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The following newsletters have been published and distributed to members, volunteers, and interested persons as part of our efforts to provide the necessary public awareness and support to ensure that the Saint Paul Public Library is among the foremost library systems in the United States.
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Recent News at The Friends
21ST ANNUAL MINNESOTA BOOK AWARDS PRESENTED
SAINT PAUL PUBLIC LIBRARY RECEIVES TOP HONORS
MPR: LIBRARY USAGE ON THE RISE
PATRICK COLEMAN NAMED 2009 KAY SEXTON AWARD WINNER
PAULETTE MYERS-RICH NAMED 2009 BOOK ARTIST OF THE YEAR
THE FRIENDS TO CREATE "VIRTUAL" MINNESOTA WRITERS HALL OF FAME
MORE AMERICAN ADULTS READ LITERATURE ACCORDING TO NEW NEA STUDY
A MESSAGE FROM THE LIBRARY DIRECTOR - Year End, 2008
THE FRIENDS OF THE SAINT PAUL PUBLIC LIBRARY RECEIVES 2008 BEST OF ST. PAUL AWARD.
21ST ANNUAL MINNESOTA BOOK AWARDS PRESENTED
April 25, 2009, SAINT PAUL, MN – The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library is pleased to announce the winners of the 21st annual Minnesota Book Awards. In addition to winners in eight categories, the Book Awards presented the Readers’ Choice Award, which was selected by over 2,000 voters from across Minnesota. The annual Minnesota Book Awards program is a project of The Friends, in consortium with the Saint Paul Public Library and the Mayor’s Office of the City of Saint Paul.
700 people attended a gala award ceremony on Saturday, April 25, hosted by Tom Crann of Minnesota Public Radio. Announced at the gala, the winners of the 2009 Minnesota Book Awards are:
Award for Children’s Literature, sponsored by MLBA Children’s Fund:
Susan Marie Swanson – The House in the Night – published by Houghton Mifflin Company
In this bedtime story, the rhythmic text and glowing pictures explore the origins of light that make a house a home. The book lifts up nighttime things that are both comforting and intriguing to young readers including a key, a bed, a book, a light, and the moon. Susan Marie Swanson, an award-winning author, has been teaching poetry writing to children for more than 20 years.
Award for General Nonfiction:
Catherine Friend – The Compassionate Carnivore: Or, How to Keep Animals Happy, Save Old MacDonald’s Farm, Reduce Your Hoofprint, and Still Eat Meat – published by Da Capo Press/Perseus Books
Once Catherine Friend and her partner bought a farm and started raising sheep, her attitude about eating meat began to change. The author’s farming and livestock journey offers critical and witty insight, for meat lovers and vegetarians alike, into how our meat is raised, where and from whom we buy it, and why a change in our meat choices is possible and desirable. Friend has written several books for both adults and children.
Award for Genre Fiction, sponsored by Wellington Management, Inc.:
Julie Kramer – Stalking Susan – published by Doubleday/The Doubleday Publishing Group
Twin Cities investigative television reporter, Riley Spartz, discovers that a serial killer is targeting women named Susan, and is killing one on the same day each year. In her attempt to crack the case, Spartz goes up against an uncooperative news director and a politician who fears a serial killer story will hurt Minneapolis’ convention business. Julie Kramer is a freelance television news producer for NBC.
Award for Memoir & Creative Nonfiction:
Kao Kalia Yang – The Latehomecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir – published by Coffee House Press*
Born in a refugee camp in Thailand, Kao Kalia Yang immigrated to Saint Paul when she was six years old. This is the story of her family’s harrowing escape from Laos, their life in refugee camps, and the hardships and joys that came with carving out a life in America. Yang is the co-founder of Words Wanted, an agency dedicated to helping immigrants with writing, translating, and business services.
