What is the importance of Moneta, Iowa in the book, Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World?

Moneta is a small town twenty miles from Spencer and two miles from Vicki's childhood home. The town was never more than about 500 people, but the population swelled by counting the nearby farmers who considered Moneta home. The town's decline began in 1959 when the state closed the school.