Contact: Gwenn Lennox
Lafayette Library and Learning Center
Lafayette Public Library Drive Launched
LAFAYETTE, Calif. (December 27, 2003) – The Lafayette Community Foundation (LCF), a non-profit public benefit corporation, has launched a fundraising drive to create a new public library and learning center in Lafayette. The LCF has raised an initial $3.5 million and is working toward a goal of $11 million. The funds will be used to build, equip and endow a state-of-the-art, 25,000-square-foot public library and learning center to meet the 21st century needs of all members of the community, from children to adults and seniors.
Scheduled to open in 2006, the new Lafayette Library and Learning Center will replace the city’s existing public library, a small -- 6,700 square feet -- facility built 40 years ago. More than tripling the total square footage of the old public library, the new facility will shelve more than 90,000 volumes and offer 36 public computer workstations, as well as wireless and laptop connectivity throughout the public library. It will boast 146 reader stations in three study centers and a homework center. An adult reading room with a large fireplace, a children’s story room, a K-12 discovery center, a 1,700-square foot community room, ample parking and dedicated space for the Friends of the Lafayette Library and the Lafayette Historical Society are among the other amenities planned.
Beyond its new physical location which places the new public library within short walking distance to several schools, the passion to create a center of learning for children, family and education that is the underlying driver of the project is evidenced in its partnership with the Lafayette Elementary School District and the Acalanes Union High School District. In fact, this dedication to collaborative learning is what inspired the new public library planners to establish a first-of-its-kind Learning Consortium.
The first such program of its kind in any American public library, the new Lafayette Library and Learning Center will also be home to the Glenn Seaborg Learning Consortium.
Named after the Nobel Prize-winning physicist, advisor to nine U.S. Presidents, and long-time Lafayette resident, the Glenn Seaborg Learning Consortium will offer a diverse gathering of Northern California’s most prestigious educational and cultural resources.
The Consortium will enable public library patrons, children, families, groups and institutions to tap into an unprecedented wealth of materials, archives, workshops, exhibits, K-12 curricula, lectures, films, and discovery centers from the following organizations: UC Lawrence Hall of Science, Oakland Museum of California, Chabot Space and Science Center, Commonwealth Club of California, Oakland Zoo in Knowland Park, John Muir/Mt. Diablo Health System, Lindsay Wildlife Museum, California Shakespeare Theater, Greenbelt Alliance, John F. Kennedy University, St. Mary’s College, and the UC Institute of Governmental Studies.
“More than a mere repository of books, the new Lafayette public library and the Glenn Seaborg Learning Consortium will be a nexus of learning and growth for the entire community,” says Anne Grodin, Chair, Lafayette Community Foundation. “Tying together the vast intellectual and institutional resources of the Bay Area, it will serve as a springboard for learning and discovery for generations to come. We hope that this innovative approach to libraries as community learning centers will serve as a national model.”
The new Lafayette Library and Learning Center will be located in the heart of the city, at the intersection of Mt. Diablo Boulevard and First Street. The City of Lafayette and the Lafayette Redevelopment Agency are providing the land and removing the old Veterans Memorial Building, which now occupies the site.
Lafayette Library sponsors include the Lafayette Community Foundation, City of Lafayette, Friends of Lafayette Library, Lafayette Historical Society, Lafayette Chamber of Commerce, Lafayette Lions Club, LaMorinda Sunrise Rotary, Rotary Club of Lafayette, Soroptimist International, Suburban Junior Women’s Club, Town Hall Theater, Lafayette Elementary School District, Acalanes Union High School District, Lafayette Women’s Club, and the Lafayette Arts & Sciences Foundation.
Glenn Seaborg Consortium Sponsors include the Lafayette Community Foundation, Lafayette and Acalanes School Districts, Lafayette Arts & Science Foundation, Contra Costa County Library, City of Lafayette, Friends of Lafayette Library, and the Lafayette Historical Society.
Individuals, groups and organizations that would like to participate in the Lafayette Community Foundation fund-raising drive should visit: www.lafayettelib.com or call (925) 283-6513.
The Lafayette Community Foundation (LCF) is a California non-profit public benefit corporation that is organized for tax purposes as a supporting organization and affiliate of the very successful, 75-year-old East Bay Community Foundation. The Foundation’s purpose is to contribute to the well being of the residents of Lafayette and to provide an effective means for the expenditure of funds on charitable projects within our community. The Foundation has its own board of Directors, which sets all goals, controls contributions, solicitations and all granting decisions. The Lafayette Community Foundation is committed to raising money to build and equip the new Lafayette public library and to establish an endowment fund for ongoing maintenance. LCF will guide the building phase of this project through to completion.
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Lafayette Library and Learning Center Foundation,
3491 Mt. Diablo Blvd, Suite 214,
Lafayette, CA 94549-1472
www.lafayettelib.com