Ruth Hohl is hoping that those who lose a loved one choose to memorialize them with words.
    Hohl, who has run the Wauneta Public Library for 38 years, said people have recently done just that, donating to the library in memory of a person who has died.
    The latest contribution of historical books and tapes came from Pam Reitsch, a Michigan woman who has frequently donates to the library because her husband, Donald, is a Wauneta native.
    Other donations have enabled the library to buy both large and regular print books to add to its collection.
    It’s an important way to keep the library’s collection fresh. In fact, if a donation is earmarked for books, Hohl said, the person the donation memorializes will be noted in the book itself.
    But donations don’t go for just reading material. They’ve also been used to buy tables, bookcases and chairs and lighting  for the library, located on the top floor of Wauneta’s village hall.
    Donors often will not specify how the money they give should be used. “They’ll say, use it wherever it’s needed,” she said. Of course, “we’re always updating our books.”
    Hohl chuckles when asked how many volumes the library holds, saying only it’s “a lot. I haven’t counted them lately. Just a large amount.”

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