Friday, April 21, 2023

Many well-wishers turned out Friday, April 21, 2023, as the Fond du Lac Public Library unveiled a new name for its east-side branch: the Allen J. Buechel Branch.

Formerly known as FDLPL Express, the new name honors Fond du Lac County Executive Allen Buechel, who passed away in March 2022 after 29 years in office.

The branch is located off Country Lane in the Festival Foods shopping plaza.

At the ceremony, Fond du Lac Public Library Director Jon Mark Bolthouse recognized Allen Buechel’s commitment to libraries across the county. Betty Buechel, wife of Allen Buechel, thanked everyone for coming to honor her husband’s memory. She previously noted that “He'd be so honored that [the library] did this. A little embarrassed, but honored.”

Afterward, Envision Greater Fond du Lac presented a commemorative certificate and participated in the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The Buechel Branch has served the northeast corner of Fond du Lac County since its opening in November 2011. The branch location replaced two aging bookmobiles by providing a permanent site for library customers to visit conveniently on the growing east side of Fond du Lac.

In 2022, the Buechel Branch served more than 7,500 members of the community and circulated about 17,500 items. The branch currently has about 11,500 items (including about 6,000 books & 3,300 DVDs) in its collection.

Allen Buechel’s support of libraries was recognized statewide. He received the Wisconsin Library Association’s Citation of Merit in 2014 for his “unique level of support” financially. Multiple people nominated Buechel for the honor, including former Fond du Lac Public Library Director Ken Hall. 

Hall noted in his nomination letter that “Allen recognizes the myriad ways that libraries support democracy, literacy, diversity and the economic wellbeing of county residents. More than any other non-librarian I’ve known — and perhaps more than many librarians — Allen Buechel understands the broad impact of libraries on the communities he serves.”