Award for Minnesota, sponsored by Xcel Energy:
Barbara W. Sommer – Hard Work and a Good Deal: The Civilian Conservation Corps in Minnesota – published by the Minnesota Historical Society Press*
The Civilian Conversation Corps, born out of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal at the height of the Great Depression, supplied jobs to more than 77,000 Minnesotans. Hundreds of interviews complement the author’s text in this account of the workers’ lasting legacy, visible today in Minnesota’s thriving forests, state parks, and soil conversation practices. Barbara Sommer is a founder of the Oral History Association of Minnesota.
Award for Novel & Short Story:
Louise Erdrich – The Plague of Doves – published by HarperCollins Publishers
The unsolved murder of a farm family haunts the small, white, off-reservation town of Pluto, North Dakota. Bound by love and torn by history, the collective stories of two communities come together in a wrenching truth that is revealed in the novel's final pages. Louise Erdrich is the author of novels, volumes of poetry, children’s books, and a memoir. She also owns the independent bookstore, Birchbark Books.
Award for Poetry:
Heid E. Erdrich – National Monuments – published by Michigan State University Press
The depths of national identities and the real people who live them are explored through these poems. There are arguments with historians, archeologists, William Carlos Williams, and the deeply rooted, conflicting myths of what being American is all about. Heid E. Erdrich, a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibway, won a Minnesota Voices award for her first poetry collection, Fishing for Myth.
Award for Young People’s Literature, sponsored by Tarrant, Drummer & Liska, PLLC:
Brian Malloy – Twelve Long Months – published by Scholastic Press/Scholastic, Inc.
Molly Swain is hopelessly in love with Mark, the only thing she finds of interest in their small Minnesota town. She starts to wonder if she and Mark will ever be more than lab partners, and then she discovers they will both be moving to New York following high school graduation. In New York, however, Molly discovers that Mark’s been keeping a secret, and it turns out she’s not his type at all. This is Brian Malloy’s third novel.
The Readers’ Choice Award, sponsored by Pioneer Press and TwinCities.com:
Kao Kalia Yang – The Latehomecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir – published by Coffee House Press*
*indicates a Minnesota-based publisher
At the Book Awards gala on April 25, Patrick Coleman received the previously announced Kay Sexton Award, for his lifelong contributions to Minnesota’s literary community. As Acquisitions Librarian at the Minnesota Historical Society (MHS), where he has worked for the last thirty years, Coleman identifies, selects, and procures books for the Library. He has developed the premiere collection of books and printed material about Minnesota available in the world, and through his work, the MHS Library is one of the preeminent research libraries in the region and nation. The Award is sponsored by Common Good Books.
Also presented was the second annual Book Artist Award, co-sponsored by Minnesota Center for Book Arts (MCBA), with support from Barnes & Noble Booksellers. The award, presented to Paulette Myers-Rich, recognizes a Minnesota book artist for excellence throughout a body of work, as well as significant contributions to Minnesota’s book arts community. Myers-Rich’s work is currently being shown at St. Paul’s Central Library, 90 W. 4th St., through May 1.
Books written by a Minnesotan and first published in 2008 were eligible for the 21st annual Minnesota Book Awards. 319 books were nominated for awards this year, and 32 books were selected as finalists. The winners were chosen by panels of judges from the list of finalists. Nominations for next year’s Awards will open in early fall, 2009. For more information on the Book Awards process, and a complete list of finalists and winners since 1988, visit The Friends website, www.thefriends.org, and click on the Minnesota Book Awards icon.
The Book Awards gala will be broadcast on Saint Paul Neighborhood Network and TPT-MN Channel at a later date. Check your local listings for the channel, date and time of broadcast.
