SHERBORN LIBRARY TRUSTEES ANNOUNCE $1 MILLION PLEDGE FROM THE ELISSA BRADLEY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SHERBORN, MA
November 1, 2012
CONTACT: Elizabeth Johnston
Director, Sherborn Library
elizabeth.johnston2@comcast.net
Stacey Brandon
Chair, Trustees of the Sherborn Library staceybrandon@verizon.net
Sherborn Library Trustees Announce $1 Million Pledge from the ELISSA BRADLEY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION
The Sherborn Library Trustees announce that they have received a pledge of $1 million dollars for the planned renovation and expansion of the library. This unexpected commitment comes from the Elissa Bradley Charitable Foundation and includes naming rights with respect to the proposed Children’s Room in the new library wing.
“We are so grateful and pleased to announce this generous pledge from the Elissa Bradley Charitable Foundation. An inviting and innovative space for children is at the very heart of the Library expansion project and this pledge from the Elissa Bradley Charitable Foundation is a significant boost to the renovation and expansion project and our fundraising efforts” remarked Stacey Brandon, Chair of the Library Trustees.
The proposed Children’s Room, located in 3,446 square feet of new space, will be separated from the Adult Reading Room by a single-story glass vestibule connecting the new construction to the existing building at ground level. The room will include ergonomically-sized book stacks, tables, and chairs accessible for young readers.
“Today, space currently dedicated to Children is 985 square feet, or 6% of the Library’s usable space – the new space will provide a wonderful haven for young patrons and much-needed elbow room throughout the rest of the Library” noted Library Director, Elizabeth Johnston. The Children’s Room, designed to complement the Adult Reading Room as a separate but contiguous space, will enable the adults and children to access services separately without losing the multi-generational connection that the current building provides and that the community values.
The Trustees also recently announced a $500,000 grant from an anonymous foundation made in memory of Sherborn resident Nora Searle, who died earlier this year from cancer at age 14. The new Children’s Program and Craft Room which will be named ‘Nora’s Tree House’ is positioned within the new Children’s Room to extend from the end of the space to create a ‘tree house’ feeling. It will be surrounded by windows to allow in natural light and maintain an open natural environment.
The Elissa Bradley Charitable Foundation pledge and the anonymous foundation grant, combined with other pledges and donations brings the Campaign for the Sherborn Library total to over $2 million” noted Steve Borgeson, former Library Trustee and Chair of the Campaign Steering Committee.
Private fundraising combined with the anticipated construction grant in the amount of $3.6m from the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) will significantly offset taxpayer costs for the project. “Support and involvement from the town has been a critical element up to this point, and now, we have a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate how the Campaign for the Sherborn Library, a public-private partnership, can move this important town project forward.” added Mr. Borgeson.
In terms of timing, the project is still about two years out. Wait-listed libraries receive grants as funds become available through the state’s five–year capital plan and Sherborn was placed on that list last May. “Based on recent information from the MBLC, we estimate that Sherborn will be notified sometime around the fall of 2014 for our grant” said Jim Murphy, Finance Chair for the Library Trustees. “At that time, we will look to the town to accept the grant and support the project.”
For more information on the Sherborn Library, The Campaign for the Sherborn Library and the planned renovation project, please visit http://library.sherbornma.org/.
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