The Margaret Reed Crosby Memorial Library recently received a $500 donation from Pearl River County resident Robert Woodyard in memory of his late wife Mary Ann Woodyard.

The funds were used by the library to create a special collection of fiction and non-fiction books that can be easily read by mentally challenged adults in the community.

Mary Ann dedicated her life to education, teaching in various capacities at several schools in Pearl River County.

Carol Phares, director of the Pearl River County Library System, said the Woodyards were inseparable and after her passing Robert wanted to do something to memorialize her influence to the community as a teacher. 

The library used the donation to establish an easy to read book collection now named the “Dr.Mary Ann Woodyard née Baker Adult Literacy Collection.”

Phares said the collection consists of high interest books written on a first to third grade level so they can be easily comprehended.

The non-fiction collection includes books on subjects such as job skills and living skills that provide readers access to information that could allow citizens to better perform routine activities.

“They need books of a level they can understand and books that speak respectfully to them and it is important because it would be demoralizing if books talked down to them.” Phares said.

The collection is available to any person of any reading level and includes books by renowned authors like Charles Dickens and Daniel Defoe among many others.