The 21st annual Minnesota Book Awards is a Capital City project, led by The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library, with the Saint Paul Public Library and the Office of the Mayor of Saint Paul. Statewide outreach partners include: the Loft Literary Center, Metropolitan Library Service Agency (MELSA); Minnesota Department of Education—State Library Services; Minnesota Educational Media Organization; Minnesota Library Association; Minnesota Library Foundation; and Library Networks for Literature—a project of the Public Programs Office of the American Library Association. Media sponsors include: Minnesota Public Radio, Pioneer Press, Saint Paul Neighborhood Network (SPNN), Secrets of the City, Swank Audio Visual and TPT-Minnesota Channel. Major funding for the Book Awards was provided by The Harlan Boss Foundation for the Arts; The Huss Foundation; The Katherine B. Andersen Fund of The Saint Paul Foundation; a Library Services and Technology Act grant from the Office of State Library Services; MLBA Children’s Fund; Tarrant, Drummer & Liska, PLLC; Wellington Management, Inc.; and Xcel Energy.
SAINT PAUL PUBLIC LIBRARY RECEIVES TOP HONORS
Saint Paul, Minn. (March 27, 2009) – The Saint Paul Public Library was recently recognized as a national and local leader in library services and public relations by the Library Journal, the Library Leadership and Management Association (LLAMA), and Minnesota Chapters of International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), and Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), resulting in six distinguished awards.
Library Journal ranked Saint Paul Public Library as one of the top library systems across the state and nation. The Library Journal announced in February that the Saint Paul Public Library received a four-star national rating, which distinguished the library as being within the top three percent of libraries across the United States.
In the Library Journal’s article "America's Star Libraries" by authors Keith Curry Lance and Ray Lyons explained that the rankings were based on per capita statistics, including circulation, library visits, program attendance and public internet computer uses. Library Journal rated 7,115 public libraries and Saint Paul Public Library was one of eight Minnesota library systems recognized.
For public relations efforts, the Saint Paul Public Library was recognized nationally for Saint Paul-itics, a campaign created by staff to help St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman and the city prepare for the 2008 Republican National Convention. Saint Paul-itics was created by a library committee and carried out by all staff May through September 2008. Saint Paul-itics offered residents many opportunities to learn more about politics through a variety of performers, speakers, national experts and an outdoor movie series called Political Scenes.
The Saint Paul-itics campaign won five awards. The Library Leadership and Management Association (LLAMA) announced recently that the Saint Paul Public Library will be a recipient of the John Cotton Dana Library Public Relations Award, which is considered to be the most prestigious of all library awards in the field of public relations. Library staff will be recognized and presented a grant award of $5,000 during the American Library Association conference in July in Chicago, Ill.
The International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) presented the Saint Paul Public Library two 2009 Bronze Quill awards February 24. Saint Paul-itics won an Award of Excellence for Special Events, and an Award of Merit for Multi-Audience Communication.
Lastly, the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Minnesota chapter recognized the Saint Paul Public Library’s Saint Paul-itics campaign as one of the best public relations campaigns of 2008 during the 31st annual Minnesota PRSA Classics Awards held at the Minneapolis Marriott City Center, Thursday, March 26.
Saint Paul-itics won two Classic Awards for Community Relations: Government and Nonprofit and Marketing Services: New. Participants in the Minnesota chapter awards included large-scale public relations agencies, corporations, and non-profit organizations.
Contact: Sheree Savage, Saint Paul Public Library, 651-325-1662
SAINT PAUL-ITICS RECEIVES PRSA CLASSICS AWARDS
The Saint Paul Public Library and The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library were presented with two MN PRSA Classics Awards in recognition of Saint Paul-itics, a series of nearly 40 programs designed to inform, engage and involve the community in the democratic process. The awards, for Community Relations and Marketing New Services, were presented on March 26, 2009.
Sponsored by the Minnesota chapter of the Public Relations Society of America, the MN PRSA Classics Awards honor the best in the public relations field. “We have a talented pool of local professionals, and the bar set by our peers is extremely high.” said Jan Hennings, president of Minnesota PRSA. “This year’s winners really stand out for their exemplary professional skill, creativity and resourcefulness.”
Saint Paul-itics revolutionized the role of the Library in the community as it assisted the City in hosting the 2008 Republican National Convention. From May through September, 2008, residents were offered the opportunity to learn about politics through a variety of performers, speakers, national experts and an outdoor movie series. In addition,voter registration, blogging, and collections about the history of elections, and political involvement. The programs were presented at all branches, as well as sites of partner organizations.
