Library officials consider use of $30,000 donation

By CHUCK CLEMENT, Staff Reporter

Patrons of the Madison Public Library may see the benefits of a $30,000 donation to the institution arrive in the form of expanded computer resources. Library officials and board members are currently studying their options in using the funds donated by the late John Maloney. Although Mayor Gene Hexom publicly announced the library donation last Monday, Nancy Sabbe, the library director, said officials knew about the money several weeks earlier. Maloney had stipulated with the donation that the library use the funds for technology enhancements.

According to Sabbe, library officials would prefer to spend the donation on computer and Internet resources that go beyond the present desktop computers available in the building.

"We'd like to use this money to improve what we already have," Sabbe said.

Sabbe said officials are considering a couple of options. One option would spend some of the funds to purchase wireless-capable laptop computers for visitors to use inside the library building. Another option would expand the library's electrical wiring so that wall outlets are more numerous and conveniently available for laptop users to plug into. Expanding the number and areas for electrical outlets would allow laptop users to have more flexibility in using their own computers or the library's laptops.

"We're looking at ideas that would give us more resources than what we currently have with our present computer program," Sabbe said. "We need that addition because it's easy for everyone to see that our computers are usually busy."

According to Sabbe, library officials will probably make a decision on how to spend the donation later this fall.

Just before the July 4 holiday, the city of Madison received a $197,000 donation from the John W. Maloney Trust that is intended to fund improvements and maintenance to a north Madison nature area that the Maloney had established in memory of his wife.

City officials conducted the grand opening of the Gerry Maloney Nature Area last June. Before he died in 2009, John Maloney had donated to the city about $140,000 to establish the nature area.

©Madison Daily Leader 2010