How does the Nederland Community Library throw a fundraiser Valentine gala? They offer champagne and wine, and a table full of snacks, cupcakes, and cookies. Then there are the auctions: silent and live. There was also the outstanding music of the local singer-songwriter duo, the Strangebyrds.

Through fundraising, the Nederland Community Library Foundation (NCLF) is always working to bring more programs, technology, and materials to the library. This year they have an additional goal – to build an outdoor reading garden and performance area.

Their vision is that this space will be used for poetry readings, author talks, and other literary outdoor activities. Scott Papich, who is on the library’s board of trustees, said that this garden will be “the coolest little place in town.”

To raise money for the garden, the NCLF had a special live auction of rare books. Some of these rare treasures were donated by the family of Hughes Moir. There was a 1913 edition of Gulliver’s Travels and a 1946 edition of Don Quixote that elicited excited bidding. NCLF Treasurer Patty Stanfield made the live auction spellbinding, creating an atmosphere of anticipation for the items being auctioned.

In total, the live auction brought in $895 for the Foundation, and the silent auction brought in $577. With ticket sales, other donations, and a donor matching funds raised the evening’s total was over $5,000. The outdoor reading garden is becoming more and more of a reality as these donations keep on coming.

It was an evening dedicated to Nederland’s library. Community members and friends of the library came to the gala to support the excellent work of Library Director Elektra Greer, the staff, the volunteers, and all who make Nederland’s library a success.

The current NCLF Board of Directors includes Susan Kelly, president; Kathy Guyton, vice president; Patty Stanfield, treasurer; Linda Bukatko, secretary; and Audrey Godell, Amy LaRue, Elizabeth Smith, Veronica Byers, and Maggie Rose Brown.

If you would like to be a part of the Nederland Community Library Foundation and help them raise funds for the library, you can call the library at 303-258-1101 with any questions or offers.

The Nederland Community Library is located at 200 Highway 72, Nederland. If you would like to send a donation – always greatly appreciated – the mailing address is: Nederland Community Library Foundation, PO Box 1226, Nederland, CO, 80466.