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Last week, the Friends of the LaGrange Memorial Library donated $30,000 to the ongoing renovations of the library.

The group has always been focused on supporting our library, holding book sales throughout the year to raise funds, and we’re thankful for the time and energy they put toward this unquestioned community resource.

But the truth is that the library is still short on the funding it needs to complete this massive renovation project. Keith Schuermann said the library is still roughly $800,000 short, as the costs of the project have ballooned due to the increase in materials.

The library has received grants and has been given very generous donations from the city of LaGrange and the Callaway Foundation to help pay for this project.

However, the truth is that every little bit helps.

The library has managed to continue its programs through its temporary location at Unity School, but the renovated library will have so much more to offer.

It’s going to include additional meeting spaces to better accommodate programming and community demand, training rooms for workforce development, a zero-noise study area, a new teen area and a gated learning courtyard with child-friendly equipment and seating areas.

A local library is a massive community resource that offers people a chance to handle homework, explore the magic of reading and expand one’s imagination, log onto a computer to explore employment opportunities and so much more.

The value cannot be overstated. For some, it’s the only way they can log on to the internet.

We know that the majority of people reading this — 99.99% — do not have $800,000 to spare to send to the library.

But do you have $1? Do you have $5? We know we’re overstating the simplicity of it, but if every single person in Troup County gave $11.50, the library would reach its $800,000 goal.

We ask anyone who is able to donate toward this great cause.

Show the library how thankful we are for the services it offers and how much we value it. Whether that’s $1 or $100, every little bit helps.

You can donate at https://thrl.org/donate/ through a Paypal link.