A new Sechelt Public Library Foundation board has been set up just in time to accept a donation bequeathed to the library by the late Donald Webster in the amount of $60,000.
"It's incredible. We're really grateful," said chief librarian Helen Prosser.
Last week it was announced that Webster left just over $1 million to the St. Mary's Hospital Foundation, and this week Prosser released news of the gift to the library.
"Mr. Webster was a devoted patron of the library for many years. Thanks to his generosity, the Sechelt Public Library can plan for a larger library to service the Sunshine Coast community," Prosser said.
She said the new foundation board was set up to be able to accept the generous gift and get on with the business of building or finding a suitable site for a new expanded library.
"Right now we are operating at about half the space that other standards say we should have," Prosser said. "We're constantly having to make space for incoming books for one thing, and we just don't have the room. We have to remove things, sometimes like the old VHS and old cassettes to make room, and we don't really have room enough to provide stations for all the people that we have working here."
She said the library also needs more computer space for the public, more quiet reading areas and a separate children's area.
"Essentially we're working at half the space we should have," she said.
The library is funded by the District of Sechelt, the Sunshine Coast Regional District and the provincial and federal governments. Although it has been known for some time that more space is needed, no one has stepped up with the funding for an expanded space yet.
"The bequest would be the start of a fund for a new library building," Prosser said, noting the library has been talking about starting some kind of fundraising effort for about a year now.
The new foundation board will need some time to get acquainted and come up with a fundraising plan, but Prosser expects the public will see a library fundraising campaign kick off in the next few months.
She invites other community members with experience in fundraising or business to join the board and help set up the campaign. If you want to join or donate to the cause, call the library at 604-885-3260.
The Sechelt Public Library was built in 1996 with room to expand, but Prosser noted there is no longer room to grow due to parking requirements in the area for the municipal building and aquatic centre.
