A program aimed at buying books to fill the library at the new Iola Elementary School has raised about $13,000 in its first two months, but that’s just a start.
That represents about 520 books, Becky Nilges, organizer of the Project Bookshelf fundraiser, said.
She aims to raise significantly more, setting a goal to buy about 3,000 books. That’s about 10 percent of the new library’s capacity of 30,000 books. 
The school is projected to open in 2022.
Nilges met with USD 257 board members Monday night to update them on the program’s early success, and to remind them to consider Project Bookshelf as they allocate money for projects. She pointed to the recent payment from the wind farm project.
The biggest source of donations, though, has come from a special feature offered under the program: “Book to Honor.”
Under that provision, a $25 donation offers the opportunity to dedicate a book in someone’s honor.
It began just weeks before Christmas, making it a great gift.
And, indeed, many individuals took advantage of the opportunity, Nilges said. Often, donations were made on behalf of a beloved teacher, a parent or grandparent.
“We got donations from people that kind of surprised me. People you don’t usually see on donor lists,” she said.
“I read through all the forms that have come back, and some of the comments are really touching about the people they are honoring and why.”
THE NEW library will face unique challenges when it opens.
For example, fifth grade students will move from Iola Middle School to the elementary school. Some books may be transferred to the new school, but that would take them away from the IMS library.
Also, classes like art, music and physical education now incorporate more reading into their programs. Their goal is to spark a child’s interest in the subject, so they can seek out books to learn more about it.
Books for preschool students, which also will be moved to the new school, are quite different from other books.
Also, it’s important to maintain a current collection of non-fiction books.
