GRAND RAPIDS — The Grand Rapids Area Library achieved its fundraising goal of matching a $30,000 anonymous donation it received in June.
The grant was announced June 24, at a community meeting at the library. It is a part of the Supporting our Grand Rapids Area Library Fund. In order to receive the $30,000, the library needed to raise its own $30,000 by Sept. 1.
In a July 8 Facebook post, the library announced it met the goal.
Before the anonymous pledge, the fund had raised $90,000. The plan is to use the money from the fund to increase the operating hours of the library in 2027 to five or six days a week. Currently, the library is open seven hours a day, Monday through Wednesday.
The fund was created in response to a $260,000 decrease in funding from the city that resulted in staff and hour cuts. The hope was for the county to pick up more of the funding. The county rerouted an extra $50,000 that previously went to the overall Arrowhead Library System, directly to the Grand Rapids library. The city still contributes 72% of the overall budget.
The fund will continue taking donations through the end of 2026, the library said in its post.
The official operating hours will be announced at the end of the year, after the Grand Rapids City Council approves its 2027 budget.
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