Hooks Community Library turning the page to the future

By Rylee Freeman

The Hooks Community Library is in the works to become a cozy, welcoming environment for families to gather.

Emily Thomes is in the process of igniting her passion for reading by turning an old and empty building into a place for families to come together and develop an appreciation and love for books.

What began as a Free Little Library outside of her home has turned into what Thomes describes as God’s perfect plan. She had briefly considered and mentioned the idea of bringing the library back to life but had not taken the time to seriously pray over it, thinking the idea was preposterous. However, the last couple of weeks have proven to Thomes that nothing is too big for God.

The president of the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) received word that Thomes was interested in reopening the library, which was once the Hooks Public Library before closing in 2018.

On August 10, Thomes sat down for a meeting with the IDC and made a proposal. Shortly after, she received a congratulatory message stating that she now had a library.

Prior to the meeting, Thomes decided to see how interested the community would be in the project because she knew it would take help. She created a Facebook page and after just one post, more than 1,000 books were offered and multiple people expressed interest in reading to

children.

The Hooks Community Library will be primarily aimed toward children, but a wide variety of books will be available as well. Thomes plans to bring back classic books that the new generation of children may be missing out on.

“The thing I look forward to the most is seeing the kids come in, and that they’ll associate reading with the feel of a comfortable place right there on Main Street,” Thomes said.

As for activities, the library will offer weekly read-alouds, a summer reading program where children are challenged to read for 15 minutes per day and a craft and board game room where families can spend as much time as they would like to.

The library will be free to the community and will have extended hours. Because Thomes lives just a couple of minutes away, she plans to keep it open as often as possible.

Thomes hopes to open and begin operations within the next few months. In addition to donations of books and funds, Thomes asks for prayers from the community.

The Hooks Community Library is located at 101 Main St. Outside the library is a donation box for books that will be checked multiple times each day.