30 Apr Rolling Forward: Saying Goodbye to Our Library Van
At the Plainfield-Guilford Township Public Library, we are always looking for ways to be good stewards of our community’s resources. That’s why we’ve made the thoughtful decision to donate our library van to the Area 31 Career Center in order to reduce ongoing maintenance and operational costs while aligning with our goals of responsible budgeting in a time of decreased funding.
For several years, our library van served us well—delivering materials, supporting outreach events, and helping us connect with our patrons beyond our building. But in an era where we will anticipate budget shortfalls due to property tax reform and the loss of federal funding for the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), we found that we could no longer justify the cost. After careful evaluation, we determined it was time to retire the vehicle in order to reduce the ongoing costs associated with maintaining, fueling, and insuring the van.
By donating the vehicle to the Area 31 Career Center, students in the auto mechanics program will gain hands-on experience in repairing and maintaining a van. It brings us joy to know that the van will continue to make a difference, just as it did here at the library.
We’re thankful for the many miles the van carried us and the countless smiles from folks excited to see us. We’re also very grateful for the community partners that made the van a reality in the first place: the Friends of the Library, TKO Graphix, the Hendricks County Community Foundation, Duke Energy, and Meineke Car Care Center of Plainfield.
– The Plainfield-Guilford Township Public Library Team
