Memorial donations help stock Cranberry Public Library
CRANBERRY TWP — Jane Profeta’s grandchildren picked out a book in the children’s section of the Cranberry Public Library on Thursday, July 10, that had a familiar name displayed on its inside cover.
It was the name of their great-grandmother, Bette Sandrock. The book was purchased in memory of her after her death by Profeta’s friends, Ken and Linda Miller.
Profeta’s grandchildren finding the book with a family connection was pure chance, but she said many of the books populating the shelves of the Cranberry Township library are there thanks to donations — memorial donations or otherwise.
“You can designate if you want to give for children's books or novels or whatever is needed,” said Profeta, a former board member for the library who resides in Cranberry Township. “It benefits the early literacy programs, it’s just a total benefit for the community.”
The Cranberry Public Library announced a slew of materials and books purchased with honor and memorial donations, totaling more than 40 books.
Leslie Pallotta, director of the Cranberry Public Library, said memorial and honor donations account for a portion of the library’s collection budget each year, usually about $4,200. Money from these donations often helps get newly released books on the shelves, but sometimes more personal books are chosen based on the donor.
“Most of the time they go directly into the library’s collection budget. They’re helping to purchase books, physical items of that nature,” Pallotta said. “If the family or person donating said ‘Mary Smith was an avid gardener,’ we might seek (a gardening book) out. If a family has not set a particular interest, that’s when we might get a book we need.”
According to Pallotta, memorial donations typically range from about $25 to $150 each. While books purchased by memorial donations include the name of a deceased person on their inside covers, books purchased by “honor donations” include the name of a living donor.
Pallotta said the library’s annual campaign runs from July 1 to June 30 each year, and usually raises about $30,000 in that time. Individuals who donate $100 or more get honor plates put in at least one item, as a way of recognition and thanks. Pallotta said donations can be made to more than just rentable materials.
Cranberry Township and Seven Fields also allocate money to the library in their annual budgets, which Rebecca Bess, assistant director of the library, said helps pay for operating expenses.
Even with the public funding, the library can always use donations to stay up-to-date on books, as well as movies and music, which also are among the library’s available materials.
“Certainly we are looking for new books,” Bess said. “Typically we try and go with newer titles. If we’re choosing we tend to go with nonfiction because those tend to stay on the shelf longer than fiction.”
Profeta said it is nice knowing that donations in memory of her loved ones helped stock her local library. It all started when her dad died in 1985, and his family requested that people donate to the library “in lieu of flowers.”
“When my dad passed away, we asked for donations to the library. We’ve just kind of continued doing it,” Profeta said. “It’s a lasting memorial, everybody uses the library, it's a wonderful asset. We're lucky to have the library.”
Pallotta said that many books bought with donations are simply chosen from a list of new releases or requests from patrons, but people can be more intentional with their choices if they would like.
“If books are going in in memory of somebody, families will have a recommended subject area,” Bess said, “so maybe they want books put in for children, because their loved one loved being a grandma, or something like that. Maybe they liked cooking or they liked the Pittsburgh Steelers.”
The Butler Area Public Library also takes memorial donations with a suggested donation amount of $30, according to its director, Lori Hinderliter.
Hinderliter said many of the books purchased with memorial or honor donations are children’s books and nonfiction — nonfiction requests recently surpassed fiction requests in both the Butler Area and the Cranberry Public libraries. Hinderliter said the Butler library also takes suggestions for titles or genres to purchase with memorial or honor funds, but the donor doesn’t always have something specific in mind.
“We ask if they have suggestions, particularly with genres that may relate to the person a donation is being made in honor or in memory of,” she said. “Sometimes they don’t have a specific request. They leave it up to us.”
Donors also get a “thank you” from the library they donated to. The name plates also stay in the books forever, which Pallotta said is a small reward for people who donate. Judi Boren, another former board member for the Cranberry Public Library, said she has sent donations to the library in memory of friends’ deceased loved ones. It helps the library, and it’s a nice gesture for the people still grieving the loss of a loved one.
“Sometimes it’s just nice to make a donation to the library on their birthday or anniversary,” Boren said. “Then the library always sends an acknowledgment. I think people are very touched by that.”
Profeta said this kind of donation also can be a keepsake for a family. Her grandchildren seeing that “The First Drawing” was purchased in their great-grandmother’s memory sparked discussion that Profeta said helped get them curious about their family history.
