The Middleburg Library Advisory Board has begun a local fundraising effort to finance the expansion of the much-used and much-loved local library.

The Advisory Board is a non-profit group that supports the Middleburg Library, a branch of the Loudoun County Public Library. Fundraising that began quietly in November of last year is now starting to kick into high gear.

Funds raised will cover all costs (including furnishing) to double the existing 2,000-square foot facility, the smallest of the seven library branches in the Loudoun County system.

Fundraising has been proceeding extremely well according to Advisory Board President Denis Cotter

"As of April 15, we have raised over 60 percent of the overall project cost of $775,000 for this long-overdue and much-needed library expansion," Cotter said. "All that money has been donated by generous citizens in the community," he noted, "but we still have about $320,000 to go!"

Construction cannot begin until all the money has been raised.

The Advisory Board has worked closely with the Town of Middleburg, the Loudoun County Public Library Board of Trustees, the Middleburg Community Center (which owns the land), and the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors for over a year to clear the way for the fundraising.

The Advisory Board took the initiative after it became clear that the County could not - because of the small local population - pay for the expansion. The expansion was actually envisioned when the Middleburg Library was built in 1990, and will be built on the east side of the current building. The library will remain open while the construction is underway.

After the expansion is complete, Loudoun County will carry all the costs of operating the expanded facility.

In its new incarnation, at 4,000 square feet, the Middleburg Library will no longer be bursting at the seams. As the community information center, the expanded library will be able to support the needs of the community. In this digital age, libraries are more relevant than ever. There will be additional computers for public Internet access and additional space for people who bring their own computers and use the library's free WiFi - a major and highly popular service in our broadband-underserved rural area.

There will, of course, be increased space for traditional library materials: books, magazines, newspapers, DVDs, and recorded books. The project will greatly enlarge the children's and adult areas. It also will create a new designated space for teens, in compliance with best library management practice.

The expanded library will also have a new room for community events—from book talks to children's programs - which will be able to be held without disrupting other library users, as happens today.

"We are the only library in the Loudoun County system without a meeting room," Cotter added, "something that the community sorely needs and that will provide great benefit to the community."

In late April, the Advisory Board will mail a general fundraising letter to several hundred local households. Meanwhile, the Board is accepting donations by mail at PO Box 1823, Middleburg 20118.

"The Advisory Board is a nonprofit, 501 (c) 3, charitable organization, so all contributions are tax deductible," Cotter said. "And every cent that is donated will be used in the expansion of the Middleburg Library." The Advisory Board will be setting up a website in the near future to provide updates on the fundraising campaign - www.middleburglibrary.org.