Bismarck Library Foundation

About the Foundation

The Bismarck Library Foundation, Inc. was established in 1975 to support the Bismarck Veterans Memorial Public Library. Our mission is to enrich publicly-funded library services by raising private funds to enhance collections, resources, and facilities.

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Foundation Highlights

With the support of our generous donors, the Foundation has been a key funding partner for library programs and services. Some recent highlights:

• $31,000 contributed in partnership with Friends of the Bismarck Public Library to repaint the library's main floor, completed in 2023
• $250,000+ raised for the new Burleigh County Library Bookmobile, completed in 2019
• $430,000+ raised for the new Teen Center, completed in 2016
• $643,000+ raised for the Children's Library renovation, completed in 2009
• Raised the funds to construct a library coffee shop in 2007
• Established Endowment Fund, which has grown to $2 million since 2001
• $300,000+ to complete the new library building in the late 1980s
• Makes annual contributions for library programming, expanded collections, technology upgrades, and much more

History

Bismarck Veterans Memorial Public Library was established in 1917 in a building funded by Andrew Carnegie at 6th Street and Thayer Avenue. In 1963, a modern building was erected at Sixth Street and Avenue A to provide more space. This new Veterans Memorial Public Library honored World War II and Korean War veterans. It was about 17,000 square feet.

A major library expansion was completed in 1989, giving the library 70,000 square feet of space and a new name: Bismarck Veterans Memorial Public Library. The facility is located on the block between Fifth and Sixth streets, north of Avenue A. Today, the library welcomes over 4,000 visitors each week, and approximately 45,000 residents hold a library card.