CHAPEL HILL -- Last summer, the Chapel Hill Public Library didn't have enough copies of assigned summer reading books for students in the city schools.

There should be enough of the books this summer, though.

At tonight's Chapel Hill-Carrboro school board meeting, the Chapel Hill Public Library Foundation will announce a $12,000 gift to the library. The library will use $10,000 for new children's summer reading books and non-fiction science books, $1,000 for new shelving and the remaining $1,000 for purchase of a book for a summer reading project next spring.

"This is a good time to provide shiny new books ... to expand the depth of the collection," said Kathleen Thompson, director of the library. "It's like hitting the motherload. You walk in the front door and there are the brand new library books."

The foundation's gift will add approximately 400 books to the library's collection of 155,000. While that may seem small, the new books equate to 2,000 new reads in just one year.

"Chapel Hillians really read ? and anything we can do to enhance their summer reading experience is a good thing," Thompson said. "It always used to charge my heart to walk in and get exactly the book I wanted for the summer."

The science collection is always in need of new books, she added. The librarians must "weed all the collections on a periodic basis" to ensure that the content is not out of date.

The donation is just the beginning of an intended campaign by the foundation this year. Plans are being finalized for a campaign to launch this fall that will be anchored by a large gift from the foundation's $1.7 million endowment.

"We have a great library, but to keep it great you need an infusion of private funds," said Michelle Lewis, president of the foundation.

Lewis would not release details of the campaign or the size of the gift other than to say it would be a catalyst for a renewed relationship with the community.

"We'll be using our significant gift to leverage other significant events," said Lewis, who writes a column for The Chapel Hill Herald.

The campaign will launch with a house party fundraiser Oct. 16 at the home of UNC system President Molly Broad. Robert Broad, her husband, sits on the board of the foundation.

In preparation for the campaign, the foundation is currently undergoing a facelift -- a new logo, Web site, T-shirt and brochures are all part of the new look.

"We are going to become significantly reenergized and we've got some very specific goals," said Lewis.

In addition to the campaign, Lewis wants to engage the community with the library through a "One Community, One Book" program.

The communitywide reading project will include contests at schools as well as local reading groups.

"It is going to be a fun read and an educational read for people of all ages," said Lewis of the book already chosen but not yet made public. "I've read this book a couple of times ... but I can't figure it out."

The new projects will significantly increase the visibility of the foundation.

In recent years, the foundation's main function has been a yearly contribution to the library of its earnings from investments. Last year, the figure topped $55,000.