Eagan library gets $800K donation from late patron
EAGAN, Minn. — A Dakota County library has received a nearly $800,000 gift.
Elizabeth Kolstad and her late husband, Ed, visited the Wescott branch in Eagan.
She died last year at the age of 103, and left the library $796,054.
Dakota County Library Director Margaret Stone says it's the largest gift ever given to a county library.
"At first I had to look at the check twice to see that it was actually the size that it was," Stone said. "It's kind of that pat on the back, 'You made a difference in my life. You really helped me, so this is the way I'm going to say thank you.' We also love when people say thank you at the service desk, but the check is just a real concrete way to say, 'Yeah, libraries are important. Keep them strong.'"
Like all libraries, the Wescott branch is free: to walk in, browse, surf the Internet and more.
Lillian Wassell's weekly trips with her daughter, Rosie, are a special time for both of them.
"I'm a teacher on leave, so books and teaching and reading and all that are super important to me," she said.
Stone says the gift positions them to serve the community for years to come.
"I'm one of those people that smiles a lot anyway, I'm really lucky I love my job, but it is incredibly exciting to get this," she said. "It opens a world of opportunities for us."
Stone says the tentative plan is to use the bulk of the money on planned renovations in 2027.
"I'd like to use it for something more permanent, something more lasting," she said.
Stone never met the Kolstads, but she wishes she could thank them.
Stone will work with Wescott's staff and the county board to decide how to use the money.