Annie McQueen, librarian at David Starr Jordan Middle School in the Palo Alto Unified School District in California, is used to figuring out creative ways of getting what her media center needs, even though her budget is minuscule. McQueen gets additional support from the funds generated by the couple of book fairs she hosts each year. Plus, she and her staff of two part-time assistants know how to write grants. This article describes several tips on how schools can still establish and maintain a cutting-edge media center despite severe school budgets. Examples of how some schools have established their own media centers despite skimpy budgets are also described.