The Santa Maria Public Library has received a $55,000 donation from Altrusa International Inc. of the Central Coast to purchase thousands of children’s books.
“This is a wonderful gift,” librarian Jack Buchanan said. “It fills a real need. There are about 25,000 children in the Santa Maria and Orcutt school districts, and the Santa Maria Public Library serves them all.”
The library’s children’s area is triple the size of its former space in the old library. The Altrusa grant will be enough to purchase an estimated 3,000 children’s books.
“We’ve very pleased to receive this donation, especially during these hard economic times when everyone’s budgets are under pressure,” Buchanan said. “This is another example of the strong community support for its public library.”
In recognition of the donation, the lobby will be named the Altrusa Lobby.
— Mark van de Kamp represents the Santa Maria city manager’s office.