Photo by Minnesota PRSA
SAINT PAUL-ITICS WINS 2009 BRONZE QUILL AWARDS FOR COMMUNICATIONSFebruary 24, 2009 The Saint Paul Public Library and The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library won the Bronze Quill Award of Excellence for “Communication Management/Special Events Internal or External,” and the Bronze Quill Award of Merit for “Communication Management/Multi-Audience Communication,” for the Saint Paul-itics program series, during the 2009 Bronze Quill Awards.
The Bronze Quill Awards program, sponsored by the Minnesota chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), honors local professionals for excellence in business communications.
“Congratulations to all the winners! A Bronze Quill award is a significant achievement,” said Julia Nelson, president of IABC Minnesota. “Entries are scored based on strategic thought, creative, well-executed work plans and meaningful measurement. This year’s recipients illustrated how important strategic communication is to the overall success of an organization, as well as the breadth of talent in this market.”
The Bronze Quills Awards program is an annual event that supports the professional development of communications professionals in their fields. This year, 105 entries were evaluated by judges from 10 IABC chapters, including Hawaii, Brazos Valley (Texas), Houston, San Antonio, Indianapolis, Atlanta, Kentucky, New Orleans, Harrisburg and Arkansas. Entrants were asked to follow comprehensive entry guidelines and were judged on a seven-point scale based on the entry’s comprehensive work plan and work sample.
The Minnesota Chapter of IABC brings together professionals who want to excel in the communications field. IABC Minnesota was named the 2008 International Chapter of the Year and Large Chapter of the Year by the International Association of Business Communicators, a professional network of more than 16,000 business communication professionals in more than 60 countries.
PATRICK COLEMAN NAMED 2009 KAY SEXTON AWARD RECIPIENT FOR CONTRIBUTIONS TO MINNESOTA’S BOOK COMMUNITY
(February 27, 2009), SAINT PAUL, MN – Patrick Coleman, Acquisitions Librarian at the Minnesota Historical Society, will be honored with the Kay Sexton Award on April 25 at the 21st annual Minnesota Book Awards gala. The Sexton Award is presented annually to an individual in recognition of long-standing dedication and outstanding work in fostering books, reading, and literary activity in Minnesota. The award honors Kay Sexton, a book buyer for many years at Dayton's and B. Dalton Bookstores in the Twin Cities. She was the first recipient of the award in 1988. The Sexton Award is sponsored by Common Good Books.
As Acquisitions Librarian at the Minnesota Historical Society (MHS), where he has worked for the last thirty years, Coleman identifies, selects, and procures books for the Library. He is considered both a pioneer and classicist. Coleman has expanded the horizons of collecting, making the MHS Library’s collection a vital resource for all users: academics, family historians, students, businesses, and government. He has developed the premiere collection of books and printed material about Minnesota available in the world. Through his work, the MHS Library is one of the preeminent research libraries in the region and nation. Coleman collects the typical and necessary local histories along with the new examples of current literature, artist books, and amazing rare pamphlets and maps.
Through his deep working relationships with scholars, authors, publishers, donors, and book artists, Coleman continues to make huge contributions to the overall Minnesota book community. He works with dealers and booksellers to facilitate the acquiring of books. He has close relationships with public libraries, and has served on the University of Minnesota’s Friends of the Library Board. Coleman currently serves on the Coffee House Press board, served on the Minnesota Humanities Commission board, and is a long-time member of both the Ampersand Club and the Manuscript Society. He writes the 150 Best Minnesota Books Blog, originally begun in honor of the state’s sesquicentennial, highlighting books which are important to the intellectual life and identity of the state.
Minnesota Book Award-winning author Patricia Hampl says this of Coleman’s contributions to the state’s book community, “Pat is deeply committed to community service – so much so he doesn’t even call it that. He just has an instinct and manages to pull people together in the interest of books and reading.” Coleman believes in the strength of members of Minnesota’s book community functioning together and working toward one goal: promoting learning through the written word.
