This year, the Meridian Library Foundation is raising $50,000 to enhance the Youth Collection across the Meridian Library District with new books. The implementation of Idaho?s new HB710 law has come at the great expense of important programs, services, and materials, and we are dedicated to ensuring that our children?s collection does not suffer at the expense of this bill.

This year, the library's operating budget allocated $187,000 for children?s books. With your generous support, the Foundation will contribute $50,000 towards fulfilling this annual collection requirement, thereby freeing up resources within the library's budget to address other critical needs.

We are raising funds for seven types of youth books: Picture Books, Early Readers, Chapter Books, Nonfiction, Board Books, Interactive Books, and Wonderbooks. Every dollar raised through this campaign goes directly towards purchasing new youth books, ensuring that our young readers continue to have access to a diverse and enriching collection. Your contribution will help us continue our mission of enriching young minds and fostering a lifelong love of reading. 

Every shirt sold in our fundraiser will help buy a new book for the youth collection.

Together, we will continue to meet the needs of our community...one story at a time.

About the Design:

"Our annual Bonfire campaign has been crucial in funding projects across the district. Each year, I wonder what design will resonate with our supporters. This summer, while camping out at the Gorge Amphitheater among tens of thousands of music fans, I noticed how concert t-shirts could unite a crowd in a shared spirit and spark conversations between complete strangers. I thought, "That's what we need!" Concert-style t-shirts that rally support for libraries and our Freedom to Read. This year's design features books that have historically been banned or challenged, with the years they were contested, reminding us that while current challenges are tough, history shows us that communities have always rallied to overturn book bans and censorship. I'm proud to present the 2024 Banned Book World Tour: Uncensored! Available in three music styles?funk, pop, and rock?for whatever mood you're feeling! Join the banned. Read the forbidden!" - Eryn Turner, Executive Director

BANNED BOOKS WORLD TOUR: UNCENSORED!

Choose from three designs: the Funk Figaro (a tribute to the library's centennial cat); the Pop Smiley Face; or, if you?re feeling fired up, the Rock version of this year's World Tour Tee! Check out our ONLINE STORE for all the designs!

Meridian Library at Pinnacle (opening September 30, 2024)

A new Library is opening at the corner of Lake Hazel & Locust Grove in South Meridian. This new 12,000 sq ft Library is the third project supported in part by a plant facility levy passed in 2019, and will open in September 2024, just in time to celebrate the 100-year anniversary of Meridian Library District!

We are excited to partner with the Meridian Library staff, Brighton, CM Company, LKV Architects, the Pinnacle Community in the SO/ME (South Meridian) District, and our generous community as we innovate, modernize, and expand the Meridian Library's service locations!

Our first dedicated project is fundraising for this new library's youth collection. Currently, South Meridian is being served at the temporary Silverstone location (roughly 1/3 of the size of the future location); even at this small location, patrons in South Meridian check out over 8,000 youth and teen print books, on average, every month! When the Silverstone location moves into its permanent location, the youth/teen collection will need to triple its current size.