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Gulf Coast Community Foundation sponsored the luncheon and Sarasota Magazine was the exclusive media sponsor.

More than 260 guests gathered at The Francis on Palm Avenue to hear Toobin share “An Insider’s View of the Supreme Court.”  With deep knowledge of the law, intelligent insights into the workings of the Court, and personal and witty commentary on the justices, Toobin helped the audience understand the decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court for the last 60 years.  Toobin also signed copies of The Nine and The Oath, his two most recent books about the Bush and Obama courts, after the luncheon.

The Toobin luncheon was the hottest ticket in town.  The event sold out in 10 days without ever printing an invitation.  A “two-for-one” matching grant extended at the luncheon by an anonymous donor at the Community Foundation of Sarasota County yielded more than $60,000 in new support for the Library Foundation.

To receive periodic communications from the Library Foundation, including an invitation to next year’s author luncheon, please Please email us at libraryfoundationforsarasota@gmail.com.

By Susan Rife, Herald-Tribune

SARASOTA — A quick but insightful tour through the past 60 years of the United States Supreme Court provided the center of author and legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin’s speech Tuesday at a sold-out fundraising luncheon for the Library Foundation for Sarasota County.

The upshot: The Supreme Court, which under Earl Warren in the 1960s aggressively pushed a liberal agenda, has moved dramatically to the right. The John Roberts court of today, which, while split five Republicans to four Democrats, bears little resemblance even to the courts of the Richard Nixon administration.

Nixon’s appointments of Warren Burger, Harry Blackmun, Lewis Powell and William Rehnquist may have marked a shift in the Republican vs. Democrat headcount, but the court’s decisions in the 1970s did not reflect the political views of the administration. Read More

• Create informed citizens
Community members can find the information they need to fulfill their civic responsibilities and participate in community decision-making.

• Build successful businesses and non-profits
Business owners and non-profit leaders can find the resources and guidance they need to create and grow strong, viable organizations.

• Connect people to the online world
County Library users have free, high-speed access to the digital world. Knowledgeable librarians help them use the resources and services available through the internet.

• Encourage readers of all ages
Children from birth to age five can participate in the Born to Read, Imagination Library and other early literacy programs to ensure that they will enter school ready to learn to read, write and listen. Teens and adults can sign up for adult literacy programs.

• Provide homework help
Students can get help with their homework and their research needs.

• Assist people with job searches and career enhancement
Adults and teens can use hundreds of resources in our libraries to identify and apply for jobs that match their individual strengths and interests.

• Create lifelong learners
Our libraries provide a place to explore personal interests throughout a lifetime.

• Help people make informed decisions
People of all ages can find the resources they need to identify and analyze risks, benefits and alternatives before making decisions that affect their health, wealth and welfare.

• Connect people to community resources
Library visitors will find a central source of information about the variety of programs, services and activities provided by community agencies and organizations.

• Create a safe and comfortable space
Library visitors walk into a welcoming space when they pass through the library doors.They have opportunities to interact with others or to sit quietly and read, as well as access virtual spaces that support social networking.

* adapted from the Public Library Association

With unparalleled journalistic skill, Toobin has provided analysis on some of the most provocative and important events of our time.

The author of critically acclaimed best sellers, Toobin has delved into the historical, political and personal inner workings of the Supreme Court and its justices in his book The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court. The Nine spent more than four months on the New York Times Best Seller list and was named one of the best books of the year by Time, Newsweek, Entertainment Weekly and the Economist.

His newest book, The Oath, a sequel to The Nine, is a gripping insider’s account of the momentous ideological war between the John Roberts’ Supreme Court and the Obama administration.
Toobin is also the author of renowned bestseller Too Close to Call: The 36-Day Battle to Decide the 2000 Election is the definitive story of the Bush-Gore presidential recount and the basis for an HBO movie.

At the podium, Toobin is an unbiased, deeply analytic (and often very funny) expert on all matters of American law, politics and media.

He provides a unique look into the inner workings of The Supreme Court and its influence, as well as how the recent election will shape the court and, in turn, the nation.

Join us for a stimulating presentation.

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Ever since the people of ancient Nineveh began storing and classifying their books nearly 3,000 years ago, libraries have been hallowed and largely unchanging bastions of learning. But in the information age, libraries have been caste with a new identity, and the future is evolving into a very different place.

Ten years ago, as the Internet began to take off, many in the tech elite were predicting the death of the public library. What the critics failed to predict, however, was libraries’ stirring ability to reinvent themselves. Much like plants that flourish with good soil, water and sunshine,
libraries have actually begun to thrive in our information-rich environment.

