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BPL using $1 million grant from late Dorchester native to enhance LGBTQ+ offerings
The late Howard Cooper resided in San Francisco as an adult, but grew up in Dorchester.
As book challenges and attacks on librarians continue to escalate throughout the country, Boston Public Library will take a major step to ramp up its LGBTQ+ resources, collections, and programming thanks to a $1 million bequest from a late Dorchester native.
Howard Cooper resided in San Francisco as an adult, but grew up in Dorchester, attended Boston Public Schools, and regularly visited the central library in Copley Square as a teenager in the 1950s, the library noted in a press release.
In his estate plans, Cooper, who died last year at the age of 82, named the Boston Public Library Fund as a beneficiary.
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His obituary described him as “smart, generous, funny and non-judgmental. He was cherished as a unique and wonderful person by so many.” The obituary also encouraged donations to be made in Cooper’s memory to the library fund.
Book challenges:
“The bequest provides immediate-use funding for the Library to expand its current LGBTQ+ circulating collection, hire a researcher to review the Library’s historic collections for LGBTQ+ materials, and hire an intern to work specifically on LGBTQ+ community history as part of the Boston Community History Project,” the library noted in a release.
Additionally, and most critically, the bequest establishes The Howard Cooper LGBTQ+ Endowment Fund, which will provide long-term funding for initiatives such as the annual publication of the “We are Pride” booklist, interactive youth programming, and resources for teens that build upon gender and sexual orientation resources already in place, the library noted.
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“With his generous gift, Howard Cooper’s legacy reflects the essential founding principle of the Boston Public Library – free to all – and further positions the BPL as a cornerstone of democracy,” Boston Public Library President David Leonard said in a statement.
“In these times of increasing challenges to books and information, this gift sends a powerful message that LGBTQ+ individuals and their stories play an essential role in our society and that the BPL will always be an inclusive space that proudly reflects and celebrates the LGBTQ+ community for generations to come,” Leonard continued.
In recognition of his donation, the library will host family and friends for an unveiling of a plaque in the Boylston Street building lobby on June 23, publicly recognizing “Cooper’s contribution to creating a safe and welcoming space for individuals of all identities.”
Paula Sakey, the library fund’s executive director, added, “We are incredibly grateful to Howard for his insight, compassion, and generosity in naming the Boston Public Library Fund in his estate plans. By establishing an endowment fund, Howard’s gift will have a significant impact in safeguarding and expanding public access to the BPL’s LGBTQ+ materials and programs far into the future.”
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