By Lindsay Davis
I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday. #GivingTuesday is upon us!
Does your community college do a fundraising campaign for scholarships? Does your library participate in some way?
I’m now at a university, and I’ve been looking over the scholarships the university is highlighting for this year’s giving event. I know many of us make monthly deductions from our paychecks to our community college communities. Some may give in other ways, too. At the community college I was at previously, the faculty, which includes librarians and counselors, would raise money to purchase Thanksgiving turkey dinners for students in need. In our local communities, many of us are probably involved in our local public libraries in some way, which often includes holding office or membership in the local library’s Friends group.
One thing that I hadn’t realized about Giving Tuesday is that it is more than making financial donations. It’s also about donating your time, goods, or voice. As librarians in public education, we constantly advocate for issues facing our students, campuses, communities, profession, and the information landscape. Giving Tuesday can offer another avenue for raising awareness about these and other related issues via social media.
For Giving Tuesday, I do plan to donate money for a scholarship, but there are many other ways to give. I also plan to raise awareness of other library-related organizations I am involved with in my personal channels. Is there something you plan on doing?