Dallas County Schools’ librarians were not the only ones excited to learn that Books-A-Million donated nearly 2,000 books to the system. We also welcomed the good news with big smiles, because we know all the good it can bring to the students.

With 1 in 4 Alabamians functionally illiterate, we appreciate the company and those who donated to the holiday book drive for supplying area students with the reading material, because it means they have additional resources vital to academic growth.

The local school libraries don’t recieve enhancement funds, so librarians depend on grants to help provide new books for the students.

Reading the same books can get boring, and the youth should remain excited about reading. The new selection, which cost a total of more than $9,000, is sure to do just that.

We encourage the students to take advantage of this chance to explore the new reading material, because knowledge can be found between each page. Knowledge is power and leads to success, which is something everyone should continue to strive for throughout their lifetime.

It’s great that those in Montgomery were willing to give to Dallas County, and we hope it inspires local residents, groups and businesses to continue to give to our area school libraries.

Area students deserve the best, and the community should keep focusing on ways to help provide it.