“My grandchildren were excited to read a book dedicated to their great-grandmother, and the donors were equally excited to hear about it,” Profeta said. “This opened up a lot of questions from them about my mom, and allowed them to learn a little more about her.”
Honor and memorial books recently placed on the shelves of the Cranberry Public Library
In Honor of John Miller: “Early Stories by Tennessee Williams,” Tom Mitchell, editor
In Honor of Danielle Waiter: “Medical and Advanced Inventions,” by World Book Inc.; “Inventions for Business, Industry, and the Environment,” by World Book Inc.
In Honor of Jack & Kay Rimer: “Everyday Inventions,” by World Book Inc.
In Honor of Mitchell Dykstra: “Hope I Get Old Before I Die,” by David Hepworth
In Honor of Haylee Cosgrove: “Hail to the Chief,” by World Book Inc.; “The In-Between,” by Jenny Anderson
In Honor of James & Joyce Gascoine: “Sister, Sinner,” by Claire Hoffman; “Survival From the Skies,” by Colin Pateman
In Honor of Loretta McCoy: “Dealing with Emotions (Building Blocks for Growth and Success),” by April Hart and Graham Ross; “Being Mindful (Building Blocks for Growth and Success),” by April Hart and Graham Ross
In Honor of Jeanne Otto: “Songs She Wrote,” by Michael G. Garber; “A Soldier's Life,” by Edna W. Cummings
In Honor of Paula Strong: “Making Good Choices (Building Blocks for Growth and Success),” by April Hart and Graham Ross; “Overcoming Challenges (Building Blocks for Growth and Success),” by April Hart and Graham Ross
In Honor of Rashed N. Nagati: “Staying Organized (Building Blocks for Growth and Success),” by April Hart and Graham Ross; “Understanding Others (Building Blocks for Growth and Success),” by April Hart and Graham Ross
In Honor of Tom & Liz Braun: “Getting Along (Building Blocks for Growth and Success),” by April Hart and Graham Ross; “Working Together (Building Blocks for Growth and Success),” by April Hart and Graham Ross
In Honor of Gretchen Moran: “We've Decided to Go in a Different Direction,” by Tess Sanchez
In Honor of Pavel Puchkarev: “Carbon Capture and Other Climate Tech (Cool Tech),” by Richard Spilsbury; “Facial Recognition and Other Security Tech (Cool Tech),” by Alex Woolf
In Honor of Steve & Jeanne Marino: “Metaverse and Other Virtual Tech (Cool Tech),” by Tom Jackson; “Aero Engines and Other High Precision Tech (Cool Tech),” by Tom Jackson
In Honor of Diane Stump: “Quantum Computers and Other Quantum Tech (Cool Tech),” by Tom Jackson; “Space Stations and Other Exploration Tech (Cool Tech),” by Richard Spilsbury
In Honor of Betty J. Polley: “Denmark (Cultures of the World),” by Robert Pateman and Laura L. Sullivan; “The Netherlands (Cultures of the World),” by Pat Seward, et al
In Honor of Jane Paul: “Morocco (Cultures of the World),” by Pat Seward, et al; “Portugal (Cultures of the World),” by Jay Heale, et al
In Honor of Dean Kohanyi: “The Fate of the Generals,” by Jonathan Horn
In Honor of Frank & Denise Salopek: “She Speaks,” by Honor Cargill-Martin
In Honor of Robert Ferry: “COMBEE: Harriet Tubman, the Combahee River Raid, and Black Freedom during the Civil War,” by Edda L. Fields-Black
In Memory of Marc Werkman: “The First Gentleman,” by Bill Clinton & James Patterson
In Memory of John Malak by Cranberry Township Board of Supervisors & Employees: “Kinfolk Journeys,” by John Burns
In Memory of Patricia Smith by Cranberry Township Board of Supervisors & Employees: “Baking Across America,” by B. Dylan Hollis
In Memory of Ladonne Guerra by Cranberry Township Board of Supervisors & Employees: “Grow Cook Eat by Willi Galloway, The Art of Embroidery Design,” by Christi Johnson
In Memory of Emil Kravec by Judy Kravec: “Legendary Creatures,” by Salem Press
In Memory of Paul B. Glackin by Opal D. Glackin: “And Housing for All,” by Maria Foscarinis; “Battle of the Big Bang,” by Niayesh Afshordi and Phil Halper
