The fledgling Clinton Library is not yet 2 years old, but it is already experiencing some growing pains.

When it opened in May of 2000, the library represented the culmination of thousands of hours of volunteer time and thousands of dollars in donated funds. Since then it has become a focal point for the Clinton community.

Kids come to listen to stories, teens work on the computers, and patrons browse a collection that has continued to grow.

The Friends of the Clinton Library even won a Distinguished Service Award from the Washington Library Friends and Trustees Association for its efforts in establishing the new facility.

Now the Friends who were responsible for getting the library open and for keeping it in operation are coming back to the community to ask for help.

“It took over 10 years for a dedicated group of volunteers to raise enough money to get the doors open,” said Linda Falken, acting president of the Friends of the Clinton Library. “It was a difficult struggle at times and thus greatly satisfying when everything came together. We are very proud of our little library.”

But, Falken said, the library’s need for funds and willing volunteers didn’t end when the library opened.

The Clinton Library building is maintained solely by the Friends group, not by tax dollars, Falken explained. While Sno-Isle Regional Library provides staff and materials, the FOCL must raise funds to pay for all other expenses: building repairs, landscaping, maintenance and safe operation of the building. The group also relies on volunteers to help with general upkeep and with fund-raising events such as its annual rummage sale or summer book sales.

“Our board set up a working budget for the library’s maintenance last year, calculating how much income was needed to keep the mortgage paid and the lights on,” Falken said. “And we planned various fund-raising efforts throughout the year to help raise money for covering these fixed costs, plus planned improvements.”

Those efforts have all been very successful, Falken said, but other sources of income, such as donations, have been significantly less than before.

“So we have had to use some of the funds earmarked for capital improvements to cover our maintenance costs. Plus, we’ve had some unexpected expenses arise recently, requiring us to use our emergency reserves.”

In August, for example, the building’s HVAC heating/cooling system, purchased with the original modular building and already 13 years old, needed significant repairs. Based on its age, the Friends elected to replace it instead with a newer, more efficient system.

“Unfortunately, this last expense seriously depleted the Friends’ emergency funds, leaving little in reserve for projects planned in 2002 or for future building expansion,” Falken said.

The Friends had hoped to raised another $8,000 this year, which would allow them to finish the landscaping around the library, and to pay for expansion of shelving and reading space, all intended as an extension of the original construction. However, those unexpected projects, not included in the 2001 budget, forced the Friends to divert funds from planned construction to more immediate needs.

There are now a number of projects planned for 2002 which may have to be delayed. These include the expansion of the parking area, installation of a bike rack near the entrance, finishing the outside children’s story area on the north end of the building, and adding shelving and furniture to the young adults area.

“We will try to complete these projects, but they may be delayed until we have replenished our emergency funds,” she said. “Our foremost priority is to pay the mortgage and keep the facility open.”

The Friends are now making a direct appeal to their membership and to the Clinton community for the help in replacing some of the $4,000 expended in emergency repairs.

“I realize that everyone has a lot of other concerns at this moment and that many nonprofit and charitable organizations like us are having difficulty competing with the public’s need to donate to the Red Cross and other relief efforts, in relation to what is happening to our nation,” Falken said.

“But local groups still need and rely on donations and willing hands, so that all the community can benefit.”

Falken said the Friends have “done a lot with just a little” in the past, and that even a slight increase in donations would be a great help in keeping the library’s continued development on track.

“Even more than money, the Friends actually need volunteers to help us with our future projects or fund-raising,” she said. Help is needed with book or brick sales, sorting and pricing rummage, weeding and watering the plants, folding and sorting newsletters, painting the book drop —”anything really.”

The Friends are also interested in finding members from the community who would be willing to sit on their board of directors.

To find out how you can help, contact Linda Falken at 321-2655.