Library can makes strides with unexpected donation
Magness Library is much like libraries throughout Tennessee and throughout the nation. It’s hard-pressed for money.
In these lean economic times where tax dollars are stretched in dozens of directions, public libraries are often the low item on the totem pole when it comes to obtaining funding. And in many cases, this line of thinking is accurate.
Military funding is vital. So are police protection and emergency services. We demand quality roads, and health care continues to swallow a great share of the pie. That’s not to mention all the money that’s pumped into education through public schools.
By the time libraries make their way to the front of the line, they often leave exactly how they came – with their hand out.
That’s the very reason Magness Library has funded the bulk of its improvements and its recent property acquisition through $200,000 of private donations over a 10-year period. It’s also the reason the library will have the rare luxury of money to spend once the will of the late Gentry Moffitt is settled and the library is given what’s expected to be around $1 million.
This is a generous donation and one the library is no doubt grateful to have. It’s obvious Mr. Moffitt had a concern for the education of children, both through his library donation and an MTSU scholarship fund he established for Warren County students. While details of the scholarship fund are sketchy at this point, it appears many local students who attend MTSU will receive financial assistance thanks to Mr. Moffitt.
As for the library, talks are currently focusing on how best to utilize the money once it is awarded. An elevator has been a long-talked-about improvement, as has finding a way to expand the building itself. Books, computers and other resource materials are also logical choices.
Whatever decisions library board officials ultimately reach, we are confident they will act in the best interest of Warren County citizens. They have never gotten a donation of this size before, and may never get one again.
For library officials, this is the time to sift through all those wish lists and ponder purchases never before thought possible. Thanks to one man’s generosity, this is the chance for our library to make great strides.