College Park students and others who attend Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Greenbelt will soon have a new state-of-the-art library to study in. The upgraded space is expected to open the week of Dec. 8.

The updated library is funded through a multimillion dollar donation to Prince George’s County Public Schools by Sam Brin, the brother of Google co-founder Sergey Brin. It will feature new desktop computers and printers, as well as a workspace where students can collaborate on STEM and tech projects.

“Just the look, the artistry of it, it’s going to be phenomenal,” Principal Portia Barnes said.

Brin’s donation will support library improvements in 46 schools across the county, including one elementary school in Beltsville, two in Riverdale and four in Hyattsville. The funding will provide 72,000 books, smart TVs, projectors, robotics kits and engineering instruments.

The Roosevelt library will display quotes from influential historical figures on the walls and provide what Barnes described as a relaxed and not-so-traditional environment. She said the former space looked nearly identical to how it did in the 1990s, when she attended the school.

Barnes said the remodeled library will give frequent visitors more reasons to return and could encourage students who do not use the space to start spending time there.

Principals and media specialists from participating schools helped shape the vision, offering input on technology, color schemes and equipment layout.

“It’s been a pleasure working with them,” Barnes said. “They definitely wanted our feedback.”

Like his brother, Sam Brin graduated from Eleanor Roosevelt High and the University of Maryland. He is the founder of the Pull Up Fund, which supports youth, education, community and equity programs across Prince George’s County.

The Pull Up Fund partnered on the project with Heart of America, a local nonprofit that supports school improvements and book access.

“This is the type of funder you want to work with,” Heart of America CEO Jill Hardy Heath said.

“You feel proud to have someone who reaches back,” Barnes added.

The initiative was Brin’s idea, said Sheila Jackson, director of the PGCPS Department of Family and Community Partnerships. Heath said he wanted to give back to the school district that shaped him.

Heath called the effort one of the largest systemic overhauls of school libraries in the country and said she hopes it becomes a model for other districts and donors.

All library renovations are expected to be completed in 2026.