Program areas at Durham Library Foundation
Programs - the Foundation supports Library events and services that feature national and local presenters in humanities, children's literacy, and funding for collections and technology. Library fest, an annual one-week, full community celebration of libraries, served 2,000 citizens in 2023.
Children's literacy - support for children's literacy includes collections development and programs. A highlight was 1000 books before kindergarten funded in partnership with the forest at duke, important for low-income families. Additionally, summer reading and children's activities in Library fest receive substantial funding.
Adult humanities - the Foundation's history began with strong support from the national endowment for humanities and local contributions in 2007. Since then, hundreds of presentations have featured international, national, and local experts of subjects including the arts, music, local history, religion, literature, and culture. Programs are often developed in partnership with our many local arts and humanities organizations, nonprofits, and institutions. In addition, the Foundation supports projects from unrestricted funds which are outside the purposes of endowment funds, such as digging Durham, a seed Library free for Durham citizens.