GIVE

PLANNED GIVING

Although HCL receives the majority of its funding from public sources, private donors – from Andrew Carnegie to the 6,000+ active donors to the Library Foundation and The Friends of the Minneapolis Public Library – have helped our libraries achieve a level of excellence that exceed basic government service.

Please consider making a gift of cash or stock to the Library Foundation of Hennepin County in your will or designate us as a beneficiary of your retirement plan, IRA, or life insurance policy. We ask that prospective donors consider dedicating their planned gifts to one of three Library Foundation funds:

  • The Foundation Fund: A gift to the Library Foundation Fund, an unrestricted reserve fund, will help the Foundation respond to special short-term needs and unanticipated future challenges.

  • The Program Endowment: A gift to the Program Endowment will support a wide range of educational initiatives that promote library use, lifelong learning and community dialogue.

  • The Collection Endowment: A gift to the Collection Endowment will help ensure that the Hennepin County Library collection remains the deepest and most comprehensive public library collection in Minnesota. Every $500 invested in the Collections Endowment supports the purchase of one book, annually in perpetuity.

Hennepin County Library collection remains the deepest and most comprehensive public library collection in Minnesota.

Donations to the Foundations’ endowment funds can be made at any time, but for many individuals, a gift in your will or estate plan is the easiest way to make a truly significant contribution.

For more information, please contact Dawn Flinsch at 952-847-8106 or dmflinsch@hclib.org.

Library Foundation Receives $465,000 Estate Gift for Collections Enhancements

November 17, 2008 – The Friends of the Minneapolis Public Library, now merged with the Library Foundation of Hennepin County, is proud to announce receipt of a gift of $465,000 through the estate of Miss Eva O. Young. This is the largest bequest ever received by The Friends or Foundation. Income from the bequest will be used each year to enhance collections at the Hennepin County Library. As budgets tighten, funding for new books, CDs, DVDs, and other essential materials, is one of the Library’s critical areas of need that is annually supported by the united Foundation.

Eva O. Young was born in 1910 in Henning, MN, the only child of Oscar and Anna Young. Eva earned her Doctorate in Education from the University of Minnesota and spent her professional career enhancing the lives of elementary students in a number of schools in Minnesota and Wisconsin. After retirement, Eva mentored graduate students in education at the University of Minnesota until she was well into her 90’s. She single-handedly managed the library at her Loren on Park residence and made many trips by bus to the Minneapolis Library book sales to find large print books and books on tape to assist visually challenged and impaired residents. Eva died in late 2007, at the age of 97.

With more than 83 combined years of supporting libraries, the Library Foundation of Hennepin County and The Friends of the Minneapolis Public Library will formally merge under the name of the Foundation on December 1, 2008. The mission of the united organization is to support the Hennepin County Library in delivering the highest quality 21st century services to all residents. The Library system encompasses 41 libraries throughout Hennepin County and Minneapolis, and features more than 5 million books and other materials in its collections, extensive website services, and a vast array of community outreach programs and activities.