Such is their resurgence that today, libraries are going through an age of rebirth. Intent on making them the crown jewels of the community, cities from Vancouver to Prague are investing heavily in public libraries, producing opulent, multi-story structures equipped with cutting-edge technology. From rather hidebound monuments to knowledge laboratories, libraries are now evolving into interactive research and leisure centers. Yet this change, impressive as it is, is only the beginning.

2029 SCENARIO

To see how, let’s step through the doorway of a city library in 2029. In the past, libraries housed seemingly endless miles of shelving stacked with finely printed books, but now only a few remain. In much the same way that living creatures adapt to their surrounding environments, libraries have grown into a bidirectional feeding tube connecting the life-giving digital data streams and the user populations that nourish them. People are no longer satisfied with information flowing one way. They want to participate in it, add their own contributions, and take ownership of it.

Traditional lending has been replaced with downloadable books, which are never out of stock, formatted for electronic tablets and readers. A bigger change, though, has come with the very concept of what a book is. Where once a customer would passively read and, hopefully, absorb a book, every volume now is more akin to an online forum, with authors, experts and other readers available to discuss and answer questions on almost every important book ever written.

In contrast to just a couple of decades before, almost the entire canon of book knowledge has been formatted for computers, making in-depth searches possible for even the most obscure tomes. But with many people now using this service in their homes, libraries have
stayed ahead of the curve by installing high-tech spherical displays and holographic imaging that allow users to shift viewing angles and probe individual parts of complex data. Space imaging technologies have also made it possible to search the planets and stars, allowing the swarms of school kids who come here to embark on their own voyages into deep space.

With technology having improved so dramatically, a central feature of this library is the Search Command Center, where a team of experts, both real and virtual, assists with complex searches that now incorporate not just words, but sounds, textures and even smells. While many visitors come here to recapture a fond fragrance or a familiar noise, these searches have more practical applications too. Restaurateurs, for example, are frequent visitors here, using the search tools to rediscover certain smells and tastes without having to rake through endless ingredients and recipes.

And chefs are far from the only people doing business in the library. With the Internet having put increasingly powerful business tools into the hands of individuals, more people are working and operating businesses from home. To such people, the library offers not just a refuge from the isolation of their house, it also provides temporary office space complete with podcast recording studios, conference rooms and editing stations. At the same time, the library has developed into an entrepreneurial zone where business people from various backgrounds coalesce, work together and then disperse in much the same way that film production crews have always done.

Business colonies have become commonplace, forming around common business themes such as gamer colonies, video colonies, photonics colonies, and biotech colonies. In each situation the libraries evolve to meet the needs of the user populations, providing vital services for the colony as well as for the community at large.

Yet perhaps nowhere are libraries’ new found attitudes more manifest than in their surroundings. Long operating in a rather high-minded domain, where many of them viewed market demand as little short of vulgar, libraries today are often situated right in the heart of
larger complexes with businesses that complement their services. Crèches offer somewhere to drop off the kids, stores and restaurants tick over with student business, and patrons from fitness centers borrow magazines and audio books from the library to enliven their conditioning routines or stop in to do research on exercise and nutrition.

In our fast-changing world, progress is too often seen as a zero-sum game, where innovation inevitably comes at the expense of the old. Yet libraries are showing that innovation always brings opportunity, too. While retaining its traditional functions, the library of the future
will be home to myriad informational experiences, where great ideas happen, and people have the tools and facilities to act on them.

In this high-tech, digital age, Sarasota County’s libraries play a vital role. As information barrages us from every angle and electronic device, people still flock to their public library for information, inspiration and community engagement. They attend educational and cultural programs, check out books, e-books, music and movies, use the free computers and bring their children for story hour and summer reading programs.

The Sarasota County Library system is a particularly vital community information resource.  More than 10,000 people visit the nine Sarasota County libraries each day – and more than 30,000 additional people are daily users of the Sarasota County Library Online.  An amazing 74% of County residents have a library card, ranking Sarasota #2 among Florida counties.  Last year, volunteers logged more than 96,000 hours of service, the equivalent of 46 full time employees and valued at more than $2 million.  In community surveys, library users and non-users alike report good library services are a critical part of the quality of life in Sarasota County.

The Florida Library Association has recently recognized the Sarasota County Library system as the 2012 Florida Library of Year.  This outstanding accolade recognizes many innovations in the system, including the new Teen Center at the Selby Library, the Osprey library located in Historic Spanish Point facility, the increased outreach efforts using staff and volunteers to reach readers in all parts of the community, the One Book countywide reading program and the “Pass It On” collections in buses, health clinics and neighborhood centers.

