Bookstore Raises Money for School Libraries

Staff -- School Library Journal, 2/1/1998

Students in Portland, OR, can crack open $54,000 worth of new library books this year, thanks to the fundraising efforts of a local bookstore. During November, every time a customer said "It's for kids" when they bought books, Powell's bookstore donated 10 percent of the purchase price to the company's "It's for Kids" fund, which goes to buy library books for Portland's public schools.

The money more than doubled the district's library book budget, said Matthew Arnold, corporate marketing specialist for Powell's. Arnold said the company, with seven stores in Portland and nearby Beaverton, started its fund drive four years ago after budget cuts hit local schools. Per-pupil spending on school libraries dropped from $12 in 1989-90 to $2.57 in 1996-97, he said.

Money from "It's for Kids" goes to the schools in the form of Powell's gift certificates. That's to make sure that in cash-strapped schools, the money gets spent on library books, not other needs, Arnold said. This was the most successful year ever for the fundraising campaign, which, for the first time, will also donate money to the school district in Beaverton, where Powell's has one store.