A Legacy of Local Support

The Foundation is Established in 1995

When the original 1931 Burlingame Main Library building needed a near replacement of its structure, the City Council approved a historically accurate design and provided funding of $13 million. However, private funding was vital and necessary to furnish the building and provide state-of-the-art services.

A tradition of community library support already existed in Burlingame, and residents Joan and Ralph Lane kicked off the Something New is Building campaign with a gift of $100,000. And with that, the Burlingame Library Foundation was established. Generous community members made donations until they matched that $100,000 for a total of $200,000 to complete the work in 1997. With the help of the Foundation’s supporters, the beautiful new Library was the cover feature in American Libraries magazine in 1998.

Additionally, local attorney and trustee Bill Nagle of the Roger and Jean Hunt Duncan Trust had arranged for a gift of real estate in the 1980's. This gift of property adjacent to the Library allowed the library to expand its footprint.

In 2012, a $3.5 million modernization plan to renovate and renew the historic Burlingame Public Library began. The City of Burlingame funded $2.5 million of the campaign and it challenged the Burlingame Library Foundation to raise the remaining $1 million.

Thanks to the outpouring of generosity from the Burlingame and Hillsborough communities, the "Our Library, Our Future" campaign met its $1 million dollar goal in July 2015. The Foundation continues to provide annual support as well as one-time gifts for capital projects.