County library invites you to leave your legacy behind on new building

TRENTON, Tenn. — A local library is getting the community involved in their effort to create a new space for learning.

You can leave your name behind permanently in a new library building for doing your part.

“We decided that the library belongs to everyone, so why don’t we let people sponsor square footage of the library?” Gibson County Memorial Library director Lindsey Ingram asked.

Ingram says she and her staff want to build a newer, bigger library to improve service to the community.

Librarians started ‘Library by the Foot,’ a fundraiser in which community members can sponsor square footage of the new library building that’s in the works.

They can even put their name on it.

“It could be the person who is making the donation, it could be in memory or in honor of someone, it could be for a birthday gift or a graduation gift. It’s something to leave a legacy for years to come,” Ingram said.

“They get a certificate for that, that shows they’ve sponsored a square foot of the library. It’s in that person’s name and it will forever be in their name once the new library is built,” Ingram said.

Ingram said the current building was built in 1968, and it’s time for an upgrade.

“When you see the current building size next to the new plans, it just makes you wonder how we got as far as we have. We’re just out of space, there’s no room, there’s not enough room for programs, and it’s something our patrons would love to see come from us,” Ingram said.

The parking lot on the corner of Second and High Street was donated to the library so they could build a bigger building.

Leaders said you never realize how much the library means to the community until you hear their stories.

“They’ll tell us the stories about how they came here when they were little, or how their grandmother used to bring them, or their wife used to love coming here,” Ingram said.

The new building will feature a meeting room, an area for teens, separate computer lab, and a porch for patrons to relax and use the free wi-fi.

If you want to sponsor square footage, you can call the library at (731) 855-1991, or visit their fundraising page.