The following gifts have been given in honor/memory of friends of the Whiting Public Library.  We are grateful for these wonderful additions to our library.

Weather vane in memory of Marcia I Jones (1946-2013).   Marcia is the daughter-in-law of Jerry and Hazel Jones, previous owners of the property on which the library sits.  Marcia and her husband, Skip, passed this property on to the city for the purpose of building the library.

Garden in memory of Joanne Orr (1937-2019).  Joanne was the library board secretary for many years.  

Grants from Monona County Community Partners Foundation over the years have provided computers, computer chairs,  flat-screen TV, handicapped accessible front entry door.

A child-sized table in the children's area was built by Kevin Hall.

Whiting resident, Eugene Smith, continues to provide on-line access to Weiss Ratings Financial Service.  Weiss Ratings includes information about finances, insurance, investments and much more.

Stained glass panels in memory of June Whitehorn (1911-2008), long-time teacher at Whiting Community School.

Sloan State Bank, Whiting Office has provided funding through the years to help secure much needed equipment for the library, including: computers, office chairs, a copy machine, refrigerator, water heater, ceiling fans, landscaping, shelving, comfortable reading chairs and a collection of puppets for the children's area.

Wooden semi trucks crafted by career truck driver and artist Joel Koenig (1937-2019).  Besides those at the library, Joel's hand-crafted wooden trucks are on display at the American Truck Historical Society in Kansas City, Missouri. Joel's wife, Cheryl, is current president of the library's board of directors. 

Several local artists have donated paintings to the library.  Two nature paintings in the meeting room were painted and donated by Ardis McCandless.  A seascape painting in the meeting room was painted by Dick Derr’s aunt, donated by Dick & Dianne Derr.  Glenda Koenig's "Iowa Native Plum" painting is hanging in the kitchen.  A painting featuring two dancers in front of a mirror was given by Lucy Holmes in memory of her daughter.

The outdoor bench near the front door was donated by their family in honor of August (1921-2008) and Carolyn Westergaard. Carolyn has served as a long-time  member of the library's board of directors and served on the building committee for the new library building.

The butterfly garden east of the library was provided by a grant from the Monsanto Fund.

The bench in the butterfly garden was provided by Dr. Dean Niffenegger, who was a veterinarian in Whiting for many years.  The gift was given in memory of his wife, Virginia.  Dr. Niffenegger also gifted the stone planters in the garden in memory of his daughter, Sally.  

A computer stand was donated in memory of Marian Pike (1913-2005), a well-known community leader.  Marian was a long-time supporter of the library.  Her $50,000 donation was one of three given that  jumpstarted the fundraising efforts for building the new library.

A historic shadow box collection hanging in the library's meeting room came from Dr. U. V. Garred's  dental office. The Badger's 4-H Club donated several items to the children's area of the library including a book spinner, oversized Clifford the Big Red Dog, wooden puzzles, and puppets.  These gifts were purchased with funds the Badgers raised through Christmas wreath sales.

Dr. John and Fern Garred donated a framed piece featuring the inside views of stones, which hung for many years in the teen room at the library.  When the expanding book collection required more shelving, leaving no free wall space, Joel Koenig incorporated the piece into a table, using wood made from trees blown down at the Boy Scout Camp.   Ray Fischer donated a lectern and portable sound system for the meeting room in memory of his wife, Mable Fischer.  Ray is the grandfather of the library's director, Dawn Teel.

Many books in memory of various friends and community members have been added to the library's collection.

If you would like to make a gift to the library, please contact the library director, Dawn Teel at 712-455-2612 or by email,  We can work with you to find just the right gift to honor your loved one, and to help make the library even better for our community.