Patrick Coleman will receive the Kay Sexton Award at the 21st annual Minnesota Book Awards gala on April 25 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel – Saint Paul Riverfront. Awards will also be presented in eight book categories, as well as the Readers’ Choice Award sponsored by the Pioneer Press and TwinCities.com, and the Book Artist Award, co-sponsored by Minnesota Center for Book Arts (MCBA), and presented this year to Paulette Myers-Rich.
Click for more information on the Minnesota Book Awards or to make a gala reservation, or call 651-366-6497.
MPR: LIBRARY USAGE INCREASES WITH THE RECESSION
by Tim Nelson, Minnesota Public Radio, St. Paul, Minn. —There's one place where business is booming right now despite the recession. It's your local public library. Minnesota's public libraries are busier than ever, as patrons cut back their spending and try to cope with the economic downturn. Library usage is on the rise. Wireless and public Internet access has risen by almost a quarter this year and circulation of books is up by 5 percent so far.
In Ramsey county's suburbs, patrons are signing up by the dozens for waiting lists on popular movies and music CDs. A rental program for best sellers and new releases has proven a solid financial success. Nearly a hundred people a day have been showing up for children's storytime at the library's seven branches.
... In St. Paul library services cost about $36 a year per resident. But in just the last three months, 7 percent more are walking through the doors. In just one week in October, more than 700 people asked library staff not for help finding a book, but for help finding or applying for a job. READ MORE...
back to the topTHE MINNESOTA BOOK AWARDS ANNOUNCES 2009 BOOK ARTIST AWARD WINNER
January 27, 2009, SAINT PAUL, MN – The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library is pleased to announce Paulette Myers-Rich as the winner of the 2009 Book Artist Award, an annual award of the Minnesota Book Awards. This award, co-sponsored by the Minnesota Center for Book Arts (MCBA), recognizes a Minnesota book artist or book artist collaborative group for excellence throughout a body of work, as well as significant contributions to Minnesota’s book arts community.
Myers-Rich works extensively with black and white photography, with artists’ books being her favored format as they allow the combination of image and text in conventional and non-traditional book forms. “Contemporary book arts has given rise to a variety of structures that both embrace tradition and break with it,” says Myers-Rich, “offering myriad forms and interesting challenges. Yet, regardless of the approach to artists’ books, for me, the practice of craft is important. The book must be a compelling and satisfying object or environment that activates content, a work that satisfies the hands, the eyes and the mind.” Myers-Rich won a Minnesota Book Award in 2000 for her fine press book Broder, an award she shared with poet Anna Reckin, and again in 2006 for Ghost Poems for the Living. She is an active member of several arts organizations, teaches at MCBA and several colleges and universities, and is a graduate program mentor at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design.
An exhibit celebrating Myers-Rich’s work runs February 5 through March 15, 2009 at MCBA in the Open Book building, 1011 Washington Avenue South in Minneapolis. A reception showcasing the exhibit takes place Thursday, February 26 from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. at MCBA, with a brief program and presentation at 7:00 p.m. The reception is free and open to the public, and features live music by Gary Schulte and Reynold Philipsek. Exhibits of Myers-Rich’s work will also be featured at other venues throughout the state this year, including Saint Paul’s Central Library where her work will be displayed March 23 through April.
Myers-Rich will receive special recognition and an award at the 21st annual Minnesota Book Awards gala on April 25, 2009 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel – Saint Paul Riverfront. Awards will also be presented that evening to the winners of the eight book categories (Children’s Literature, General Nonfiction, Genre Fiction, Memoir & Creative Nonfiction, Minnesota, Novel & Short Story, Poetry, and Young People’s Literature) and the winners of The Readers’ Choice Award, sponsored by the Pioneer Press and TwinCities.com, and the Kay Sexton Award, recognizing an individual for significant contributions to Minnesota’s literary community. Gala tickets go on sale February 2, 2009.
