Hi, my name is Leslie, and I am the Director of the Amargosa Valley Public Library. The building turned 40 in 2022. Since the building was built, the Amargosa Valley has grown tremendously. The Library Building has run out of space everywhere. Years ago, one of our two bathrooms was converted for storage, our kids' room barely has an area for fifteen kids at a time, and we conduct any events off the premises. We do not have a large print section, and our biographies and science fiction share the same shelf. Our Spanish adult collection had to be weeded to make room for juvenile and young adult Spanish, as there is no room for them in our kids' room.

The Amargosa Library is 40 years old and has been struggling to hold up to our increase in population over the last several years. With a space limit, my book purchases tend to favor best sellers, I have no large print books, and I have whittled my audiobooks down to three shelves. Our Spanish section is pitiful and shares shelf space with our young adult and juvenile Spanish books.

My staff and I would like the library to be the center of the community again. To bring innovation and workforce development, and STEM to our residents. For us to achieve that, we need more space. Therefore, we need to add additional square footage to our existing 2,000 square feet.

I have written a federal grant to fund most of the addition and renovation, but we must match the grant with local funds. Any money we raise will be used to pay for the building. We will use the funds to purchase new shelving, seating, books, and interactive equipment if there is any extra.

Please help our community library by donating what you can spare. If you are curious or need more information, take a look at our website, www.amargosalibrary.org.