FRANKLIN—Lois Minetree spent 18 months making a quilt to help raise money for her beloved Ruth Camp Campbell Memorial Library in Franklin.

“I’ve loved books all my life, and one day I found the pattern and thought I just had to make it,” she said.

The 96-inch-by-105-inch quilt includes 56 blocks that look like books; it is on display in the library.

People who don’t frequent the library may not understand how much it’s used and what it means to the community, said Minetree, who worked there when it was located in the Pace House.

Branch Manager Bonnie Roblin is a quilter and knows the dedication it took for Minetree to make the quilt.

“It’s such an honor to have been gifted with this piece of beautiful handwork,” Roblin said. “Her quilting is beautifully done.”

Minetree is a member of the Friends of the Library, which raises money to support the library.

“We probably have one of the most active Friends groups in the area,” she said.

Roblin and Donna Pope, the library’s public service manager, both said the Friends are always willing to help the library.

“When things are a little low, they’re always right there rooting for us,” Roblin said.

The Friends are still trying to figure the best way to raise money from the quilt, Minetree said.

“My fantasy is for somebody to come along and look at it and think they can’t live without it and make a big donation to the library,” she said. “But that’s probably not going to happen, and we haven’t decided yet how we can best make the most with the quilt.”

For now, the quilt hangs between the children’s area and the quiet study area. Mike Evans, the library’s maintenance man, took great care to see that it was hung precisely, Roblin said.

“It’s a great symbol of the faith that the Friends put in us,” she noted.

Simply saying it took a year-and-a-half to make the quilt doesn’t do justice to the many days Minetree spent working on the quilt, Pope said.

“You’ve just got to be inspired by Ms. Lois and her determination to do this for our library,” Pope said. “I’m in awe.”