Library Capitol Campaign Continues
New Epsom Public Library Opened 12/20/06
A strong partnership was formed between the private and public community to make this vision a reality. A total of $1,050,000 was raised, $650,000 privately and the remaining monies from the public sector and other funding sources.
The 7,100 square foot library includes:
- Adult Stacks and Reading Area for reading and working on-site.
- A Children's Area with space for children to browse with parents and participate in a variety of learning activities.
- A Young Adult Area with appropriate literature and material for educational development.
- A Computer Area with Internet and software access to databases typically not available to the home user.
- A Public Meeting Area where all generations and segments of the community can gather with kitchen facilities nearby.
- A Quiet Area for tutoring, study sessions and small meetings.
- A Private Office for the librarian and assistant.
There are numerous ways you can contribute to the Epsom Library Capital Campaign Fund:
- You may give an outright gift of cash or securities
- You may give in memory/honor of a friend or loved one.
- There are numerous naming opportunities if you choose to fund an individual room in the Library or contribute to essential furnishings.
- You may make a challenge gift for others to meet
- Or you may seek a matching gift from your company.
Whatever your choice, your gift will be vitally important to the campaign. We hope, also, that you will consider Epsom Public Library in your will to help maintain the facility and keep the inventory current for years to come.
Please join us today in providing a facility that will serve the people of Epsom adequately for years to come---a Library that we can be proud of!
Make your contribution with our form or via Paypal.
Thank you!
The Plan
Progress on the new library
- View the floorplan.
- See an interactive preview of the new library. Best viewed in Internet Explorer.
- Construction photosPlease note: this link will open the page in a new browser window.
A proposed new library---handicapped accessible---can be built on land behind Epsom's historic Town Hall. A modest, yet tasteful building has been designed to compliment the current architectural environment of Epsom.
With 7,100 square feet of space, the building will include:
- Adult Stacks and Reading Area for reading and working on-site.
- A Children's Area with space for children to browse with parents and participate in a variety of learning activities.
- A Young Adult Area with appropriate literature and material for educational development.
- A Computer Area with Internet and software access to databases typically not available to the home user.
- A Public Meeting Area where all generations and segments of the community can gather with kitchen facilities nearby.
- A Quiet Area for tutoring, study sessions and small meetings.
- A Private Office for the librarian and assistant.
History
In 1891, the New Hampshire Legislature voted to donate 100 books to any town that established a library. Two years later the voters of Epsom accepted the books and appropriated $25 to set up its first library in the Warren Store. Seven years later, construction began on our current library on a donated tract of land. It was dedicated on a rain-drenched Old Home Day, August 22, 1902. There were 815 residents of Epsom at that time and the library owned 304 books. Total cost of the new facility was $942.26.
Today the Epsom Library has a collection of 18,660 items. There are approximately 4,200 residents in town and 1,125 library patrons. In the last ten years the Library usage has increased by 38%, and is expected to rise significantly as the town continues to grow. Every square foot of space has been used and a rented trailer, adjacent to the facility, has been necessary for storage. With expansion impossible on the present site, the Town is in desperate need of a new facility. A feasibility done in 2002, funded by the NH Charitable