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Library sells naming rights on eBay

WOMELSDORF — The Womelsdorf Community Library, hoping to raise money for a renovation and addition, has put its naming rights up for sale on eBay.

Officials of the library — the smallest in Berks County, serving the 2,600 or so residents of Womelsdorf and two nearby communities — called the move an "out-of-the-box" idea to try to raise funds for the project.

"We live in a small community, and we just saturated the local area and don't have the money we need," said MaryAnne Beamesderfer, a board member and co-chair of the capital campaign. "We have state and federal grants and we're still short."

So, on Monday, Beamesderfer put the naming rights for the 11,422-book library on eBay.

"We're hoping there's someone out there who has money and wants to name a library after themselves or a loved one or someone else," she said.

The eBay submission says the name of the successful bidder, be it a person, business or foundation, "would appear above the library front entrance as follows: THE (YOUR NAME HERE) COMMUNITY LIBRARY, WOMELSDORF, PA."

For its name, the library is seeking $375,000 — the amount needed for the first phase of the project, which includes a new addition, a parking lot, a heating system, and site work.

Renovation of the existing library, which Beamesderfer said was in a century-old bank building, is planned later at a cost estimated earlier this year at $220,000.

Beamesderfer said she does not know whether any other library has ever offered its naming rights.

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