libraries. In order to ensure every library operates at the same level of efficiency and offers the same services, we rely heavily on your support. If you would like to make a donation to a branch in your community, please contact Chris Woodrow @ 255-6770 ext. 4430.

What is the difference between the Windsor Public Library and the Windsor Public Library Foundation?

The Windsor Public Library is a traditional library system, consisting of nine branches that all provide a high level of resource services to the residents of the Windsor community. It now exists as part of the framework of the City of Windsor. Since funding is becoming increasingly more difficult to come by, a non-profit volunteer organization, entitled the Windsor Public Library Foundation, arose to co-exist with the library. Its sole purpose is to help the Library provide the highest level of services and programs even though the Library itself may not have the monetary resources. In this way, the Foundation allows the Windsor Library to go beyond the call of duty normally assumed of a library. The name Foundation really explains itself: The Windsor Public Library Foundation provides the financial security the Library may not always have, through the support of the private sector.

What are the tax benefits of giving a gift to the Library?

Charities play a vital role in Canadian society and thus generous tax incentives have been created to encourage gifts by individuals and corporations to registered charities, like the Windsor Public Library Foundation. There are a number of different kinds of tax assistance that you, as a donor, can receive in return for a gift you make to the library. For example, a charitable tax receipt will be issued for any donation over the amount of $20. In addition, tax receipts are issued for a portion of the ticket price for any of our major community events. For more details on this topic, please e-mail cwoodrow@windsorpubliclibrary.com.

How can I become involved with the Windsor Public Library Foundation?

If you, or someone you know, is interested in helping with a fundraising event for the Foundation, or would like to volunteer with us in another capacity, we would more than welcome the assistance. Please contact Chris Woodrow, Manager of Marketing & Communication at 255-6770 ext. 4430 for more information on how to become involved.