By AMY GORDON / Staff Writer

Helena’s Jane B. Holmes Public Library received a $3,000 grant from the Vulcan Materials Foundation that will be used to purchase DVDs and books, said library director Victoria Ashford.

“We’re thankful they’re supportive of the local community,” Ashford said. “I want to be able to get the latest and greatest for the community.”

Ashford applied for the grant last fall. The $3,000 amount was the maximum amount for the grant, she said.

“I am constantly on the lookout for whoever has free money,” she said. “They made it very easy-it was basically ask and ye shall receive, and I like that.”

Ashford said she doesn’t know yet what exactly the money will purchase, but she plans to focus on the children’s department.

“I’m constantly upgrading,” she said. “We’re about quality, quantity and quickness. I want to get the community what it wants and what it needs.”

The grant money will go into the library’s general fund. A substantial portion of the library’s funding comes from grants, she said.

“Grants are very important, and I try to get as many as I can,” she said.

Ashford said she hopes that the Vulcan Materials grant will become a yearly occurrence.

“We look forward to working with them in the future,” she said.

The Jane B. Holmes Public Library has approximately 30,000 items in circulation.