Strum Public Library is the hum of the Strum community. People gather there—morning coffee hours bring neighbors together, and a friendly face is always waiting. With just over 1,000 residents, a library is so much more than a place to find books for the Village of Strum in Trempealeau County.
Now, thanks to a new solar canopy, in part funded by Solar for Good, Strum Public Library is entering a new chapter.
“I Almost Fell Over”
The savings arrived faster than anyone expected. The library’s utility had warned Library Director Dawn Hering it could take six months to see a change. Instead, her first bill came in at $17.09, compared to more than $400 before. The next bill? Just around $16.
“I almost fell over when we got our first bill,” Dawn said. “So we’ve already saved about seven hundred dollars.”
Why the Library Went Solar
Keeping a rural library funded is hard, and finding steady support for its services has become a real challenge. In 2025, the library saw a rare chance to change that.
“Investing in solar would drastically reduce our utility expenses, therefore, we could then provide more resources for our community,” Dawn said.
Neighbors rallied behind the idea, and sustainability quickly became the library’s goal for the year. Support came from the community, a $5,000 Solar for Good grant, and the Winding Rivers Solar Program.
Where the Savings Go
Dawn already has plans for those dollars:
- Expanding the library building
- Adding a car engine fault code reader to the library’s “library of things” kits
- Supporting Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which starts in January 2027 and gives children ages 0-5 a free book every month
Essential Services, Not Just Books
It is easy to think of a library as a place to borrow books. For this small rural town, it is much more. Strum’s library started in the late 1920s as a door-to-door book drive and opened in its current form in 1956 with 2,300 donated books. Today it offers technology access, educational programs, skills development, digital resources, and community outreach, along with free public computers and copy, scan, and fax services.
In many rural communities, a school acts as a second hub. Where there isn’t one close by, the library may be the main place for learning, services, and community.
Healthcare, Social Security, taxes, and social services now run through the internet. For older residents who are not comfortable online, can’t use a computer, or don’t have family nearby, the library is often the only place to turn.
“It’s a daily thing around here,” Dawn said. “If you don’t have internet, you don’t accomplish much.”
For a lot of Strum, the library is how those essential services become accessible.
Help Us Do More of This
Strum is one of many nonprofits using solar to put more of their budgets toward the people they serve. Solar for Good has helped make more than 250 projects possible. The program runs on the support of donors who believe clean energy should reach every corner of Wisconsin, and a gift goes directly toward supporting grants for the next group of organizations.