By Callie Koehne
Contributor
The Burlington Public Library hosted the 100 Extraordinary Women Fundraiser Gala on Nov. 13 to celebrate supporters of the library’s expansion project.
At the event, organizers announced that they exceeded their $100,000 goal and were at roughly $105,120 in pledges through 100 Extraordinary Women, but admitted there is a long way to go.
The library serves about 20,000 residents in the City of Burlington and surrounding areas from Racine, Walworth and Kenosha counties.
“When FEH Design did our facility master planning study in 2020, they definitively concluded that the current 16,000 square foot library space is too small and gave us a range of square footage options that ranged from acceptable (around 25,000 square feet) to ideal (around 32,000 square feet),” Library Director Joe Davies said.
For four decades the library has been operating out of a building that’s less than half the size of what’s recommended.
Despite its shortcomings, the library hosts more 100,000 visitors a year, with nearly 16,000 patrons attending over 900 programs, a feat not matched by many small public libraries.
At the Fundraiser Gala, the community turned out to support the library’s efforts and to sing its praises.
A host of local businesses donated to the cause. Mercantile Hall, which gave over $4,000 in kind donation, offering their building as space and linens for the event. Scott and Karla Herrmann with Thrivent gave a $5,000 catering donation. Blackbird Bakery, Napoli Restaurant and Pizzeria and Archives Bar and Grill donated food, and gia bella flowers & gifts donated a floral arrangement that was auctioned off.
Lavelle Industries offered a challenge grant to match every gift and pledge of $1,000 given to the 100 Extraordinary Women segment of the campaign up to $100,000 and the O’Neill Family Foundation pledged $200,000 to the project.
Between monetary donations and community support as well as the $105,120 in pledges through 100 Extraordinary Women, the Burlington Public Library celebrated being well on the way to a renovation.
The heart of the library
Longtime library employee and one of the 100 Extraordinary Women, Shirley Datzer-Fell said there’s always been something different about her hometown library.
“I love it so much I wanted to work there and help people, to just give them a smile, and brighten their day however I can,” Dazter-Dell said.
Datzer-Fell is among those representing the heart of Burlington Public Library ¬– it’s staff.
Staff member Emma Mathers and Datzer-Fell rolled pages from discarded books into rose petal leaves, carefully painted their edges gold and attached them to stems to adorn the center of each table at the Gala. That was in between working the circulation desk, checking out materials and answering questions from patrons.
Adult Services librarian Jen Melchi is another dedicated staff member, who can most often be found at the Reference Desk solving problems, helping patrons edit their resumes, or visiting retirement homes to do art projects with memory care residents.
Youth Services Librarian Emily Laidley has made it her mission that every tween and teen has a place in her programs.
Laidley helped the library become selected as one of only six nationwide to receive a federal grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services for the Nourishing Minds Initiative, an effort to bring local teens together to develop solutions for mental health challenges teens face.
The Library’s Assistant Director, Tricia Cox, in the hours before the Gala spent her afternoon helping a terrified patron who was accidently kicked off food assistance get signed back up and stocked up on food.
Cox, who organized the Gala, packs her days full of helping however she can, wherever she can because she knows how much the public library means to those who need it most.
Personal stories shared
One of the 67 attendees who donated anonymously spoke at length about her memories of going to the library with her father when she was a child.
“There wasn’t much else to do around here, we had no money, and there wasn’t much time, but daddy always took me to the library and right from those early days it felt like a place where anyone could belong,” she shared. “It felt like a place I belonged. The librarian would find whatever I wanted (and) it felt like magic to be cared about like that.”
She said as she’s grown older and her father and mother passed away, the Burlington Public Library is still the place she goes to remember them. While she no longer lives in Burlington, she said she makes a point to visit, remember her father and all the books they read together so many years ago, and after all these years, the library’s magic still lingers.
Library stories and library magic were the theme of the night, so much so that it seemed in every room, someone could be heard talking about their reasons for giving the library their money and time. The goal of course, is to make sure it’s a place that keeps its doors wide open for years to come.
Danielle Larson, president of the Burlington Library Board was among the speakers that night. She talked about being a girl in rural Indiana born into a family of readers. She spoke of how libraries influenced her by shaping those she loved and said they go beyond being a place for books as they’re community hubs and one of the last places where anyone can walk in and just exist.
“A well-supported library can inspire a child to love reading, help a jobseeker find a new career, or provide a safe space for teens to connect and learn. Libraries aren’t just buildings, they are the heart of thriving communities,” Larson said.
She urged attendees to help her create a lasting legacy, not just a bigger library but a stronger, more connected community where learning, support and growth are available to all. A community that honors the past, embraces the present, and looks toward a brighter future.
Fundraising for the Burlington Public Library will continue fundraising and the bigger picture will be finalized in 2025, work on engineering elements will happen in 2026, and construction will hopefully begin in 2027.
To find out more about the library’s expansion project, or to make a donation, visit www.burlingtonlibrary.org
Callie Koehne serves as the content specialist for the Burlington Public Library.
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