Spooner Memorial Library

About the project

Location: Spooner, Wisconsin
Timing: April 2024 – July 2024
Scope: Campaign readiness study

The steady growth of the library’s programs and reach has created an overwhelming need for additional space. For years, the necessity of a building expansion has been a consistent topic of conversation among the Library Board, Director, team and community. As a result of these discussions, the library’s space capacity was addressed in the 2021-2025 strategic plan.

To meet the current and future needs of the library and community, it was identified that Spooner Memorial Library should be at least 20,000 to 22,000 square feet (compared to the current 5,500 square feet).

A feasibility study was conducted by Short Elliot Hendrickson Inc (SEH) to research the feasibility of keeping the library in its current location, with an addition. After hiring SEH, the Library Board of Trustees, Director, and City Administrator researched many options for an expansion of the library. This included an expansion on the current site, exploring existing buildings as well as purchasing land to build a new library on a new site. Due to the cost of changing locations and cost of existing building structures, it was recommended by the City of Spooner to stay at the existing location and expand the building.

With an expansion plan in place, the library partnered with BrandRaise to complete a Campaign Readiness Study to determine and assess the interest and capacity for reaching a $6.7 million fundraising goal. The Study Summit, a one-day event to collect feedback, was conducted on June 4, 2024 by the BrandRaise team through focus groups, in-person and virtual interviews, and a public survey.