In the last few years, Little Libraries have been cropping up around the country. They are small cupboards filled with books that are free for the taking, and people can donate books to them for others to keep.

Montgomery now has a Little Library of its own, called the Lions Club Library. It stands on South Main Street between the Montgomery Lions Club Hall and the railroad tracks. It already has a great collection of books, and anyone who would like a book is welcome to come and take one.

The Lions Club Library was the work of husband-and-wife team, Blair and Marissa Steward. They are both lifelong readers, and Blair has written several books. Their love of books is something that they have passed on to their children.

The Lions Club Library became a reality because it was the perfect way for Blair and Marissa to combine two desires that they had. One was that their children had outgrown some of their story books, and they wanted to pass them along to other children who could benefit from them.

Blair is a member of the Montgomery Lions Club, and Marissa is an active volunteer with the organization. They wanted to do something practical to help the community, and decided to create a Little Library, which has been named The Lions Club Library.

Marissa commented, “After we discussed it at home, Blair just brought it up to the committee as an idea and they were all on board and we went forward with the plan.”

“We wanted to make sure we took our time with it and had a good plan for it, size and design-wise,” Blair said.

The construction of the Lions Club Library was done in a

forward-thinking manner but it also honors the past. Blair built the Lions Club Library from recycled materials. The boards were taken from their attic, and someone donated roofing shingles.

When asked how long it took to build it, Blair said, “Definitely a few weeks but we took our time and did it right. A lot of the material had been living here for well over a century. I hope it stays in town for a long time to come.”

It was painted blue and yellow, the colors of the Montgomery Lions Club. There is a small plaque affixed to the front that says, “Donated by the Montgomery Lions Club & The Steward Family.”

While the desire to share children’s books may have inspired the idea, the Lions Club Library is for all ages. Marissa said, “As a family we feel it would be great to offer books for all ages so everyone in town can benefit. Anyone is allowed to donate and take whenever they feel the need.”

In addition to offering books for all ages, Marissa stated that books on tape are available for the visually impaired.

The Lions Club Library was set in place on November 7, 2022. When asked how he felt seeing the Lions Club Library installed, Blair said that he, “loved seeing it, but seeing it fill up quickly was even more satisfying. I was very happy to see how quickly the town interacted with the Lions Club Library and how many books have been exchanged since it’s been there.”

“We just want to thank anyone who has donated books to help the Lions Library grow. We hope this is a lasting way of giving back to the community and I personally am excited to see kids interacting with it more as the weather gets nicer,” Marissa added.