Support the Library

Giving to the Library

A donation to the Lillie M. Evans Library District is an investment in our community and our future. As a member of the Illinois Library Associations' Fund for Illinois Libraries, the Lillie M. Evans Library is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization and donations are tax deductible. A gift to the capital campaign will ensure that our library will grow so it can continue to enrich and support our community. Memorial donations support collection growth and improvements which would not be possible without the generosity of our donors. The Library's collections are enhanced by donations of materials.

Opportunities for Giving Include:

Capital Campaign Donations

The library underwent a library construction project in 2016-2017. We have already secured grants, funds and pledges totaling over half of the $1.8 million needed but any additional donations will allow us to limit the size of our loan. Gifts of any size are important and appreciated. Donation form is available here.

Honorary and Memorial Donations

Donations in honor or in memory of a loved one may be designated for the purchase of a specific item OR can be made to the Memorial Fund.

You may suggest specific items, titles or subjects or Library staff can suggest something appropriate to honor and remember relatives and friends. An acknowledgment of all donations will be sent to both the donor and the family (or other designee) of the person being remembered. Commemorative bookplates listing the donor and the honoree will be placed on all materials purchased.

Memorial Fund donations are placed in a permanent fund. Purchases are made periodically with interest accumulated by the Fund and are identified with a commemorative plate. Gifts to the LME Library form available here.

Planned Gift

Bequests, trusts and gifts of appreciated assets such as stocks, securities, insurance policies, dividends or property may be donated to the Library. To discuss planned giving opportunities, please contact the Library Director, Beth Duttlinger at 309-385-4540 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Caterpillar Matching Gifts

The Caterpillar Foundation offers the Matching Gifts Program to support employees, retirees and directors in their contributions to worthy causes. The program matches 1:1 contributions made by employees, retirees and directors to organizations in the United States. The Lillie M. Evans Library is registered as an eligible organization. More information about the matching gift program can be found at: https://www.caterpillar.com/en/company/caterpillar-foundation/matching-gifts.html

Book and Media Donations

We welcome the following items:

Books in good condition
Books on CD
CDs
Commercially made DVDs and Blurays

All materials donated to the Library become the property of the Library and may be added to the collection according to the Library's collection management policy. Items not added to the collection will be donated to the Friends of the Library for inclusion in their book sales. All book sale proceeds are used to benefit the Library.

Donations may be made during regular Library hours and should be brought to the Circulation desk. Letters of acknowledgment will be provided as requested to donors at the time of donation. Material donations are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law and IRS Guidelines. Staff will not assign a value to the items donated.

We cannot use the following items:

Books that are in poor condition and those that contain out of date information
VHS tapes
Records
Books on cassette
Audiocassettes
Encyclopedias