WESTPORT — A gift to the Westport Library, described as the “largest” ever donated to support library operations, was announced Tuesday by library officials.

The donation from the Nancy J. Beard Foundation will be used by the library to create a fund supporting “educational courses, lectures, special workshops and hands-on training activities,” according to a press statement from the library.

Formally named the “Nancy J. Beard Lifelong Learning and Education Fund,” the endowment particularly will focus on “expanding library programing and supporting library assets,” which include mobile technology, Verso Studios’ video and TV media suite, the library recording studio and post-production suite, according to the library statement.

Library officials declined to disclose the amount of the gift when asked by the Westport Journal.

Nancy Beard and husband, Gene, moved to Westport in 1969, and over the last 26 years made regular donations to the Westport Library, “notably” the 2019 reconstruction project, according to the library. The couple now lives in Florida.

During her time in Westport, Nancy Beard volunteered for several community causes, beginning with Cub Scouts as a den mother, and also was a teacher’s aide in the elementary and middle schools, and volunteered with the Red Cross and Norwalk Hospital.

A brief interview with Nancy Beard about her interest in and support for libraries is posted on the Westport Library’s website.

“The Westport Library is a hub for the community, a gathering place, and a place of learning and conversation,” Nancy Beard said in the library’s press statement.

“We love that the library is active in the community and that is open and accessible to everyone. We hope this gift allows it to stay that way and to expand its great work so it can be a beacon for the community in the years to come.”

The Nancy J. Beard Foundation also has donated to Church of the Assumption, Yale University, Save the Children, the Mercy Learning Center, Norwalk Hospital and various food pantries. 

Gene Beard established the Beard Center for Leadership in Ethics at Duquesne University and contributed to the Eugene P. Beard Faculty Fellowship in Ethics at the Harvard University Edmond J. Safra Center.

“This generous gift will allow us to build on the work we’ve done and expand the reach and the scope of our programming,” William Harmer, the library’s executive director, said about the endowment.

“We are incredibly grateful to Nancy and the entire Beard family for their generosity, support and belief in us and our mission.”