Lewis County Herald - Serving Hohenwald, Lewis County Tennessee Since 1898

The Lewis County Public Library has been serving Lewis County and its 12,000 residents by providing much more than books.

In recent times, the Library became a staple in community outreach when Covid-19 hit our little county by providing free wifi and electronic devices for kids who had to learn from home. They also provide educational and technology training programs in which 970 people attended from January to March of this year. The Library also fosters our innate curiosity about the history of Lewis County and possibly our ancestry. In fact, the Library's staff and team indexed 315 loose county records in just three months, making 4,467 pages available to the public. They have also been an integral source in community building by helping numerous people throughout the community find jobs and even create resumes.

All of these services have been conducted in a small space that is less than 5,000 square feet. "Our focus on the preservation of county archive materials has determined a need to create a large space that properly maintains and preserves these important historical materials, as well as a proper viewing room for visitors to peruse them," wrote Librarian and County Historian, Crystal Nash.

The Library is also in need of additional restrooms, a technology lab, improved security system, a large community meeting room, more private study areas for patrons and an ADA compliant access throughout the building.

An architectural rendering has resolved all of these issues by nearly doubling the square footage of the Library at a projected expense of over $950,000. But acquiring that kind of money is no small feat. The Lewis County Library has begun to seek out grants and has asked the citizens it so proudly serves to help continue and expand their community outreach through multiple fundraisers and donations. The multi-year project was dubbed "Building for the Future ~ Preserving the Past."

Tax-deductible donations are welcome with the following sponsorship levels available to individuals and businesses for one year* with the increasing benefits as follows:

Page Level ($5 - $99.99)

Friends of the Library Newsletter/Membership; Recognition on Friends of the Library website.

Chapter Level ($100 - $499.99)

All of the benefits above plus: Friends of the Library travel mug; Listing on a book spine on our Donation Bookcase Mural; Recognition Slide on Library info Monitor.

Novel Level ($500 - $999.99)

All of the benefits above plus: Unlimited checkouts at the Library (no overdue fees); Special Reserve opportunities for new items (books, DVDs, etc.).

This goal graph shows that the Library has raised over $140,000 so far in their efforts to reach $1,000,000.

Epic Level ($1,000 - $4,999.99)

All of the benefits above plus: VIP Access to all Library events (special seating, private receptions with guest speakers, etc.).

Anthology Level ($5,000+)

All of the benefits above plus: *5 year VIP access to all Library events (special seating, private receptions with guest speakers, etc.); Special Acknowledgment Plaque.

Friends of the Library will be hosting Hohenwald Springfest this Friday and Saturday, May 7th and 8th, which is the Library's annual fundraiser for their summer reading program. This year Hohenwald Springfest will feature the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile, so come grab your hotdog, and seize your chance to be an Oscar Mayer Wiener and have everyone be in love with you each time you donate.