Visitors to Plum Borough Community Library will notice something new, and probably intriguing.

Mounted prominently on one of the walls is a Giving Tree, featuring leaf-shaped medallions of assorted colors bearing various inscriptions, such as a dedication to the “loving memory of Mike & Mary Maloney.”

They were the parents of Lorene Pastor, and her husband, Greg, made an especially generous donation to the library in their honor.

“That sort of started a whole chain of events among the board to develop a donation policy that was more significant in visibility and effectiveness,” Meredith Hedeen, treasurer of the library’s board of trustees, said.

She was among those in attendance at an Oct. 27 reception for the Giving Tree, along with library staff members, other trustees and supporters whose donations have been acknowledged with the first set of “leaves.”

“We have grown exponentially in the past few years. Since covid shut us down, we have gained huge numbers in library card registrations, in participation in programs,” Hedeen said. “So we’ve needed more funding to allow for more staff, to allow for more programming. And this has given us a way for people to see the levels of donations that you can give.”

The levels are named for Olympic medals, with correspondingly colored leaves: bronze, $250 to $499; silver, $500-999, silver; and $1,000 or more, gold.

“This is a great visual representation,” library director Pam Calfo said. “But even if someone can’t afford a leaf on the tree, any donations are very much appreciated.”

Many of the initial Giving Tree contributions came during September, the month of the Allegheny County Library Association’s annual Love Your Library campaign. Donations at that time are eligible for matching contributions from the Jack Buncher Foundation, which encourages the pursuit of ideas and innovations that enrich people’s lives.

In addition to the largess of patrons, Plum Borough Community Library receives financial support from the municipality. Its 2022 budget includes a $95,620 stipend and $14,125 for maintenance and repairs, plus $50,000 in the capital improvement fund for improvements to the library’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning system.

For more information, visit plumlibrary.org.

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