By Associated Press - Saturday, March 25, 2017

WALTHILL, Neb. (AP) - A new public library in a community in the Omaha Indian Reservation has offered hope for the area that has been struggling against poverty.

The community gathered for a ribbon-cutting and grand opening of the Walthill Public Library Wednesday. The library reopened Thursday in what was once a garage for the town’s firetrucks and ambulance, the Sioux City Journal (https://bit.ly/2nl0fc3 ) reported.

“It’s not just a library,” library director Nola Briggs said. “It is a community building that hopefully is homey and welcoming.”

The library used to be in an 800-square-foot building that had no storage, little room to sit, flooding and a neighboring bar.

“I just plugged away and did the best I could where I was,” Briggs said. “We wanted a place that would be safe, that was easier to care for and larger.”

The village secured more than $400,000 over three years through grants and donations to turn the former fire hall into a library. A new fire hall was built in 2014.

The new library has more room for children to spread out, a kitchen and an area with couches and chairs for teenagers.

“It’s so uplifting because of the problems we have,” Briggs said. “The town has really suffered, and it needed an uplift.”

The reservation is continuing to battle poverty, but downtown revitalization plans call for multiple projects to bring life to Walthill.

“The people in this community, they love it when their children can be happy, and they like to have them come to the library,” Briggs said.

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Information from: Sioux City Journal, https://www.siouxcityjournal.com

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