SLO public libraries get $100,000 donation

San Luis Obispo Public Libraries will be able to get new materials thanks to a $100,000 donation from an avid reader whose bequest left the funds in her estate.

The SLO County Library Foundation received approximately $2.6 million from Susan B. Silverstein’s estate. Silverstein had no heirs, but she loved books and owned thousands of them, said foundation president Juliane McAdam.

The Silverstein bequest will allow the Foundation to provide funds now and in the coming years for new library materials.

“She gave generously to a number of arts and cultural organizations. She had donated to the Foundation the previous three years or so, so we knew her name, but the bequest came as a complete surprise,” said McAdam.