ByWater Solutions Announces December 2022 Community Giveback Winner and Donates to Florida Library Association's Hurricane Relief Fund

by Elise Aiello on Dec 21, 2022

Each month, ByWater Solutions selects one library to be awarded $500. These funds are meant to support libraries and their communities and fill gaps in funding to further library goals.

We are excited to announce our December 2022 winner of the ByWater Community Giveback, the Washington County Public Library in Florida!

The funds will be used to support the library's Tiny Tots program! This will build on the success of the interactive centers that are part of the Tiny Tots programs. Each month, youth services staff create a themed center filled with activities. Each week, there are new activities within the theme. Since its inception in 2021, library staff have a variety of themed centers including a hospital theme, a vegetable stand theme, an ice cream theme, and a camping theme. The funds will help to add extra themed centers and allow for the purchase of puzzles, manipulative materials, and games that could be used long-term to ensure continued success of our program.

Renae Rountree, Director of Washington County Public Library, recently commented:

We believe at Washington County Public Library that helping the youngest children get a great start at life ensures a successful future. Unfortunately, in the last four years, our children have had a rocky start. Hurricanes and coronavirus have delayed their chances to grow and learn. They have had limited exposure to essential growth opportunities. Thankfully children are incredibly resilient. With a little help from ByWater Solutions and Washington County Public Library, our children can bounce back from the challenges they have faced and have a bright future."

ByWater Solutions Donates to Florida Library Association's Hurricane Relief Fund

ByWater Solutions also made a donation to the Florida Library Association's Hurricane Relief Fund.

The FLA Hurricane Relief Fund is helping Florida libraries and library employees recover from damages due to the hurricane.

Support Florida’s Libraries and Library staff as they recover from the impacts of Hurricane Ian and Tropical Storm Nicole. Funds will be distributed to recipients based on approval of an application for funds.

About Washington County Public Library

As early as 1934, with donated books and volunteers, the Chipley Woman’s Club opened a public library in a small building at the corner of East Church Street and North 6th Street in Chipley. In 1939, the Club sponsored a dinner to raise matching funds for books. Since that time, the Library has had several locations in Washington County. In 1959, the Club took on the project of moving the Library to the upstairs of the Old City Hall to provide library service from 2:30 to 4:00 p.m., two days a week. In August 1963, the City of Chipley offered the Club the building at the corner of Highway 90 and Highway 77, “which was once the city’s powerhouse,” to be used as a library. The Library was staffed using money from the County’s contribution to a regional library system; it was opened in 1964. The regional library system also provided a bookmobile that stopped in Greenhead, Wausau, Vernon, Hinson Crossroads, New Hope, Ebro, and Caryville.

The Library outgrew this building and again the city and county cooperated to provide the recently vacated City Hall. The Library was moved to this location at the corner of 5th and Church Street in 1980. It remained at this location until the new building was built on Highway 90 next to the City Hall, in 2003. A library was built in Vernon in 1993 with the help of Representative Sam Mitchell. Wausau made space for its library in the City Hall. Mary Anne Pelletier started a Library and Learning Center station at County Oaks in 1996. A library station was opened in Sunny Hills in 2010.

Read more here: https://www.wcplfl.com/about/

About the ByWater Community Giveback

We will select one library a month to donate $500 to their Non-profit 501c3 organization such as Friends of the Library, Library Foundation, or other funding entity. These funds are meant to support libraries and their communities and fill gaps in funding to further library goals. We LOVE libraries. Our team is made up of librarians and library fanatics. We're always looking for ways to give back and create opportunities where we can to support libraries. This is a small token of thanks for all the hard work libraries do in their communities every day.

Learn More About the Program and How to Apply.

If you have more questions, please contact: Outreach@bywatersolutions.com

About ByWater Solutions

ByWater Solutions is a full service, high-quality Open Source support and implementation company dedicated to providing libraries with a lower cost, more advanced level of support for their systems than a traditional proprietary solution can offer. ByWater Solutions has a proven track record in the first-rate implementation and support services with library systems of all sizes for the Koha ILS, Aspen Discovery, Folio LSP, Coral ERM, and Libki PC Management.

Our highly ranked, comprehensive support is what sets our company apart from any other vendor in the industry. Partnering with ByWater Solutions not only lowers the cost of implementation and maintenance of OSS but more importantly empowers libraries by giving them the flexibility and freedom they deserve. For more information please visit https://bywatersolutions.com.

For More Information

Elise Aiello
Partner Engagement Specialist
ByWater Solutions
bywatersolutions.com
Phone:(888)900-8944