Bellevue Public Library staff, the Bellevue Public Library Foundation, and the Friends of the Library held a fundraising presentation at Tregaron Country Club last Friday evening. As the library continues to prepare for the impending move to the new location at the Bellevue Professional Building, a wishlist has been created for items above and beyond what was budgeted for.
Michelle Boyce, a member of the Library Fundraising Committee, addressed those in attendance last Friday, “The Bellevue Public Library is coming up on 100 years of service to our community. The library’s story began in 1929 with a 12-book donation in the parlor of a private home. We have expanded that over the last 94 years to our current collection of over 160,000 physical items for patrons to check out. This does not even begin to mention the vast amounts in the digital collection.”
The new library will have new shelving, new furniture, more windows, a dedicated maker space with storage, a family restroom, larger meeting rooms with presentation technology built in, a small kitchenette, a vending area, and better infrastructure and technology. The new library will also feature a drive-thru window for picking up and dropping off materials. And, with all of that, there is also room to grow.
At the top of the fundraising list is Radio Frequency Identification Technology. RFID is wireless tech used for tracking and identifying objects. It uses radio waves to communicate between a reader and a tag or transponder, which contains a unique identifier. In regard to the RFID technology, Boyce said, “One of the key advantages of this technology is it will help make our library more efficient, more effective, and more secure. These little tags will allow patrons to check themselves out in a flash, allow librarians to track materials if they try to leave the building without being checked out, and makes the librarians’ job more efficient.”
Other items on the list include a full learning kitchen, a fireplace with seating, an outdoor reading patio, self-service pickup lockers, an iPad station, fun furniture for the children’s section, a CNC router for the Maker Space, and a digital marquee near Harvell drive.
The fundraising goal has been set at $500,000 and donations have already started.
The library has emphasized that there are more ways to help than just donating money. Boyce mentioned in her closing remarks, “We want to provide an opportunity for every level of donation and in meeting that goal, one of my favorite ideas was the fish tank at the library. The fish have always been a big draw and in the new space, they are looking to upgrade the fish habitat. A new fish tank had been added to collect pennies and more, so even the tiniest patrons can be part of our story. But I’m so excited to tell you that a private donor has provided the complete funds to equip a new fish habitat and fish occupants at the new location.”
If you would like to make a donation, offer items to use for raffles at future events, or volunteer your time to help, please contact the Bellevue Public Library at (402) 293-3157 or eMail the Library Office Manager and Volunteer Coordinator Barbara Farrell at barbara.farrell@bellevue.net.
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