Legacy gifts support lifelong learning through Lincoln’s Central Library Project
Catherine Sellers Angle was the consummate student of life.
A 16-year-old valedictorian at Lincoln High, she went on to graduate Phi Beta Kappa from Smith College in 1946. Her commitment to education continued when she returned home to Lincoln, where she was the first woman elected to the Lincoln Public Schools' School Board in 1967. The mother of two also served on boards for Head Start, the Child Guidance Center, the Lincoln City Libraries, and the Junior League. Much of her time and study focused on dyslexia.
That commitment to education led to the creation of the Catherine and John Angle Public Library Fund through the Lincoln Community Foundation (LCF), an endowed gift that supports the creation of a new public library.
Both Catherine and her husband, John, an insurance executive, were committed to supporting the arts and humanities in the community. Catherine passed away in 2017, nine years after John. For nearly a decade after Catherine’s death, the Foundation remained a faithful steward of their fund—which grew thanks to the power of endowed investment.
This year, LCF completed their visionary gift with a contribution to the new Central Library project.
In addition, the Foundation, on behalf of the Kenneth J. Good Fund, is granting an additional $250,000 to the new library project, to be paid over three years, ending in 2028.
“That’s the beauty of giving through a foundation,” said Michelle Paulk, LCF’s Vice President for Grantmaking and Operations.
“Donors are able to support the community of the future—and the possibilities often extend beyond what they could have imagined in their lifetimes.”
The new Central Library is an idea long in the making. After a 2003 study of Bennett Martin showed that it had outgrown its space, the city spent the next two decades talking about what would come next. Many envisioned moving the library to the former Pershing Auditorium, while others wanted to renovate Bennett Martin’s current footprint.
Library Director Ryan Wieber said a fiscal study essentially ruled out both renovation of the current site as well as using the Pershing footprint.
“It was going to be really expensive and would require a bond,” Ryan said. “But the study opened the door for us to look at other places downtown.”
Two months later, officials from Southeast Community College (SCC) reached out to the city about using the college’s space in the Centrum at 11th and O. Such a move would save the city about $20 million over the other options, and came with an attached parking garage. The timing was ideal and the city embraced the idea.
In May 2025, city and SCC officials announced the sale of the space for the creation of Lincoln’s new Central Library.
“I love seeing the excitement from residents,” said Ryan. “This public building project has resonated in a way I’ve never seen before.”
The 80,000 square-foot, $60 million library has garnered great support from public and private entities. While 55 percent of the funds have come from public sources, 45 percent of the price tag has been covered by private donations.
“Our residents, through private giving, are making this happen,” Ryan shared.
And Foundation for Lincoln City Libraries Executive Director Tiffani Childress thinks they are going to love what they see.
“The design will attract everybody,” she said. “It will be a multi-generational destination.”
Tiffani shared that the Library Foundation has already raised $23.7 million towards its $26.5 million Central Library Capital Campaign goal.
“There are so many people who have lived to see this built,” she said. “The sanctuary that this library will offer will be vital for our residents.”
Ryan is grateful for both foundations’ help in making this happen.
“Fundraising isn’t my line of work and foundations do a great job of garnering community support,” he said.
Scheduled to open in 2028, the Central Library will be a gathering place for everyone. With a coffee shop, a makerspace area, flexible gathering spaces, a teaching kitchen, and collaborations with other businesses, including KZUM radio, the Central Library will be a place to love, for all kinds of reasons.
“Many of us remember receiving our first library card at a young age—the joy we experienced as a new world opened to us,” said LCF President Tracy Edgerton. “I look forward to the day when we witness that same joy at 11th and O Streets. I hope folks will think of Catherine and John, Kenneth, and the many other generous donors behind the project. It’s a true testament to the values of our community.”
