A year of great success at the library and even greater success projected for 2024

As we near the end of 2023, the Westfield Memorial Library has much to be proud of. We’re on track to see nearly 300,000 books, eBooks, and other library materials borrowed by the close of the year, reflecting an increase of 23% over 2022.

Additional projections for 2023 include nearly 20,000 attendees at library programs and literacy events (+138%), 40,000 public Wi-Fi sessions (+44%), and 86,000 library visitors (+36%). While these numbers help to document the library’s impressive usage, they hardly capture the impact that the library has had on the Westfield community.

They don’t adequately tell the story of the children who develop critical verbal, sensory, and social skills through the library’s story times and other early childhood literacy programming; the children who discover the power of stories to transport them to any time or place; the teenagers who meet for tutoring, group projects, and other academic endeavors; the entrepreneurs and small business owners who make use of the library’s technology resources and free, open space for building and connecting; the parents who meet, greet, and engage with one another while their children enjoy a variety of music, yoga, science, technology, and art; and the senior citizens who laugh and learn from each other during book discussions, crafting classes, and challenging games of Mahjong.

The library offers all of this, and more. But we can only do so with the capital investment necessary to continually develop and reimagine the library’s interior spaces, to ensure that they continue to meet the ever-changing needs of a thoughtful and innovative community. Our goal for 2023 is to raise $100,000 towards the significant costs required for a full interior renovation including collaborative learning zones, a digital innovation center, expanded collections and enhanced community engagement.

With your participation, I am confident that we can meet this ambitious goal. When you receive our annual appeal in the mail, please give what you can, and thank you so much for your support. Together, there is no limit to what we can achieve.