Library gets $500K donation

In recognition of the donation, the mezzanine level of the new San Mateo Library will be named the "Kenneth and Sherrilyn Fisher Journalism Center." The center will contain the library's collection of more than 560 magazines, newspapers and journals.

A San Mateo native, Ken Fisher is a longtime Forbes Magazine columnist. He is also founder, CEO and chief investment officer of Fisher Investments, one of the largest independent money management firms in the country. Fisher Investments manages approximately $25 billion for high net worth individuals and prestigious institutions, employing more than 600 employees in San Mateo County. His wife, Sherrilyn Fisher, has been a principal at Fisher Investments for more than 20 years. They are residents of Kings Mountain where they raised three sons.

"This generous donation from the Fishers is a significant gift not only to the library, but to building the future of San Mateo," Dr. Dildar Gill-Pisani, president of the San Mateo Public Library Foundation said in a press release. "This is a difficult time for private fund-raising and we are very grateful for the leadership exhibited by Ken and Sherri Fisher."

The new main San Mateo Library, scheduled to open in the summer of 2006, will be three times larger than the former library, housing an expanded collection in all departments, state-of-the-art technology, study areas and meeting spaces, a cafe and outdoor terraces. The new library has areas specially designated for children, a Teen Zone, and areas for cultural exhibits. Earlier this year, the Genentech Foundation provided funding for a Biotechnology Center within the new Library. The library is expected to serve 3,000 people daily.