The Beyond Words: Finish this Chapter campaign is an opportunity to continue our mission of providing free and public access to knowledge for the community. The citizens of Fayetteville voted for a millage in 2016 which generated $27 million towards the expansion project, leaving us with $23 million to privately raise.
The hope was to conclude the capital campaign in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic made that a challenge. We still need to raise $9 million, to finish this chapter.
Please support the campaign and help us finish this chapter so that we can write the next one.
Thank you,
David Johnson
Executive Director
+ A training and coding computer lab in the Center for Innovation.
+ Additional meeting spaces in Adult Fiction.
+ Updating the Friends' Bookstore and Mountain Street Welcome Desk to match the style of the expansion.
+ A dedicated genealogy department with climate-controlled room, computer lab and quiet space.
+ A 24/7 library that will provide access to library collections, holds, technology, printing and study space when the rest of the library is closed.
A contribution to our annual fund, Roberta Fulbright Society, supports FPL's greatest needs. You can renew your giving or make a gift here!
You can also dedicate your gift to the department or program of your choice.
For information on planned giving or gifts of stock, contact the development office development@faylib.org 479.856.7140.
Our new Event Center seats 750 people, providing plenty of room for author talks that previously were standing room only. Not only has our capacity improved, but so have event-day logistics. While before we were forced to close early to rearrange our building for these special programs, we can now host events in dedicated spaces without disrupting the library's hours of operation.
Despite our new look, our core goal is to always be whatever our community needs - a place with the resources to help tackle life's everyday challenges, an organization where you can fulfill your volunteer hours or simply a warm spot on a cold day.
However you use Fayetteville Public Library, we are excited to see you.
Fayetteville Public Library is now double its previous size, and plans to renovate some of the original spaces are in place but are dependent on fundraising.
We added over 15,000 items to our physical collections in 2021, and as the community was able to visit us again and got to know our expansion, we welcomed more than 7,000 new cardholders.
While a lot of what is new are heightened versions of existing services, the J.B. and Johnelle Hunt Family Center for Innovation is unlike any free resource the Northwest Arkansas region has experienced. Since its opening in Jun, over 150 specialized programs have been hosted both by FPL staff and third-party organizations, familiarizing curious visitors with the center's many tools.
One of our goals has always been to provide patrons with knowledge and skills that will improve their lives beyond FPL's walls.
With the expansion's increased focus on technical education, we are more committed than ever to building a better, stronger and more diverse community.
Whether receiving industry training in our Walker Family Teaching Kitchen, participating in entrepreneurship programming or earning a certificiation through one of 5 training simulators, we are providing patrons an opportunity to change their lives with just a library card.
Our region is not only growing in opportunities, but also in the diversity of the people who can benefit from them. We strive to provide a space that is diverse, equitable and inclusive for every single member of the Northwest Arkansas community. FPL is working to create and maintain partnerships with organizations who are doing important outreach in the area.
The FPL bookmobile is a new portable part of our expansion that's just as important as all of the new spaces found at the Mountain Street location. It will transform how people see and experience Fayetteville Public Library. By meeting communities where they are, we minimize barriers and provide opportunities to build better futures. Lifelong library users are created this way, and this influence can continue for generations.
The possibilities presented by community outreach and diverse partnerships are exponential and multi-generational for patrons. They are what keep our work relevant with new ideas and perspectives.
The FPL Foundation's primary purpose is to serve as the philanthropic vehicle for the reception and administration of all gifts for the benefit of FPL, and for the advancement of the role of FPL in providing free and public access to knowledge and opportunities. We are a registered 501(c)3 organization and all gifts are tax-deductible.
Melody Timinsky, WriteOn Fundraising
President
Grant Davis, Harvest Group
Vice President, Chair Development and Funds Committee
Mailena Urso, Big Box Karaoke and Concord Adams
Secretary, Chair Governance Committee
Katie Terrell, University of Arkansas
Treasurer, Chair Finance Committee
Stan Rodgers, First Security Bank
Liaison to the Board of Trustees
Cassandra Greene, Woodland Junior High
Kerri McMahon, Kerri McMahon Photo
Katie Milligan, Heartland Forward
Matthew Wolfe, Doggett Freightliner