Plumas County Library Receives Grant to Expand Personal Finance Offerings

The Plumas County Library has announced plans to expand its personal finance collections following receipt of a grant from the FINRA Investor Education Foundation (FINRA Foundation).

The additional tools and resources will help ensure residents have the information they need when making critical financial decisions during Dixie’s fire repair, rebuilding and recovery.

“When disaster strikes, the community comes together,” said library manager Lindsay Fuchs. “Part of that is making sure community members have a place to get resources, access to WiFi and computers, and more. The library is one of those places. We want everyone to have access to information as they continue to make their own choices after Dixie Fire.

FINRA Foundation President Gerri Walsh said, “Many of us are inexperienced with these decisions. Still, we have to get it right the first time or face long-term financial consequences. Fortunately, the library has information that can help.

The library’s expanded personal finance collections are made possible by a grant from the FINRA Foundation. For more than 15 years, the FINRA Foundation has provided funding, staff training, and programs to build the capacity of public libraries to meet the financial education needs of people nationwide. Much of this was accomplished in partnership with the American Library Association through a program known as Smart [email protected] library .

The FINRA Foundation also provides the Library with multimedia materials that explain the red flags of financial fraud and what people can do to be vigilant and counter the persuasion tactics used by fraudsters.

Consumer financial fraud is estimated to cost Americans more than $50 billion a year, according to research by the FINRA Foundation. Financial fraud is particularly prevalent following major natural disasters. Since its inception in 2005, the National Center for Disaster Fraud, part of the US Department of Justice, has registered more than 220,000 disaster-related complaints from all 50 states. Financial fraud makes hard times all the more difficult for people recovering from the trauma inflicted by disasters. The FINRA Foundation has issued an alert with practical advice to help residents protect themselves against fraudulent schemes. (See: www.finrafoundation.org/disaster-fraud-california.)

Ms. Walsh observed: “Recovery follows disaster, but the road to recovery can be smooth or very bumpy. And financial fraud can be one of the biggest potholes on this road. The Plumas County Library has information to help people avoid financial potholes and get more focused on the road to recovery.

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Months after the disaster, PUSD opened to allow the library to temporarily shelter in its classrooms, first at Greenville Elementary School and now at Greenville High School. The library is now open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Greenville High School (117 Grand St in Greenville, CA 95947) Room #402. The library has expanded its collection through donations, grants, and county funding, and is continually adding more material to the nearly two thousand books, DVDs, and audiobooks already on its shelves. Thanks to the FINRA grant, the collection has expanded to financial and mathematical books for all ages. More information about the library, as well as all current events and offers, can be found on the website at www.plumascounty.us/2875.

The FINRA Foundation supports innovative research and education projects that give Americans the knowledge, skills, and tools to make smart financial decisions throughout life. For more information on FINRA Foundation initiatives, visit finrafoundation.org.