Photos from Village Branch

A New Village Branch – Introducing the Marksbury Family Branch!

Village Branch, our beloved library and community center in the Cardinal Valley neighborhood, is growing! Since 2004, this space has served this internationally diverse community, providing access to books, education, entertainment, social services, ESOL language and job training resources, and space to strengthen the vibrant community. Although the location is staying put, the new facility will triple the amount of space with a total of 30,000 square feet — plenty of room for more activities, more services, more partnerships, and more room to grow! We look forward to opening the Marksbury Family Branch in early 2024!

It Takes You.

As you can imagine, it takes a lot to build a library! To bring this branch to life, we are working to raise $5.3 million. Thanks to many generous local philanthropists and businesses, we have raised $4.1 million to date. Help us close the gap by contributing a meaningful gift today.

Donations are tax-deductible and may be paid over a five-year pledge period. We’d love to share more information about the project with you and discuss how we can partner together to achieve your philanthropic goals. Thank you for helping us bring this project to life.

Anne Gay Donworth
Director of Development, Marketing & Communications
adonworth@lexpublib.org
859-231-5557

Paige Halpin Smith
Development Manager
psmith@lexpublib.org
859-231-5500, ext. 1056

It Takes You

Construction In Progress!

Have you been along Versailles Road recently? If so, you'll see some exciting progress on the Marksbury Family Branch, located at the corner of Village Drive. Steel beams are up, and the new Library is taking shape on the site that previously housed the Village Branch. We can't wait to be back to this location with this fabulous new facility and hope you'll visit us at our temporary home in the Gardenside Plaza in the meantime.

Marksbury Family Branch Construction
Marksbury Family Banch Construction
New facility will remain at previous location with a larger footprint and expanded offerings

Lexington, Kentucky (August 18, 2022) – The Lexington Public Library broke ground on a new, significantly larger facility in the former Village Branch location on Versailles Road to better provide for the needs of the neighborhoods it serves. The new branch will reflect the community’s vision for a state-of-the-art community hub, one that offers robust resources and a myriad of program and service offerings.  The groundbreaking ceremony was held on Tuesday at a media event featuring Library and City officials.

New Versailles Road Library Branch to be named Marksbury Family Branch

Lexington, Kentucky (March 9, 2022) – Lexington Public Library and Lexington Public Library Foundation are honored to announce that the Marksbury Family Foundation has committed the lead gift for the capital campaign to rebuild the library branch at the corner of Versailles Road and Village Drive.  In recognition of their generosity, the new facility will be named the Marksbury Family Branch when it opens in 2024.

Project Overview

Marksbury Branch Rendering

Since 2004, the Lexington Public Library has operated a small, storefront branch at the corner of Versailles Road and Village Drive in the Cardinal Valley Neighborhood. It's time for a change.

It's time to invest in our community.

The Library purchased the site in late 2020 and plans for a new two-story facility which will triple the space available for reading materials, programming, and community access. Join our campaign and help us close the gap to complete this transformational project. Your commitment ensures that the Library can continue to program and operate the building at its high standards.
 

Reasons Why You Should Invest

  • Economic & Workforce Development
  • Public Space & Civic Infrastructure
  • Youth Development
  • Lifelong Learning
  • Inspiring Other Investments in the Area
  • Leveraging Public/Private Investment for Maximum Impact