I will admit that I feel very protective about Sacramento Public Library and what our institution means to the community. After all, we have been serving the Sacramento region since 1857. In the nearly eleven years that I’ve been Library Director, the Library has grown and changed to meet community needs, and has developed a national reputation for excellence. Our staff, Board of Directors, and the community take pride in our work and how we contribute to the quality of life in our region.
This is why we were so dismayed to learn last summer that the Sacramento Public Library Foundation, an organization that was originally incorporated to support Sacramento Public Library, filed a trademark application with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Organization for ownership of the name “Sacramento Public Library Foundation” without advising the Sacramento Public Library. This action, taken on June 7, 2019, came on the heels of the Foundation unilaterally terminating its operating agreement with the Library in 2015 and revising its bylaws in 2017 so that it could officially provide funding and other support to organizations other than the Sacramento Public Library.
The Foundation changed its priorities years ago and we support its right to do so. What the Library does not and cannot support is fundraising done using our name that does not benefit our organization – the Sacramento Public Library.
Names mean something, and it is important that donors who want to support the mission, vision, programs and services of Sacramento Public Library know that the Library is doing all it can to serve our community while protecting our good name.
On March 31, we took action to ensure that our name is used as it should be.
Learn more.