As introduced at the start of this special week, National Library Week (April 19-25, 2020), the APRL has begun a funding campaign titled “Adopt-A-Book.” In keeping with the week's theme of "Find the Library at Your Place", the idea for the Adopt-A-Book campaign is to afford members the opportunity to “adopt” a book from the APRL collection and then donate in its honor much needed funds to assist the library with its ongoing digitization projects. At this early stage, the idea of the campaign is not to select a specific book or resource for adoption to then have that book or resource digitized, but instead  to assist the library in general funding with digitization projects going forward. Donors will be recognized for their donation to the Adopt-A-Book campaign with a special bookplate in the book or resource of their choosing from the APRL collection which will name the donor and acknowledge their support.

The campaign is primarily an opportunity for members to think of a book or resource in the APRL collection that is meaningful to them and have it recognized as part of the Adopt-A-Book campaign. As funding for digitization projects grows we will definitely explore with member input the selection of specific materials in the APRL collection they would like to see digitized. If members would like to suggest items for digitization they can always do so by contacting the library any time at stiffney@stamps.org. Especially during this time as we stay at home, the APRL is committed to expanding access to its collections and to growing the number of those resources that are available via the library’s digital collections database, APRL Digital.

All donations to the Adopt-A-Book campaign will go directly in support of those efforts in providing funding for digital storage, platform and software maintenance/upgrades, scanners and as needed, personnel. We invite everyone to join the APRL in its efforts to grow its digital resources and provide access to all members around the world, wherever they may be.

In order to adopt a book and donate to the campaign right now, here’s a simple “How To” to get you started:

1) Go to the Adopt-A-Book page (https://support.stamps.org/adoptabook)

2) On the top of this first page you will see a button to “DONATE NOW.” If you would like to make a general non-specified donation to the campaign you can click on this button and then go directly to the Donation page and choose your donation level there.

3) However, if you would like to be more specific about your donation scroll down the first page to the specified donation levels (General Collections, Closed Stacks, Resource Collections or Archives & Rare Books) below where it reads “Join the APRL in Reaching Out to the World. Adopt-A-Book Today!” Read the descriptions for each donation level and click on one of the “DONATE” buttons for either a General Collections, Closed Stacks, Resource Collections or Archives & Rare Books level of donation.

4) Once you’ve clicked on one of the "DONATE" buttons in either Step 2) or 3) above, you will be taken to the Donation-Payment page.

5) On the Donation-Payment page your donation level will be highlighted in one of the buttons in the “Select an Amount” section if you selected a specified donation level as in Step 3). If you clicked on the “DONATE NOW” button at the top of the first page as in Step 2), you can then select a donation amount in the “Select an Amount” section. You can also choose to make the donation a one-time donation (“Donate Once” button) or a monthly donation (“Donate Monthly” button).

6) Next, scroll down to fill out your contact information in the “Your Information” section.

7) Most important to the Adopt-A-Book campaign, in the “Your Information” section if you have a book or resource in mind that you would like to recognize with a bookplate, please be sure to fill in the “Leave a comment” box. This where you can name the book or resource you wish to "adopt" with a special bookplate and provide the story behind why this book or resource is important to you. If you know your special book or resource just type it in here. If you need to find the book or resource in the library’s collection there is a link in the last paragraph at the top of the Donation-Payment page where it reads “...search for it in the APRL catalog HERE.” Click on the word “HERE” to be taken to the APRL online catalog search page. Once you find the book or resource in the online catalog either type it in or copy and paste it to the “Leave your comment” text box.

8) Next, scroll down to fill out your payment information in the “Payment Details” section.

9) Finally, when you are finished filling out each of the sections of the Donation-Payment page, scroll to the bottom of the page and the amount you are donating will appear beside the “Give Now!” button at the bottom of the page. By default there is a processing fee added to the donation, if you wish to opt out of this fee simply uncheck the box directly above the “Give Now” button.

10) When you are ready to submit your donation information click on the “Give Now!” button and your donation will be recognized and you will be taken to the Thank You page where a summary of your donation will appear confirming your transaction and alerting you to an email confirmation that will be sent to you.

And That's It!

Your generous support of the campaign will greatly assist in our efforts to continue to grow the digital presence of the library and to provide access to an increasing number of the library’s materials for a greater and greater number of our members. At the same time, your donation will commemorate those books and resources that share a special place in your collecting and in your hearts.