Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Medford Public Library Foundation have announced a $3 million gift from Michael R. Bloomberg to help fund construction of a new library building in the Massachusetts town where he was raised. 

In recognition of the gift, the library will be named the Charlotte and William Bloomberg Medford Public Library, in honor of Bloomberg's parents, who lived in Medford for sixty-five years. Scheduled to open in the fall of 2021, the $27.5 million building will feature multiple meeting rooms, private study spaces, a large performance room, a makerspace and tech lab, a local history room, a café and gallery, an adult reading room and research area, and children's and teens' spaces. 

In addition to the gift from Bloomberg, the Medford Public Library Foundation has secured a $12.2 million grant from the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners and $1.5 million in commitments from other donors, including the Cummings Foundation, the John and Thelma Connors Foundation, the Laura Paul Fund, and the Medford Kiwanis Club. MPLF plans to raise at least another $5 million from foundations and the private sector and has launched a capital campaign to raise the remaining $500,000 from Medford residents. 

"The Medford Public Library played such a big role in our community, and in my family, when my sister and I were growing up," said Bloomberg. "Our father was passionate about books and our mother joined one of the library's first reading groups — and she continued returning to the library for clubs and programs throughout her life. It means a lot to Marjorie and me to have our parents' names attached to an institution that was such an important part of our childhood and that provides such important resources to people of all ages in our hometown."

"My parents instilled in my brother and me a love of learning and reading, and the Medford Library gave us the chance to explore new worlds and broaden our horizons," said Marjorie Bloomberg Tiven, founder and president of Global Cities, Inc., a program of Bloomberg Philanthropies. "The new library will open doors for even more people through books and learning — expanding opportunity, enriching the community, and improving lives."

(Image credit: Medford Public Library Foundation)