Help refresh the Bellingham Central Library for a new generation!
Kicking off on National Library Giving Day, April 1, and continuing through 2025, the Bellingham Public Library Board of Trustees and Whatcom Community Foundation invite you to support a major fundraising effort to revitalize the Bellingham Central Library’s aging ground floor, including the Children’s department and a relocated Teen space. It will inspire our local youth upon entry, with spaces for children and teens that are modern, safe, clean, inviting, age appropriate, and ADA accessible.
Watch this video to learn more:
How You Can Make a Difference
$3.5 million in private donations are needed to fund this critical renovation and provide a 21st century, welcoming space for babies and their new parents to learn about early literacy, for children to develop a love of reading and playing, and for teens to branch out, in a space that is free and open to everyone.
- Donate to the Bellingham Public Library through the Whatcom Community Foundation.
- Generous donors investing in the future have already committed $1.9 million toward the Library’s $3.5 million goal.
- Double your donation: A generous donor has pledged to match new gifts in 2025 up to $100,000.
- For donation-related questions, and major gifts, please contact Jenn Daly, Whatcom Community Foundation Director of Engagement & Philanthropy, jenn@WhatcomCF.org. 360-685-9283
- Each dollar raised makes a significant contribution towards this important project. Thank you!
Why Your Support Matters
- Help create a modern, welcoming library for Bellingham’s next generation of readers and learners.
- The Central Library’s aging children’s and teen spaces need renovation to be safe, accessible and inspiring.
- Your donation supports a vibrant, 21st-century library – a place for babies, children and teens to learn, play, and grow.
The Need for Renovation
- Built in 1951 for a population of 35,000 and last remodeled in 1985 for a population of 47,000, the Central Library serves a population that has more than doubled to nearly 100,000.
- The children’s and teen areas do not meet the needs of today’s families.
- Redesigned spaces are necessary for better efficiency and safety.
The Vision for the Future
- A safe, inviting, and inspiring library for young people, with age-appropriate, accessible spaces.
- Teens will have a dedicated area on the same floor as Children’s Services, fostering mentorship and engagement.
- Expanded early literacy spaces will support brain development and learning for babies and young children.
A Library for Everyone
- The Central Library serves over 500,000 visits per year, providing free programs and resources to the entire community.
- The renovation will ensure a modern, welcoming space for families, where young people can learn, connect, and thrive.
- Investing in the library is investing in Bellingham’s future—support this transformation today!
Learn More
Sign up for the Library’s email newsletter for up-to-date information on this next phase of the Central Library renovation project.
Funding for local libraries
This summer, both Bellingham Public Library and Whatcom County Library System are involved in separate funding campaigns. Did you know these two systems are also completely distinct organizations with separate funding models?
Bellingham Public Library (BPL) is a department of the City of Bellingham. It has 4 branches and serves nearly 100,000 residents who live within the Bellingham city limits. Its daily operations are primarily funded through the City’s General Fund.
Whatcom County Library System (WCLS) receives 95.1% of its funding from property taxes paid by community members who live in Whatcom County outside the city limits of Bellingham. WCLS is a junior taxing district, which means it is not part of Whatcom County government and does not receive funding from the county. It was formed in 1944 after leaders from grange halls advocated for the establishment of a rural library system outside of the Bellingham city limits. At that time, county residents voted on the matter and agreed to tax themselves for library services. Today WCLS has 10 branch locations throughout Whatcom County as well as a bookmobile and serves 140,730 people who currently live in the WCLS library district.
Thanks to an interlocal agreement that allows the two library systems to share some costs, county residents may borrow materials from the Bellingham Public Library at no additional charge, and vice versa. Our partnership relies on each library system having sustainable budgets to maintain our shared collections and provide services.
On the Aug. 5 ballot, Whatcom County voters outside of Bellingham city limits will decide on a library levy lid lift – a funding measure that shapes future open hours and services at the Whatcom County Library System. This proposition will not provide funding for the Bellingham Central Library Renovation project or BPL operations, as we are separate library systems with our own budgets.