Staff reports 10:34 a.m.
Sunday, April 22, 2018 10:36 am

The Rochester Public Library has installed a plaque honoring the Rochester residents who were instrumental in creating the trust funds that have supported its work over more than a century. (Courtesy/Rochester Library)

ROCHESTER - RPL Library Director Brian Sylvester announce recently that the Rochester Public Library, as part of its ongoing celebration of its 125th anniversary, has installed plaque commemorating the donors who created the the library trust funds.
The commemorative plaque was presented to the library by the Board of Library Trustees in recognition of the vital role the trust funds play in supporting the library, and to honor the individuals who made those invaluable funding sources possible.
The trust funds are one of three ways the library's collection of books, movies, magazines, newspapers, audio books and television shows are funded. The majority of the money comes from the annual appropriation from the city during the budgeting process.
Interest earned on the library trust funds has been a consistent source of funding for the library since as early as 1900, when the Farrington Trust was created in memory of Walter F. and Jennie I. Farrington.
"The extensive collection and materials we have available at the Rochester Public Library would not be possible without the trust funds," Sylvester said. "I'm glad we've found a way to permanently honor the people who made those funds - and the work they support - possible."
Several of the trust funds, which amount to more than half of the total value of the trusts, are restricted for the purchase of specific types of books, or specific subjects, while others are unrestricted, and can be used for any purchases.
Although the trusts are used almost exclusively for the collection, some also allow for other uses, such as facility improvements.
The Rochester Public Library is celebrating 2018-19 as the 125th anniversary of the City's incorporation of a public library. Several events are planned throughout the year, including an open house celebration in the summer and exhibits about the library's long history in the city. For more information, visit the library's website at www.rpl.lib.nh.us