August 25, 2023—A prominent local family recently presented the Friends of the Berryville Library with a major gift toward the new library building project. The family wishes to stay anonymous but according to the family’s daughter, “The Library has always been an important part of our lives and our mother was adamant that she wanted to support this project!”
This donation falls on the heels of a $25,000 donation from Walmart, Inc. earlier this month. The Friends began their campaign to raise money for a new library on April 1, 2021. To date, approximately 80% of the $3.5 million goal has been raised.
According to Berryville Library Director Julie Hall, “We were thrilled to learn of this latest gift to the Berryville Library Building Project and we thank this family from the bottom of our hearts for showering their love on our library with this support. Each gift received gets us closer to the time when we can break ground on a new library that will serve this community for generations to come.”
The current library is housed in a single 3,000-square-foot room and is literally bursting at the seams. The facility is crowded and can be noisy at times, especially when children’s activities are in session. Books and resources are stored from floor to ceiling.
The proposed new library will be located on a 2.5-acre tract of land donated by the City of Berryville across from the City Pool Park. The new library will be approximately 10,000 square feet with separate areas for adult, teen, and children’s collections and programming, along with study and meeting rooms, computer banks, and plenty of space for lots of comfortable seating.
The Friends of the Berryville Library have raised close to $2.8 million for this project so far. Since no library tax monies can be used for the construction of a new facility all money for this project must be raised from other sources. The project has received support from community members near and far who want to see a new library built to better serve this growing community. The Friends have also been actively seeking outside funding through grants and corporate donations.
For more information about the Berryville Library Building Project and a glimpse at the proposed plans for the new building, visit berryvillelibrary.org/building.
Anyone interested in supporting the Berryville Library Building Project can contact Kristy Noble-Tesch at (870) 654-6565 or contact the library at 104 Spring Street in Berryville. The Friends of the Berryville Library, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization and all gifts and pledges made to the building fund are tax deductible.
