Decaturville Elementary opens lending library to boost student reading

A new lending library at Decaturville Elementary put books within reach of students who may need them most after the school day ends. Built and installed by Vulcan Materials, the small library is meant to keep reading moving from the classroom to the home and back again, one borrowed book at a time.

Decatur County Schools introduced the project through Decaturville Elementary’s live feed, saying students can borrow a book, take it home, read it, and return it so another student can enjoy it later. The school also said students may take an AR test at school after finishing a book before exchanging it for another title, linking the library to the school’s reading accountability system instead of treating it as a free-book shelf with no follow-through.

Principal Christee Pettigrew, who has 28 years of education experience, all in Decatur County, framed the lending library as part of a larger effort to build lifelong readers. Decaturville Elementary is at 820 South West St. in Decaturville, and the school says the library is meant to extend learning beyond the classroom walls while supporting family reading habits at home. The district’s live feed underscored that message in a short line: “Reading opens doors.”

The school laid out clear borrowing rules for families. Books are supposed to be returned when finished, and families are asked not to place unapproved books directly into the library. School staff will review donations before adding them, and a drop-off location for donated books is expected soon. That approach suggests the library is being treated as a managed literacy tool, not just a neighborhood box of paperbacks.

The project also fits a broader pattern at Decaturville Elementary. In a previous school addition, the district thanked Tri-county Concrete, Quinn Construction, and Tom Campbell for helping make the work possible. This time, Vulcan Materials filled that role by building and installing the lending library, giving the school another visible piece of infrastructure aimed at students’ day-to-day learning.

The timing comes as Tennessee continues to push early literacy as a statewide priority. The Tennessee Department of Education has tied that work to state literacy initiatives, and Governor’s Early Literacy Foundation says it serves all 95 counties with home-library programs for children from birth to third grade. At Decaturville Elementary, the lending library turns that broader policy goal into something concrete: more books moving home with students, more reading after hours, and more chances for families in Decatur County to keep literacy going once the bell rings.