The Minnesota Book Awards is a statewide, year-round outreach program of The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library in partnership with the Office of the Mayor of Saint Paul and the Saint Paul Public Library. Please visit www.thefriends.org or call 651/366-6497 for more information about the Minnesota Book Awards. Visit www.mnbookarts.org or call 612-215-2527 for more information about Minnesota Center for Book Arts.
back to the topTHE FRIENDS TO CREATE VIRTUAL MINNESOTA WRITERS HALL OF FAME
The Friends and the Minnesota Book Awards recently received a $5,000 grant from the Minnesota Sesquicentennial Commission to create an online Minnesota Writers Hall of Fame. The “virtual” Hall of Fame will initially have ten inductees, selected by the Minnesota Book Awards with input from librarians, booksellers, writers and scholars. Subsequent years may see up to 5 writers inducted.
Because of the legacy of great literature produced in Minnesota, we expect in the first few years to see many posthumous inductions into the Hall. Some names which have been suggested for consideration include F. Scott Fitzgerald, Maud Hart Lovelace, Sinclair Lewis, Gordon Parks, Charles M. Schultz, Wanda Gag, Jon Hassler, Carol Bly, and others. With all the exceptional Minnesota writers who have been part of our literary history, both living and deceased, there will be no problem finding worthy nominees who have had a huge impact locally, nationally, and even internationally. Watch The Friends’ website for news and updates as the project progresses. To join in the conversation, check out this post at Secrets of the City.
back to the topNEW NEA STUDY: MORE AMERICAN ADULTS READ LITERATURE
Literary reading on the rise for first time in history of Arts Endowment survey
January 12, 2009, Washington, D.C. — For the first time in more than 25 years, American adults are reading more literature, according to a new study by the National Endowment for the Arts. Released January 12, the report, Reading on the Rise: A New Chapter in American Literacy, found that for the first time since 1982 the percentage of adults 18 and older who said they had read at least one novel, short story, poem, or play in the previous 12 months has risen. Reading on the Rise documents a definitive increase in rates and numbers of American adults who read literature, with the biggest increases among young adults, ages 18-24. This new growth reverses two decades of downward trends cited previously in NEA reports such as Reading at Risk and To Read or Not To Read. The report is based on early results from the 2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts.
Jim Rettig, president of the American Library Association and university librarian at the University of Richmond, said that the 2008 data would not reflect a recent uptick in circulation at libraries. As the economy has soured, Mr. Rettig said, “people are discovering that you don’t have to spend anything to read a book if you have a library card.”
READ MORE:
Download the 16-page survey brochure (PDF)
Related news and opinion:
A message from the Saint Paul Public Library Director:
DON'T PANIC. PREPARE.
As we wind up 2008, we are already well on our way to planning for 2009 and 2010. First and foremost, I want to thank the staff of the Saint Paul Public Library for their patience as we held off on hiring the last two months and slowed spending throughout the year in order to keep the library’s budget in balance. They did a terrific job and we ended the year in good shape.
All indications are that 2009 and 2010 will be challenging years for cities and counties throughout Minnesota. The headlines are bleak, and I’m sure many wonder what this will mean for libraries and our service to the community.
I believe with all my heart that in times of economic crisis, libraries and the access to resources and expertise they provide are critical. We know that extending morning hours helps job seekers, young children and older adults alike, and we will continue to work towards making those morning hours a reality—although we may not get there as soon as we’d hoped or expected.
I will be working with staff, seeking ways to use our existing resources to the maximum benefit for our community. It won’t be easy and it won’t be “business as usual.” We have to be creative about how we can have the most impact in the areas we’ve identified as priorities. These areas, paraphrased from our strategic plan, include:
- Getting children ready to read/ready for school;
- Supporting youth in their educational development and school success;
- Helping people build skills and competencies to find, get or create jobs; and
- Making sure our customers have access to the information and ideas
they need to lead a high quality of life.
