The Richland Public Library Foundation was conceived in 1999 as an independent body to receive and manage the funds and property bequeathed to the Library by the late Shirley Stroh of Richland.

Early activities were largely devoted to organization, resolution of issues and receipt of the funds and other assets from the Stroh bequest, and development of basic promotional materials needed to publicize the foundation. The initial endowment of approximately $150,000 was carefully invested and has since grown, allowing the Foundation to support a number of projects for the Library, including the purchase of self-checkout stations, computers, and books for the Benton-Franklin Juvenile Justice Center.

In 2003, a group of Richland citizens began efforts to obtain funding to renovate and expand the existing library building, then more than three decades old. They formed the Bond With Your Library Committee which organized a successful campaign to pass a $17 million bond issue in May 2006, the largest in Richland’s history. The Foundation supported the bond issue with cash and the active participation of its board. The Library Building Committee included a member of the Foundation Board as a public member.

Large though the bond issue was, it did not fully provide for all of the amenities envisioned by many of the Library’s supporters, including a Richland History Room to provide a home for the small but important and growing Richland collection and related items as well as an associated reading room. The Foundation donated $75,000 to the City of Richland for the History Room and provided an additional $40,000 through public subscription. In July 2009, the more than 100 donors were treated to a gala pre-opening party at the newly renovated and expanded building. The Foundation has taken the lead in developing and obtaining materials to be housed in the Richland Room’s collection and is working in concert with the Friends of the Richland Public Library and the RPL Board to fund new projects identified by the Library.
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