During the fundraising campaign for the library expansion, which opened earlier this year, the Bentonville Library Foundation committed to raising $10.5 million — about two-thirds of the project’s cost.

With just one full-time staff member and a volunteer board, the foundation exceeded that goal by over $400,000. 

Fresh off the successful campaign, the foundation is now focusing on expanding programming for adults.

While the children’s department currently offers “lots and lots” of programs, the foundation sees an opportunity to increase offerings for adults, according to Teresa Stafford, the foundation's executive director.

New programming is expected to begin in the coming months, with an initial focus on three topics:

• Cycling: Programs will not exclude children, but will focus specifically on adult cycling needs and commuting to work safely.

• Food: Exploring how food supports health and wellness, with topics like food as medicine, easy healthy meal prep, growing your own food, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

• Entrepreneurship: Classes will support community members in launching and sustaining businesses, with topics like making business plans, marketing strategies, and legal fundamentals.

The schedule for new classes will be posted on the library’s website as they become available.

By having adult residents visit the library more often, the foundation aims to demonstrate additional value for the individuals, corporations, and foundations that contributed to the library expansion.

“We do want to be able to show a return on investment,” Stafford said. “We look at this as the community investing in something that they could find a return on in the future.”

The programming reflects the foundation’s updated mission statement: 

“The Bentonville Library Foundation financially supports our library by investing in resources, programs, and classes that transform lives and communities and create opportunities for lifelong learning, elevating the library as a community gathering space for all.”