History and mission of the Library Foundation for Sarasota County

The Library Foundation for Sarasota County was launched in April, 2011 after two years of planning and selection of board members under the able direction of Library General Manager Sarabeth Kalajian and the Library Advisory Board.  Shannon Staub, former Sarasota County Commissioner and library advocate, was elected to serve as the first president of the Library Foundation Board.

The mission of the Library Foundation is to ensure the future of our libraries as an indispensable community resource by raising public awareness of the importance of our libraries, by generating private sector financial support to complement public tax funding, and by being a proponent for issues that promote the viability of our library system.

We envision a Library Foundation that listens to its citizens, responds to community needs and anticipates the future direction of library services.  We are committed to discovering and engaging individuals, foundations and businesses in the following goals for support of libraries:

• Enhancing literacy and learning for all ages
• Increasing innovation and technology advances
• Providing resources for people and businesses in transition
• Building for a strong community through civic engagement

To begin, we will work with the Sarasota County Library system and the Friends Alliance to mount a year-long public awareness campaign that focuses on the “12 Great Things about the Library of the Year” so that prospective donors and the general public are aware of the outstanding programs and services of the Library – and also its current and future needs.

Why the Sarasota County Library needs private support

The economic downturn has taken its toll on public institutions.  Tax dollars at both the county and state levels are shrinking.  The current operating budget of the Sarasota County Library is $10,411,278.  Revenue to support the Library comes from County tax receipts (92%), state aid (3%), federal and other grants (2%) and private donations (3%). Library funding has decreased each year since 2007, in spite of increased demand. Funding today is comparable to the level in 2002 when there were only six libraries. County and State funding for collections has also decreased by 80%. Staff levels have been trimmed by 28% to 2002 levels, decreasing from 76% to 52% as a percentage of total library costs.

The Sarasota County Library system has learned to do more with less – and has been recognized as the 2012 Florida Library of the Year for its innovation, flexibility and creativity. But to maintain the current level of excellence and insure future growth, private support is essential.

The Library Foundation for Sarasota County will seek funding for childhood literacy programs such as Born to Read (for children from birth to five years of age) and adult literacy initiatives such as the Conversation Café.  We will help the Library add innovative new technologies such as mobile applications (“apps”) for readers on the move, and we will seek support for high-demand electronic books, data bases and other e-resources.  We are committed to providing outstanding, up-to-date information and programs to improve the quality of life in Sarasota County including job search resources, small business development information, and programming partnerships with cultural and service organizations.  We support the age-old and ever-new role of the Library as an open forum for civic engagement and will seek funding to bring outstanding authors, thinkers and arbiters to create community conversations on many topics.

We will need many partners to be successful.  We are committed to helping the Sarasota County Library system build on its strong history of community partnerships which has enabled Library leaders to offer programs and services far beyond its budget.  To that end, we will support a volunteer recruitment, training and coordination effort to continue to expand Library offerings without additional paid staff.  We will seek new donors, large and small, to provide the financial resources needed to fulfill our mission and goals.

We all have a stake in the future of our libraries, even if we are not library users.  For every one of us who orders a book on Amazon, there are two others who check out a book from the library.  For each new iPad purchased at the Apple store, another computer novice turns to the library for help getting online. Scores of entrepreneurs turn to the library for the information they need and hundreds of seniors come to the library for their daily social interaction.  Libraries are critical community anchors.

We invite you to join us in securing the future of our libraries.

Just imagine the possibilities and the difference your support will make!

Click to download Financial Policies PDF

A most generous donor from the Gulf Coast Community Foundation pledged $8500 of the $17,000 needed, if the balance could be raised through the Gulf Coast Gives process. The match was successful with the help of 27 donors including the Allen Wirtz Nobbe and Jo Bowen Nobbe fund from the Community Foundation of Sarasota County and a donation to the Library Foundation from Scott and Julie Pinkerton designated for programs for children. The generous support of many others added to successful conclusion.

Almost 2500 children will continue to receive a book a month, which will ignite a zest for reading that will hopefully last a lifetime. The parents and guardians of these kids will also benefit from the sharing of time learning to read and to talk about pictures, words and stories. Likely, both the adults and the children will remember these times with fondness and appreciation.

The Library Foundation is honored to have sponsored this effort. The Foundation will continue to assist with ensuring libraries remain a viable and thriving aspect of our local quality of life.

Of course, librarians acknowledge that when patrons’ passion for the sexy series lacking in literary merit cools in a year or two, the majority of volumes in the “Fifty Shades” trilogy will probably be plucked from the shelves and sold at the Friends of the Library’s used-book sales, alongside other poorly circulated, donated and out-of-date materials.

Read the full New York Times Article »