A $30,000 donation from the Friends of the Denton Public Libraries will help fund new library materials and programs not covered in the city budget, officials said.
The organization's board recently approved funding for a city "wish list" that included $7,500 for a summer reading program and $7,000 for new books and materials.
The group gives money to the libraries each year, but the 2012 donation was its largest ever, said Eva Poole, city libraries director. The group donated nearly $27,000 last year and about $15,000 in 2010, she said.
"This was a very good year for us," said Lisa Jenkins, the group's outgoing president, who attributed the increase to rising membership. The group raises money from membership dues and used book sales.
The donation included $4,500 for projects at each of the three library branches, including: $3,000 for an early literacy computer workstation at Emily Fowler Central Library; $2,500 to renovate North Branch Library's Red Room for preschool children; and $2,610 for two children's book display bins at South Branch Library.
