[2]: 132 Morris Ketchum Jesup, born in 1830 to a country doctor,[2]: 73  amassed a fortune in the railroad business and became the benefactor of the library, donating the land and $5,000 for the building.

[2]: 324  The improvements included an innovative project called the "River of Names," a wall of small handmade tiles, paid for individually by donors, depicting local history.

[10][12] As a "forum for civic engagement and an incubator of new ideas," the Library provides many books and resources geared to fundraising, social entrepreneurship, and non-profit organizations.

An example of a book about social entrepreneurship is the memoir, "Start Something that Matters" by Blake Mycoskie, the founder of the global footwear giant, Toms Shoes.

[13] The Library has the distinction of being a Funding Information Network partner of the Foundation Center, the nation's leading authority on organized philanthropy.