Bill Crosby designed and created a “Bookometer,” to measure community participation in the fundraising effort for the Library project. Watch it grow with every surge in community support, and look for your favorite, local authors, whose books will be prominently featured.

By Valerie Thayer / Co-Chair Communications Committee

It’s just two weeks into the launch of the community fundraising effort for the Concord Library renovation and expansion project, and residents are responding.

Close to $120,000 has been raised to date, and the Library Corporation hopes to reach its $1 million goal by the end of December. With the theme “Every Gift Matters,” volunteers, staff and trustees are optimistic that the project will engender support from the more than 70% of Concord residents who have a library card.

The campaign’s website, https://www.cfplcorp.org, is rich with information, including project designs, artistic renderings and fundraising links.

If you have a few minutes, you can also watch two wonderful videos. One is a fly-through that allows you to see the renovated and new spaces as if you are actually there. The other is an expression of the impact the Concord Free Public Library has on townspeople.

Below are just some of the quotes offered from staff, trustees, residents and other stakeholders.

″(A parent told me) I give my child a chance for two rewards that they can either go to the playground or go to the library and they always choose the library. Can you ask for anything more than to hear a statement like that?” said Fayth Chamberland, children’s and young adult librarian.

“The Concord Library is Concord. It exudes what it means to be part of this community, something that is both intellectually engaging, but also open for all people to come and share ideas,” said Matt Boger, former library committee member and current board member of the Friends of the CFPL.

“Not only is it an intellectual hub for our community, but it’s also a refuge for all kinds of different people. The amount of use across the board is really incredible to me,” said Lissa Winstanley, Concord resident.

“We were able to align what the community was asking for in terms of increased services with the increased space and that became the vision for the project,” said Kerry Cronin, library director.

“It has a spiritual side to it, it has an artistic side to it. It certainly has an intellectual side to it and I think it’s at the intellectual core of this town,” said Walter Birge, CFPL trustee emeritus.

“The physical space feeds our soul as individuals and as a community. When we walk into the library, we are in a different world. This is a world where we connect with the hundreds of years of people that have gone before us and their best thoughts,” said Alan Lightman, scientist, author and Concord resident.

Please share your own sentiments about the library by sending them to development@cfplcorp.org. Visit the website, www.cfplcorp.org, to learn more about the project and to make your gift to the library’s campaign. Every gift matters!