NPL’s Annual Appeal: Give Today!
Your support makes it possible for the library to continue as a source of knowledge, creativity, and connection for anyone who walks through our doors.
NPL’s Annual Fund in Action
Every year, the Norwich Public Library sends more than 500 letters to patrons and past donors inviting support for our Annual Fund. This year, our Annual Fund goal is $103,500, which goes towards all of the things you love about NPL: our collections, programming, and personnel. We’re proud to share success stories—on social media, in emails, and in conversations with our community. But lately it struck me that what may be missing is context. What does a week at NPL actually look like? And how are Annual Fund gifts put to work every single day?
Here’s a glimpse.
Programs
Monday: We began this week with the Memory Café, a monthly gathering for caregivers of those experiencing cognitive decline, as well as participants themselves. Lisa and volunteers lead 90 minutes of conversation, support, art, and music—a lifeline for many in our community.
Tuesday: Our ever-popular LEGO Club brings young builders together for creativity, collaboration, and a lot of enthusiastic clatter.
Wednesday: Families fill the parking lot early for our weekly Storytime. Each month, Lauren also takes Storytime on the road to The Family Place and Marion Cross School. On early-release Wednesdays, we offer additional after-school programs—though lately the kids have made it clear: board and card games are the big hit. So this month, we’re leaning in and featuring our full collection of games.
Thursday: Lauren heads to a Summer Reading 2026 planning symposium hosted by the Vermont Department of Libraries. Yes—summer reading planning really does start this far ahead! All ages are invited to celebrate National Sock Day by making a sock puppet with Patti after school. Meanwhile, Tech Help is available both Thursday and Friday for anyone who needs one-on-one support navigating devices or digital tools.
Friday: We’re excited to launch our new toddler playgroup—an early-childhood space for play, connection, and community building.
Saturday: When he’s not coordinating programs or PR, Isaac hosts two monthly programs, Arts & Crafts for Adults and this week’s Dungeons & Dragons (DND) day. Phyllis staffs the very busy Circulation Desk.
All of these programs—every supply, every staff hour, every new idea—are sustained by Annual Fund donations.
Collections & Services
Throughout the week, staff members—Lucinda, Lisa, Lauren, and Julia—are reading reviews, sorting through patron recommendations, and thoughtfully selecting new materials for our shelves and digital platforms. The Annual Fund fully covers the cost of these collections.
Our interlibrary loan program is also bustling. Last year we borrowed 1,261 items for our patrons (including 91 from out of state) and loaned 645 items to other libraries. For a library our size, that’s an impressive amount of shared resources and community reach.
The Vermont library world relies heavily on volunteers to keep statewide systems running smoothly, and this week is no exception. Julia is collaborating with the KOHA team to debut a new messaging system, while Lisa is working with the VOKAL group on the design of a new website. Closer to home, Natalie is busy training new volunteers for the circulation desk. She recently completed two volunteer training sessions focused on library confidentiality—an essential pillar of library ethics and patron trust.
Library Spaces
This week alone, the Community Room will host the Norwich Lions Club, the Upper Valley Knitting Guild, Trout Unlimited, the Friends of NPL, and the Upper Valley Humanists. Groups like these rely on the library as a welcoming, flexible, no-cost meeting space. The Community Room also hosts local artists wanting to exhibit their work for two months at a time. Currently, we have Between Wing & Horizon by Shannon Bender up on our walls.
Across the building, an average of 950 people walk through our doors each week. Every light on, every warm room, every open door—these are maintained thanks to Annual Fund support.
Your support keeps all of this going.
Annual Fund gifts don’t just sustain programs or collections—they sustain people, connection, and belonging in our small Vermont community. Thank you for making this possible, week after week.
Three easy ways to give directly to NPL online:
Or, mail a check to: Norwich Public Library, PO Box 290, Norwich, VT 05055
Did You Know?
NPL is an incorporated library — this means that we request partial funding for each fiscal year through the town, with voters holding the power to approve or not. The remaining amount (typically about 30% of what it takes to run the library) is fundraised. This is why we are both running an Annual Appeal to solicit donations and collecting signatures for the town vote on Tuesday, March 3rd.
Signatures needed for NPL’s budget petition:
NPL is now collecting the necessary signatures to get our budget on the town ballot for March 2026. Stop by the circulation desk until January 9th to sign the petition.
A petition signature is not binding and does not represent a yes or no vote, it only supports having the budget added to the ballot. This process is essential to NPL and its programs — we are grateful for your support in moving our budget forward!
Stop by anytime if you have more questions about our budget process!