As we have also identified in our strategic plan, to do all these things effectively, we’ll have to leverage our partnerships, enhance our materials and grow our capacity to provide technological solutions and support in all of these areas. In short, we have to think about the opportunities we have to provide access to library services and maximize them as much as possible.
There will be tough decisions to make and not everything we think is important will get done. But with patience, creativity, a strong staff and Friends support, we will get through this. Let’s not panic. Let’s prepare.
back to the topTHE FRIENDS OF THE SAINT PAUL PUBLIC LIBRARY RECEIVES 2008 BEST OF ST. PAUL AWARD
U.S. Local Business Association’s Award Honors the Nonprofit’s Achievements
WASHINGTON D.C., November 14, 2008 – The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library has been selected for the 2008 Best of St. Paul Award in the Libraries category by the U.S. Local Business Association (USLBA).
The USLBA “Best of Local Business” Award Program recognizes outstanding local businesses throughout the country. Each year, the USLBA identifies companies that they believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their community.
Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The 2008 USLBA Award Program focused on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally by the USLBA and data provided by third parties.
About U.S. Local Business Association (USLBA)
U.S. Local Business Association (USLBA) is a Washington D.C. based organization funded by local businesses operating in towns, large and small, across America. The USLBA was established to recognize the best of local businesses in their community. Our mission is to be an advocate for small and medium size businesses and business entrepreneurs across America.
CONTACT: U.S. Local Business Association, PublicRelations@USLBA.net http://www.USLBA.net
THE FRIENDS OF THE SAINT PAUL PUBLIC LIBRARY RECEIVES COVETED 4-STAR REVIEW FROM CHARITY NAVIGATOR
Less than a quarter of the charities evaluated have received this highest rating, indicating that The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library outperforms the majority of nonprofits in America with respect to fiscal responsibility.
December 5, 2007, SAINT PAUL, MN - As the nonprofit sector continues to grow at an unprecedented pace, savvy donors are demanding more accountability, transparency and quantifiable results from the charities they choose to support with their hard-earned dollars. In this competitive philanthropic marketplace, Charity Navigator, America's premier charity evaluator, highlights the work of efficient charities such as The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library, and provides donors with essential information needed to give them greater confidence in the charitable choices they make.
Based on the most recent financial information available, Charity Navigator has calculated a 4-star rating for The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library for its ability to efficiently manage and grow its finances. Fewer than 25% of the charities evaluated receive this “exceptional” designation from Charity Navigator, a classification that differentiates The Friends from its peers, and demonstrates to the public it is worthy of their trust.
The New York Times, NPR and The Chronicle of Philanthropy, among others, have profiled and celebrated Charity Navigator’s unique method of applying data-driven analysis to the charitable sector. They evaluate ten times more charities than their nearest competitor, and attract more visitors to their website (www.charitynavigator.org) than all other charity rating groups combined, thereby making them the leading charity evaluator in America.
Founded in 2001, Charity Navigator’s professional analysts have examined tens of thousands of non-profit financial documents and have used this knowledge to develop an unbiased, objective, numbers-based rating system to assess the financial health of over 5,000 of America's best-known charities. Charity Navigator's rating system examines two broad areas of a charity's financial health -- how responsibly it functions day to day, as well as how well positioned it is to sustain its programs over time. Each charity is then awarded an overall rating, ranging from zero to four stars. Charity Navigator accepts no funding from the charities they evaluate, ensuring that ratings remain objective.
Last year, more than four million donors used the free site that TIME Magazine called “One of America's 50 Coolest Websites for 2006.” Additionally, the site is a two-time Forbes award winner for “Best of the Web,” and was chosen by PC World as “One of America’s Top Websites.” In 2007, BusinessWeek inducted Charity Navigator into its “Philanthropy Hall of Fame” for “revolutionizing the process of giving.” Charity Navigator was singled out by Kiplinger's Financial Magazine as “One of the Best Services to Make Life Easier,” and Esquire Magazine recently told its readers that using the service was one of “41 Ways to Save the World.”