The Jefferson County Library Cooperative is celebrating their 40th Anniversary with the kickoff of “The Great Give,” an online fundraising campaign benefitting public libraries throughout the county.

In 1978, the Jefferson County Library Cooperative was established to link all locally-funded city libraries in the county. Today, 22 member libraries–with 40 locations–offer countywide sharing of countless services and resources with the “One County, One Card” system.

All funds raised through The Great Give will help to further the significant work of the 40 municipal libraries in the Jefferson County area.

To promote the campaign on social media sites, the 40 Public Libraries in Jefferson County will be utilizing a hashtag-#TheGreatGive.

A family-oriented kickoff event complete with a bounce house, food trucks face painting and more will be held on Friday, May 4, 6:00-8:00 p.m. at the Homewood Public Library.

The Great Give online fundraising campaign will kick-off Tues., May 8, & Wed. May 9.

“We encourage Jefferson County residents to give $40 this year as we celebrate 40 years of cooperation with what is now the 40 libraries in our cooperative,” said Pat Ryan, Executive Director, Jefferson County Library Cooperative. “The Library Cooperative works behind-the-scenes to coordinate the services that link 40 libraries with one card for everyone in the county.”

Birmingham, Inglenook Branch Public Library — Inglenook Branch Public Library. Photo via bplonline.org.

The core services made available to all county residents through the library cooperative are as follows:

Delivery service – the items residents want where they want to pick them up
Nearly 2 million items in 40 libraries countywide
In person, or online holds on items at any library in the county, text messaging reminders
24/7 catalog, downloadable audio & ebooks
Information databases
Internet access –Plus Free WiFi available in 40 libraries
Books-By-Mail for the home bound
IT Support for member libraries

The Great Give fundraising campaign will assist the library cooperative as it works to continue linking the 40 libraries with Jefferson County residents.

All donations will be tax-deductible as the Jefferson County Library Cooperative, Inc. is a registered 501(c)(3) organization.

To donate, visit https://www.mightycause.com/story/Great-Give-2018 or mail your donation to Jefferson County Library Cooperative, 2100 Park Place, Birmingham, AL 35203, or by dropping off a donation at any local library.