News

The Palo Alto City Library is celebrating National Library Week by offering programs for all ages. Join us and libraries across the nation April 10-16 in this observance sponsored by the American Library Association to honor our libraries, library employees and the volunteers that make it all happen. This year the theme is "Create Your Own Story @ Your Library".

Construction is well under way at the Mitchell Park Library & Community Center. Alison Cormack, Co-Chair of PALF's Launch our Libraries Campaign, snapped this photo recently from the Little League field on Middlefield Road. You can see the outline of the two-story library taking shape with the community center to come on the right.

President Bern Beecham and Campaign Co-Chair Susie Thom recently toured the Downtown Library. "It's so exciting to see the library begin to take shape and form. You can tell exactly where the different sections of the library will be located," explained Susie Thom.

The Downtown Library is on schedule to open this summer in July.

Photo on the left is looking at the computer area with study room and sitting area on the right. Photo on the right is looking from the back entrance toward City Hall. The children's area is behind the column in the background.

The Palo Alto Library Foundation is pleased to announce that the "Launch our Libraries" campaign has passed the halfway mark.

In a new twist on philanthropy, two of the largest gifts to date come from two groups of individuals who are making significant contributions to the Palo Alto Library Foundation. The first gift will honor Becky Morgan at the Kids Place on the first floor of the Mitchell Park Library. The Morgan Family Foundation is giving $1.5 million with additional funds coming from “friends of Becky.” This extraordinary gift is a fitting tribute to Becky Morgan, who has a deep and abiding interest in children and education. Her long record of distinguished public service to Palo Alto and the surrounding community includes election to the Palo Alto Board of Education, the Santa Clara Board of Supervisors, and the California State Senate, where she served for nine years. Mrs. Morgan is also the former President and CEO of Joint Venture: Silicon Valley. President Bern Beecham said, “The Palo Alto Library Foundation considers it an honor and a privilege to receive this generous gift in honor of Becky Morgan.”

The second largest gift comes from a group of more than 30 current and former Google employees who live in Palo Alto and have jointly contributed over $500,000. They will be recognized at the Ventura Technology Learning Center on the second floor of the Mitchell Park Library. This room will contain 22 computers including a teaching station along with modern display equipment to provide a hands-on learning environment. (Please note that this is a gift from individuals, not a gift from the company itself.)

A third recent visionary gift is $250,000 from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. Leadership Chair Susie Thom commented, “David and Lucile Packard always had a strong commitment to local communities, and we are extremely appreciative of this generous gift.”

Campaign chair Alison Cormack summarized, “We are absolutely thrilled with the positive response from donors at all levels. The innovative group approach to a visionary gift is proving to be very successful. We hope and expect that today’s exciting announcement will inspire others to join together to launch our libraries into the 21st century. We are deeply grateful to our many donors for their generosity.”

The "Launch our Libraries" campaign continues through December 2012 and gifts of all sizes are welcomed.

Here are some photos from the newly renovated College Terrace library! The library reopened to the public on November 9th.

Two libraries down, three left to go!

We have some photos to share from the Mitchell Park library demolition. We're so excited that the project can now really get started.

We've updated the design & construction timeline for the Palo Alto library building projects.