LEWISTON — The Lewiston Public Library has launched a fundraising campaign to renovate its popular Children’s Department and is nearly a quarter of the way to its $1 million goal.

Library Director Joseph Houston said the children’s area is one of the only spaces in the city that’s specifically dedicated to children and families, and it’s a space that’s free to use.

“We get a lot of feedback from families who struggle to find other options in our area for free family entertainment and enrichment activities,” he said, adding that about one-third of the roughly 4,000 monthly library visitors are people coming to the children’s area for programs and materials.

Another 250 to 500 patrons attend children’s programs each month, he said.

But, according to details on the library’s campaign website, the current Children’s Department dates to 1996 and “reflects 1990s ideas about children’s learning and development.”

“We’re now in a different era for kids,” the website states.

The funding would be used to create a more welcoming area for families, with reading nooks, technology that will encourage early literacy and access to kid-friendly digital resources, transitional spaces that can be used to accommodate school and family trips to the library, and incorporating nature and more natural light.

Houston said early childhood literacy is an important marker in the development of children and the sooner a child begins reading regularly, the better their outcomes in school and life.

“The children’s area needs to be a captivating, inspiring place for kids to fall in love with learning,” he said.

A cost breakdown of the spending says $500,000 would go toward the physical renovation, $400,000 for future children’s services, and $100,000 for outreach to attract new families.

The campaign website states that Lewiston is home to about 7,700 children, representing about 20% of the population. As of April 2024, about 20% of Lewiston’s children have Lewiston Public Library library cards.

“Our children are a diverse group,” it states. “Many kids have come from cultures with no experience with public, free libraries.”

“Our vision is to provide generations of Lewiston’s youth with an inspiring place to play, grow, and explore while remaining respectful of our rich history and reflecting the cultures and traditions of modern-day Lewiston,” it states.

Houston said the children’s area has also seen more foot traffic since the library added a private security presence, as well as staff building monitor positions for this fiscal year, which led to a decline in security incidents.

The library is using the crowdfunding website givebutter.com to facilitate fundraising. As of Tuesday afternoon, the effort was up to $240,679 of the $1 million goal.

The city paid $153,00 toward the campaign. Other donations are visible on the fundraising website, some with comments about the library. One $500 donation from Albert Pfeiffer and Paula Pate said, “some of our happiest memories as a young family were the times we were all enthralled by a chapter book. We could not wait to get in our jammies and hear what happened next! Children’s’ libraries are the gift that keeps on giving for a lifetime.”

Another $500 donation from Matt and Carrie Jadud said the Lewiston library “was one of the first places we took our kids to help them feel at home in our new city. Here’s to our library continuing to be a landing place for all Lewiston kids.”

Asked about the campaign Tuesday, Mayor Carl Sheline said, “The library stands as a symbol of who we are as a community, and I’m excited about what this renovation means for the children of our city.”

Online donations can be found at givebutter.com/DONATE2LPL.