The Mt Laurel Public Library took one more step towards existence with a $10,000 donation from a company with local ties.

Praxair, an industrial gases company with a plant in Birmingham, made the donation in late July as part of its Library Links program, which funds a wide variety of activities at public libraries throughout the United States.

John Floyd, chairman of the Friends of the Mt Laurel Public Library board of directors, said the group already knows how Praxair’s donation will be used.

“Praxair’s funds will be used to build the entryway and install windows in the proposed library,” he said. “The entryway will be designated as the Praxair Entryway.”

Ann Price, a member of the board of directors, said since April 2008, the group has raised $91,477 out of the $250,000 needed for construction.

She said the group doesn’t have an established goal for when the library would be built.

The Friends of the Mt Laurel Public Library are also selling commemorative bricks for their “Buy a Brick, Build a Library, Leave a Legacy” fundraiser.

Price said the Mt Laurel community deserves a library.

“We believe that a library serving the entire Dunnavant Valley area of Shelby County will bring opportunities for enrichment that are not currently available in the area,” she said. “In addition to traditional library services, the new library will serve as a center for civic, literary and cultural programs. We hope it will be a place where children, parents and grandparents can come together to nurture a love of reading and lifelong learning.”

Floyd said the library would be an invaluable resource to help the community grow and nurture citizens.

“History has shown that every great community needs a library, and we are helping to build a great and better community with the addition of this library to North Shelby County,” he said.

The Mt Laurel Public Library, which would serve the Dunnavant Valley area, would be a branch of the North Shelby Public Library.

For information on the library or how to donate to the building fund, e-mail mtlaurelpubliclibrary@gmail.com.