Friends & Foundation of Northfield Public Library

Annual Campaign 2026 

Nourishing the Imaginations of Tomorrow!

Renewing the Children's Area 

of the Northfield Public Library

           

The Library is currently refreshing the Children’s Area to improve access with new shelving, improved lighting, new carpeting and wall treatments, new seating, and artistic elements to inspire, engage and enchant young readers and their caregivers. The new shelving will be moveable to allow us to use the space for programs and activities. The Bunday Room will be more available to the public including workforce, business, government, education and nonprofits. The Pye Room will be available again for small groups to book during the school day.  

More specifically, the Children's Area will receive:

• New shelving to improve access to materials and create more flexible space;
• Improved lighting;
• New carpeting and updated wall treatments;
• More seating for children and caregivers;
• Artistic elements designed to inspire, engage, and encourage exploration.

Through these improvements the Library will become more welcoming, flexible, accessible, and functional library for everyone. Spaces will better support children, families, students, caregivers, and community members by providing improved areas for learning, reading, programs, meetings, and connection. The refreshed Children's Area will make it easier for families to browse the collection, participate in programs, and enjoy time at the library.  Much of the work has been accomplished through grant funding secured by the Library staff. But important elements cannot be grant funded...and this is where the Friends' come in. During our annual fund drive, therefore, the Friends' seek to raise the $50,000 needed to complete the refresh of the Children's Area in the best possible way. 

To help us reach this ambitious goal, anonymous donors have pledged to match dollar for dollar all donations up to $25,000 that are received between November 1 and December 31 through GiveMN.org, the Friends Website, or by check mailed to 210 Washington Street, Northfield, MN 55057. This means that every donation--no matter how small--does double the work to support our community: $10 becomes $20, $25 becomes $50, $100 becomes $200! And even better, the Friends' exceptionally low organizational costs mean that 100% of your donation can go to completing the improvement of the Children's Area in the best way possible.

Help Us Make and Surpass Our Match! ...and surpass...our $25,000 match to reach our goal!

                             

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The Northfield Public Library and the Friends

Sometimes called the community's living room, the Northfield Public Library is a special place where all Northfielders can gather to expand their horizons, to support their interests, and to discuss, debate, experiment, and create. 

A critical part of the Library's mission is to support early childhood literacy through programs and opportunities designed for children and parents from babyhood through high school.  

For adults of all ages, the Library offers opportunities to continue learning with its print and digital collections, speaker series, and other programming as well as free access to computer resources that are so essential for work and recreation. 

The Friends are committed to supporting this mission through robust financial and volunteer support for ongoing programming and capital needs. We are particularly excited to collaborate with the Library in using the expanded Library, the Bookmobile, and now the Oasis project to make library services available to more Northfielders than ever. 

Since 1982, the Friends have been helping our library to be the best possible community resource for early literacy and all aspects of lifelong learning and to realize its mission to provide equal access to the world of information for all Northfielders. We are proud to have celebrated our 40th Anniversary in 2022.

We are a registered 501 (c) 3 non-profit, and all donations are fully tax deductible to the full extent of the law.