The Schlow Centre Region Library campaign committee announced yesterday that it has surpassed its initial fund-raising goal of $3 million by raising $3.73 million to date in donations for the new library.

The campaign committee said it recently received its largest donation yet, a pledge of $500,000 from the family of George and Margaret Downsbrough, two deceased benefactors of Penn State and members of the State College community.

"We were seeking a gift of this size from the beginning and didn't get it," Betsy Allen, library director, said.

"The amazing thing is that we reached our goal without it," she added.

Dan Hawbaker, campaign chair and president of the Schlow Memorial Library Board of Trustees, said that although the board's goal has been met, fund raising for the library will still continue.

"We hope those in the community who have yet to come forward will consider doing so before we open our doors," he said.

Construction of the new library, located on the corner of Allen Street and Beaver Avenue, is scheduled for completion by the end of August and the building should be operational by the end of September.

Allen said the new library will offer a large community room, an activity room in the children's department, a business resource center, parking and radio frequency identification (RFID) technology.

"We're going to enhance our technology," she said.

"We will have a RFID system. What that means for the public is that we'll have some self-checkout stations in the library," Allen added.

She said that the new library will offer "a lot more space to grow in and be comfortable."

The library's new community room will be named the Margaret M. and George A. Downsbrough Community Room, in commemoration of the donors.

The Downsbroughs' children pledged the $500,000 gift to the library campaign in memory of their late parents.

"My father, during his life, established a tradition of charitable giving focused on education," the couple's son, George Downsbrough, said.

"It seems fitting that this is the appropriate gift to honor my parents and do something for the community," he added.

George Downsbrough said his father requested that part of his estate be given to one or more charitable organizations in his will.

George Downsbrough, accompanied by his wife Tamara, said one of the reasons the library was selected was because of his parents' commitment to education.

"My father valued education," George Downsbrough said. "He looked at education as getting him to where he got in his lifetime."

George A. and Margaret Downsbrough, each of who were both longtime residents of State College and were benefactors of Penn State who established the Downsbrough Faculty Development Professorship in Physics, the Downsbrough Graduate Fellowship in Physics and the Downsbrough Graduate Fellowship in Astrophysics in the Eberly College of Science.

They were also supporters of the Palmer Museum of Art and Pennsylvania Centre Stage.

Both Hawbaker and Allen thanked the Downsbroughs for their contribution.

"Their dedication to the new library and the future of our community is an excellent example of their parents' generous spirit," Hawbaker said.